There’s so many labels putting out death metal and black metal today, that it’s hard to know where to go for interesting, fresh and creative takes on those classic styles. However, for the wandering headbanger, Singapore’s Pulverised Records offers a realm of dark and fascinating sounds, including some of the most crucial bands out today like House by the Cemetery, Autophagy, Uttertomb and more.
And since I often include the label’s work in my Five For Friday column, I’d made a point to reach out to Calvin Chiang and find out more. If that sounds cool to you, or you just want to check out some killer tunes, check out the interview and samplings below.
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Thank you for agreeing to talk with us, for those who don’t know much about the label, could you tell us how the label got started?
Thank you for doing this feature with us! Pulverised was started in 1996 by Roy Yeo, Ayong and Leng Hiang and they were also in a death metal band called Mutation. It was the fact that Roy and Leng Hiang were both tape-trading back then and discovered so many killer bands that sparked the idea of them wanting to start a record label. The first release that Pulverised did was the Amon Amarth EP and it subsequently went on to sign Thy Primordial, Satariel, Theory In Practice, etc. Pulverised took a hiatus for about four years and then I joined around 2004/2005 when Roy decided to reinstate the label.
What would you say is the primary vision for the label? The whole vibe is of course very dark and abrasive, is that what you were going for?
I like to think that we put out not just dark and abrasive music but also releases that have something to say and with depth as well. However in today’s context, that’s getting harder to achieve with a slew of releases coming out with shelf-dates that expire rather quickly. Yeah, for sure we love our death metal the good old way, but we’re also looking for something with fresh perspectives injected into it.
You’ve put out a lot of killer music, but I’m especially curious about Doldrey, and not just because they’re named after a battle from Berserk. How did you come across them?
I remembered when they released their demo on the first day, I instantly knew they had something special going on but I didn’t know who were the guys in the band. After asking around for a bit, I found out the drummer was Farhan and we had previously released his old band Abolition A.D a couple of years back. We’re extremely proud of them and they’re a good example of a band really developing; be it musically, visually or creatively.
It’s not easy running an independent record label in 2024. What have been your primary challenges?
You got that right, it’s insane to run a label. It’s still a constant fight against illegal digital downloads, although the thing about metalheads is that some of them are fiercely loyal and will only purchase physical releases. I believe that both Roy and myself do have a keen ear for good music but beyond that, it’s also really interesting to see the shifts and changes in music trends. We’re kinda observant with such things but of course we don’t immediately pick up bands that are the hottest and have the most hype. So for me, being very much aware of trends and movements is key. We also learned that keeping a very open mind is vital too.
On a more positive note, what are some releases you have planned that fans should look out for in the coming months?
At the time of writing this, we’re getting ready to release the Jade/Sanctuarium split EP. The next one will be the new Moondark record. Keep a lookout for our upcoming releases on Instagram, we’re always updating stuff there.
It’s easy to get jaded and burned out when music becomes your everyday working life. Finally, what keeps you excited about this music?
I’ve been doing the label full-time for 15 years and indeed we do get burned out from doing this day in, day out but it’s been quite the adventure so far and I would not trade this for anything else. Right now, there’s a very interesting scene growing in Asia and South East Asia and I’m pretty excited about this. I certainly hope in the next few years there will be a very vibrant extreme music scene with even more good bands sprouting out.