DEFILED - The Highest Level
May 23, 2023, a year ago
(Season Of Mist)
Tokyo death-thrashers Defiled have long entertained with their razor-sharp take on no-frills DM, and new album The Highest Level is, to the surprise of no one reading this, another excellent addition to the band's catalogue.
Check out killer chugging opener “Off-Limits”, which is like Carnal Forge on death metal, which sounds good to me. The neck-snap crack of “Stealth” also sounds good to me, and the band sounds confident, relaxed, man, there's nothing left to prove as they lay down the groove, as they show some dynamics and drama on album highlight “Inquisition” and continue the riff-as-weapon forward momentum through “Delusion” and “The Last Straw”, entering the album's final act strong, continuing through to final bruisers “Red World” (whiplash groove for miles) and “The Requiem” (ominous, grinding) before closing freak-out soundscape “The Speech” gives us 32 seconds to reflect on what just happened, which was thrashing, streamlined death metal of the highest order.
Defiled delivering once again, may they never stop.
