Japan’s ferocious death metal squadron Defiled is back and about to unleash an impressive and cleverly crafted album that sees the veteran outfit in fine form. More than that, actually. Altered State is a whirlwind of brutal riffs, creative song arrangements, horror-filled atmospheres, and undiluted passion, and what could one possibly ask for?!
The album’s fourteen tracks strike a great balance between immediacy and accessibility on the one side and prog-esque elements and pleasingly challenging parts and passages on the other. Merging old-school death metal with forward-looking characteristics and tendencies as this excellent outfit does is simply a metal marriage made in heaven (or is that hell?) to these ears. Aggression, technicality, discipline, and memorable ideas all merge and blend perfectly here, and momentum is maintained throughout with some of the best cuts arguably being ‘Dazed in Blindness’, ‘Genocidal Stage’, ‘Portal’, and the ominous, occult-tinged ‘Obsession’. However, these chaps have saved the best for last in that the unholy triumvirate consisting of ‘Prophecies’, ‘Demolition’, and the utterly dark ‘Apocalyptic End’ is pretty much flawless and serves as the perfect way to cap things off, namely on a climactic, adrenaline-fuelled high.
I distinctly recall seeing Defiled tear it up on stage in Aarhus, Denmark, back in May of 2004 when they were supporting the Norwegian acts Cadaver Inc. and Mayhem on their European tour. On that particular night I went home thinking that Defiled were undoubtedly the best and most convincing of the three, and it is rather lovely to sit here twenty-two years later and marvel at how awesome these guys sound nowadays. Much has obviously happened since then and some great albums and noteworthy compositions have seen the light of day, but Altered State does indeed mark something of a high point in their career. Its gloriously unconventional and barnstorming tracks conjure up a dizzying, unnerving, and outright disorienting aura that sucks the listener right in and refuses to loosen its grip on what is surely a frail psyche. In that sense, the LP may well be the group’s sharpest, most efficient, and chillingly haunting release to date. In short, bone-rattling death metal filled with dread and unnamed abominations that has the benefit of sounding out of time and place in the best way possible awaits.
Altered State arrives on June 12th via Season of Mist.
