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Defiled: In crisis

26/01/12 || BamaHammer

When you think about groovy brutal death metal bands, the first country that always seems to pop into your head is Japan, right? Um, no, definitely not. In fact, normally when I think about Japanese metal, I think about X Japan and bands of that weird visual kei ilk who saw Poison and Mr. Big back in the ’80s and thought guys with guitars were supposed to wear makeup and tease their hair.

Clearly these dudes don’t care about that garbage. Defiled write brutal, groovy, and catchy death metal complete with technicality that deserves respect and one of the most insanely loud and ridiculous bass sounds ever. This album actually kind of sneaked up on me this year, and I was completely blown away by its quality.

Defiled’s previous release was titled “Divination,” and it was released in 2003 to some pretty positive reviews. As the years passed, they faded once again into obscurity despite the promising press that “Divination” garnered. The entire band around guitarist Yusuke Sumita was replaced, and it was back to the drawing board. What the newly formed lineup produced was “In crisis,” a staggering and brutal slab of technical grooves that was quite simply a joy to listen to.

After setting a new standard for pointless intro tracks (0:23 of keyboard pad swells with a pitch-shifter. Really.), the first thing you notice about this album is the bass. It’s ludicrously loud (almost too loud, actually), crystal clear, and extremely bright. As for what’s being played, if you’ve ever wondered what Flea would sound like in a death metal band, this is probably as close to an answer as you’re going to get. Haruhisa Takahata pops and bangs and slaps his bass strings like a madman for pretty much the duration of this album, and it’s a good thing he’s very proficient since he’s so high in the mix. Every note he plays is extremely exposed. The surprising part is that those funky, jazzy bass parts are done quite tastefully, and it never really gets old. Just listen to the first 30 seconds or so of the opener, “Lethal agitator” for a good idea of what to expect on this record. If you love good death metal bass with a hint of craziness, this is the album for you.

Many of the songs are driven forward by the bass, but the rest of the band definitely pull their weight as well. Quite often, truly brutal guitar parts lack that groove that makes you want to listen to them again and again, but this album is absolutely filled with catchy, memorable riffs in truly every song. Every time I listen through this thing, it seems like I discover something new to enjoy, whether it’s one of the numerous bass guitar pops, a heavy guitar riff, a good growl, or one of the many well-placed snare rolls. The frequent time changes are also impeccably executed and always keep things interesting moving forward.

The production on “In crisis” is ultimately pretty raw, which I both respect and enjoy here because it fits the music so well. The rawness only enhances Defiled’s purely relentless onslaught and makes each instrument instantly noticeable. Everything is performed pretty tightly, and the album’s sound only accentuates that fact.

These guys ultimately have created a pretty original sound for themselves with this album and really sound like nothing else out there. There’s a hint of a Krisiun vibe at the beginning of “Unconscious Slavery,” but once the bass gets going with all it’s boingy-boingy goodness, you quickly forget about it and are treated to more of Defiled’s brand of brutality.

I don’t know yet if I’m truly impressed with these guys or if I’m just shocked by the lack of any expectations when I first heard this album. In any event, “In crisis” is brimming with quality tracks, and I have hard time deciphering a weakness. Knowing that Defiled turned over essentially the entire band (the bass player in particular) makes me a little hesitant to want to explore their previous three releases, but here’s hoping it’s not another eight years before their next record. This one is awesome.

8,5

Information
Released: 2011
Label: Season of Mist
Website: www.defiled.info
Band
Kenji Sato: vocals
Yusuke Sumita: guitars
Haruhisa Takahata: bass
Takahiro Okada: drums

Tracklist
01. From Alpha
02. Lethal Agitator
03. Retrogression
04. Unconscious Slavery
05. Paradoxical Chaos
06. In Crisis
07. Behind You Pray
08. Resentment Without End
09. Intolerant
10. Maze of Nescience
11. Revelation of Doom
12. To Omega

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