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  Zahir

My fellow Germs…today marks the release of Pulverise’s latest single Deadstock! Their first proper release since 2023’s Kilobyte Killer EP. I managed to get a stranglehold on one of the very busy bunch and learn a bit about what this song means to them. We also had a general natter about what is happening in their world. I spoke to Daz, their lovely, resident bass man…

Zahir: Your single “Deadstock” is out today (20/10/2025)! What is the story behind the lyrics?

Daz: Deadstock is a raw, high-energy rap metal track with hardcore bite and punk attitude. There’s a political undertone there, but its Jo-Jo getting some really important, strong emotions off her chest. It’s a wake-up call for a world hooked on noise and distraction, showing how easily we’re pulled in and divided by the systems around us. Where people follow like moths to a flame, led by whoever shouts the loudest. A fierce reminder to think for ourselves and stay real in a fake world.

Zahir: Musically it’s yet another strong slab of your specific brand of alternative metal. At this point in your career, is it safe to say you’ve cemented your “sound”?

Daz: No, I wouldn’t say we have a specific sound. We always like to try different things, and I personally am a “tinkerer”. So, I’ll play with ideas, or Tom (guitarist) will bring in a riff and we’ll work from there. There’s a lot of bands out there that are happy making the same kind of songs, and that’s fine for them, but we are open to trying new things. Quite often I’ll get the guitar out and write riffs, and Tom does the same. So we bring the riffs to the table and then Vicky will add her drums and Jo-Jo will bring in her lyrics. Tom is a songwriter in his own right. We came in for the riffs to Deadstock and Tom had laid down a scratch drum track, but Vicky came in and made it her own.

Zahir: Well to be honest, up till now, your song Tomb Raiderz really stands out for me personally. I just think it’s different and that’s why I like it

Daz: That’s interesting! It’s always nice to hear about what the fans like and also what they don’t! We don’t aim to please everyone, but if 90% of people don’t like the sound of something we’re doing, we’ll take the hint!
With Deadstock though, we have honed our sound, and it sounds like “us”. In that sense, yes, we’ve found our sound… for now!

Zahir: What was the creative process like for Deadstock?

Daz: Well, we are currently looking for a new rehearsal space/studio so we’ve recorded this with Ross at Hohm Studio, Bradford. He helped us record previous tracks and our last EP. He’s a great guy and really knows his stuff. He’s made suggestions on our recording process in the past, like suggesting a specific type of mic for Jo-Jo to record with, for example. I had questioned why he chose a SM58 as opposed to a “proper” tube microphone, but Jo-Jo was able to get up close and personal with his suggested equipment; physically holding the mic while tracking vocals and it turned out great.

Zahir: That’s impressive. Is it safe to say Ross is more of a producer when it comes to the band?

Daz: oh absolutely. He knows what he’s doing!

Zahir: Is this a taster of a potential new longform release?

Daz: Yes and no… it’s kind of generally known that people don’t tend to have the attention span for albums these days and they respond better to short-form content. So, we’ve done these two tracks and putting Deadstock out as a single only for now.

Zahir: Wait, two tracks?!

Daz: Yep! The other is called “Little Voices”. We haven’t decided just when we are releasing that one, but we will do in the near future.

Zahir: Have you played them live yet?

Daz: We’ve played Little Voices before, yeah. But we only played Deadstock for the first time ever at Slammer Fest on Saturday (18th October 2025). It went down really well; the crowd loved it! So, we will put Little Voices out at some point soon, and perhaps an EP in the future. But there’s no timeline for that at the moment.

Zahir: This brings me to your current run of shows. You’re on tour with Ward XVI. How did that partnership come about?

Daz: They are a great bunch of people. We played with them for the first time a few years back and I’d had a few sherbet so went and plonked myself down in their camp and we just got talking! We really hit it off, kept in touch ever since, and it came up in conversation about touring together. So that’s how that came about. They got in touch about this recent tour and asked if we’d want to join them and here we are! We’re doing (in October) the 22nd, and from the 24th to the 31st. We have a great time, and they are great bunch of people.

Zahir: Musically, it’s safe to say, you’re fairly different though.

Daz: Yes that’s true, but it’s nice to have bands on a lineup that have a different flavour, otherwise it can get a bit samey. It’s cool to have similar bands on a lineup but having variation keeps it interesting

Zahir: I have yet to see them myself, but from what I have seen… they’re very theatrical!

Daz: Oh, Absolutely! They remind me of the old concert video from the early nineties that Iron Maiden did – Raising Hell. It’s that kind of “vibe”.

WARNING: BASS GEEKERY

Zahir: I notice you’re not playing your usual Music Man bass in the video clips. Is that a new “ingredient”?

Daz: The bass I’m playing is a Cort fanned-fret model. I have another also. They’re really great basses, but I tend to not use the active circuit on them. *proceeds to show me his 4 go-to basses*

Zahir: Speaking of ingredients, you also have a new hot sauce called Deadstock!

Daz: Tom has a real passion for hot sauces. We both love spicy food, and he does create some great sauces. He tends to cook them up himself and taste tests them before letting us try them. He usually lets a song inspire the recipe of the sauce in question.
This one isn’t particularly hot compared to others he’s made, but it tastes beautiful. I’m not particularly keen on hurting myself via spice anymore! It’s a tomato-based sauce with cola, soy and has Cayenne, Scotch Bonnet and Carolina Reaper chillies honey in it.

Zahir: Where can pick some of this goodness up?

Daz: We’ll have some along with us on the tour, as well as our other merch. We have some sweet new Deadstock T-shirts as well as our other clothing. Also, there’s some new stickers too. You can also grab the sauces and merch on our Bandcamp.

Zahir: Thank you so much for your time, Daz. Any parting words?

Daz: We’re really looking forward to getting out there with Ward XVI and having a blast. Come down, come see us. Grab yourself some sauce and if nothing else, come over after and have a chat. We love talking about pretty much anything; gear, music, whatever. Come and tell us what you liked (or didn’t). That’s why we do what we do…

Pulverise hit the road with Ward XVI at various venues around the UK this month. Their latest release, Deadstock is out today.