Top Bar
Musique Machine Logo Home ButtonReviews ButtonArticles ButtonBand Specials ButtonAbout Us Button
SearchGo Down
Search for  
With search mode in section(s)
And sort the results by
show articles written by  
 Review archive:  # a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Defiled - Towards Inevitable Ruin [Season of Mist - 2016]

Japanese death merchants, Defiled, are back again on Season of Mist, this time, with their fifth release, Towards Inevitable Ruin. Taking the form of twelve short bursts of pounding death fury, this tight four piece uses machine gun drums and quick, effective, compact riffs to bring their art forth. Five years since 2011's acclaimed In Crisis, Defiled offer up a manic slice of death metal that is sure to please fans waiting for their next bit of Tokyo terror.

In a time of overblown production, stripped down albums give an initial impression of being simple or inferior. As far as Towards Inevitable Ruin is concerned, all the listener has to do is tune in and pay attention to the musicianship on display. Sub-three minute songs are a great vehicle to showcase Keisuke Hamada's drum work. Coming out of the speakers like a firefight, with fills as tight as a drum (haha pretend that works better and is funny), the percussion moves the tracks along quickly and keeps the listener on his/her toes the entire time. Terrific and exciting drum work as it is, this alone cannot carry an album. Defiled adds two guitars to the mix to thicken the intensity and add another level of technical complexity. Like the drums, the shorter songs are a great vessel for tight, interesting riffs. Chugging along with and keeping pace with the rapid drumming, the guitars challenge the listener to keep up with the album's dizzying pace. Keeping up is a big part of being in a rhythm section, too, and Hiroaki Sato's bass cruises along with the frenzied fills quite nicely. While not as big in the mix as most modern death, the bass sticks to a traditional rock role, sticks near the percussion, and helps thicken the metal stew that is Towards Inevitable Ruin.

Twelve furious tracks of rapid, tight death metal, Towards Inevitable Ruin is a nice change of pace from super long, super thick, over produced death. Admittedly, I wasn't sure what to make of this album the first three or four passes through, but my perseverance paid off, and I was able to pull the mask off of Defiled's latest. Grooving, head banging, and shredding, this is a tight little monster that'll impress with its speed, technicality, and understated brutality.

Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5

Paul Casey
Latest Reviews

Defiled - Towards Inevitable Ruin
Japanese death merchants, Defiled, are back again on Season of Mist, this time, with their fifth release, Towards Inevitable Ruin. Taking the form of twelve ...
190324   Pierre Jodlowski - Séries fo...
180324   José María Sánchez-Verdú - K...
180324   Celer - Cursory Asperses
180324   Burial Ground/ Nights of Terr...
150324   Uncodified - Erased People
150324   The Residents - Secret Show (...
130324   Dagr - Dagr (ltd-theatrical/ ...
130324   Ignaz Schick & Oliver Steidle...
120324   Math - Utterblight
120324   OdNu + Ümlaut - Abandoned Spaces
Latest Articles

Sutcliffe No More - Normal Everyd...
Sutcliffe No More are a British two-piece bringing together Kevin Tomkins & Paul Taylor. Formed in 2021, it’s the spin-off project/ next sonic step...
290224   Sutcliffe No More - Normal Ev...
100124   Occlusion - The Operation Is...
181223   Best Of 2023 - Music, Sound &...
051223   Powerhouse Films - Of Magic, ...
181023   IO - Of Sound, Of Art, Of Exp...
210923   Lucky Cerruti - Of Not so Fri...
290823   The Residents - The Trouble W...
110723   Yotzeret Sheydim Interview - ...
250523   TenHornedBeast - Into The Dee...
050523   Bill Morroni - The Trials & ...
Go Up
(c) Musique Machine 2001 -2023. Twenty two years of true independence!! Mail Us at questions=at=musiquemachine=dot=comBottom