DEFILED have long since mastered the vile art of old-school Death Metal. Ever since they first erupted with wrath out of the Tokyo underground at the tail-end of the ’90s, Yusuke Sumita and his band of bloodthirsty samurai have left nothing but inevitable ruin in their wake. They’ve toured with fellow legends like MAYHEM, INCANTATION, MORBID ANGEL and CANNIBAL CORPSE, leading crowds from as far away as Milwaukee Metal Festival to lose their sanity.
After their last album, it’s understandable if metalheads believed that DEFILED had reached the highest level. But now, just one year later, the Japanese legends have topped themselves once again with their upcoming eighth album. Horror Beyond Horror is the kind of good ol’ fashioned ass-kicking that only a true master can deliver. As demonstrated by its flying and furious title track, the band’s reign of total dominance is endless thanks to their bottomless arsenal of finishing moves.
After 30 years of slicing and dicing, DEFILED know where to stick the blade. The band’s new title tracks shreds through the psychological horrors of mind control with riffs that are honed from their sharp influence of ’80s Thrash and Hardcore. “The time has come”, frontman Shinichiro Hamada spits at his captors with utter disgust. “Death strikes you with derision”.
With three albums now under their belts in the past four years, DEFILED certainly don’t have the patience to suffer any fools. Halfway through its brutal punishment, “Horror Beyond Horror” is whipped along by a squealing whammy bar and blast beats that are more piercing and precise than a firing squad.
But the band aren’t afraid to crack open people’s skulls, either. “What sets DEFILED’s old-school approach apart from the plethora of modern imitators is a refined sense of songcraft”, says Lambgoat. It still cuts to the raw truth, but “Horror Beyond Horror” is also thick with stomach-churning tempo twists. Just as they seem to settle into a skull-crushing groove, the band fly off the rails with more fret-ripping madness. And yet – amidst the song’s deranged lunacy, DEFILED never fail to lure you back into the pit.
“Waiting for the slaughter” Hamada growls in hungry anticipation of the raw, chopping breakdown.
“We are very excited to play songs off ‘Horror Beyond Horror’ for fans in our home country”, says guitarist Yusuke Sumita. “If you’re in the area, be sure to join us. See you on the road.”
In customary fashion, this fall, DEFILED are welcoming ‘”Horror Beyond Horror” with a tour of Japan. Watch these legends shred through “Horror Beyond Horror”, “Smoke and Mirrors”, “To See Beyond the Wall” and other nasty rippers off their new album for the very first time.
The band also have two very special shows planned for later this year. In November, they’ll bang heads with fans in Bangkok alongside BATUSHKA and MALEVOLENT CREATION. Then, to cap off what’s already shaping up to be another gloriously hellish year in their 30-year history, DEFILED will share the stage with HELLCHILD and SATANIC HELL SLAUGHTER in a joint celebration of Japan’s historic Death Metal scene.
“As a Japanese Death Metal band, we wanted to reflect on where our scene started”, says Yusuke Sumita, who’s been DEFILED’s guitarist since the band started in 1992. “HELLCHILD and SATANIC HELL SLAUGHTER are legends who built the Japanese Death Metal scene in the early ’90s. We are honored to have them return to share the stage with us. We want the young Japanese metalheads to come to this show. Don’t miss it.”
“Horror Beyond Horror” track listing:
- Smoke and Mirrors
- Horror Beyond Horror
- Syndicate
- The Alchemy
- Demagogue
- The Terminal Phase
- Trojan Horse
- Spectrum of Fear
- The Crook and Flail
- Replicator Dynamics
- Equinox
- The Chains
- Psychopomp
- To See Behind the Wall
You can watch the official music video for “Horror Beyond Horror” below:
