Maximum Metal Rating Legend

Defiled - Divination - Reviewed by Grim Gaijin

Track Listing1) Downfall 2) The Dormant Within 3) Divination 4) Stench Of Grudge 5) Fast Decline 6) Dissolved In Dust 7) Enraptured 8) Swollen Insanity 9) Through The Killing 10) Fear And Epicureanism 11) Odor Of Malignancy 12) Floating Sediment 13) Eciov Erazzib 14) Decadence

It was a dream come true for me and a friend of mine. We had tickets to see Morbid Angel at Club Citta in Kawasaki Japan. They were performing that night with a local band called Defiled. We knew nothing about the opening act but we were prepared to get the shit kicked out of us by Morbid Angel. The only thing we really cared about was getting to the front of the pit as soon as the doors opened. As the tension grew for the Morbid Angel gig, out walked Defiled onto the stage.

At the end of their 25/30 minute set, we looked at each other dazed and confused and wonder what the hell just happened to us. We definately weren't prepared for the Death Metal attack that Defiled had bestowed upon us. By the time Morbid Angel hit the stage, we were completely drained! The days following that show, I obtained a copy of Defiled 1st full length CD called "Erupted Wrath" and was completely blown away. I immediately became a fan of their music, and still am today; which leads me to their 3rd and latest CD called "Divination".

Right away, the pulse of thunderous blast beats, wizardry guitar riffs, and gutteral screams sends the first track, Downfall, into a spiral frenzy that will leave listeners impressed, tired, and confused! The relentless attack continues as The Dormant Within takes you to a whole new level of brutal riffs mixed with a touch of progression. However, it doesn't last long as the speed & blast beats once again take over.

Did I mention the Voivod style riff's at the end of the song? Swollen Insanity is one of my favorite songs on the CD because of it's relentless speed attack and short mid-song breakdown in the vein of early Celtic Frost. Then it's back to the blast beat & stop sequence to fulfil your metal ear candy desires! Each song greatly impresses, as Defiled has written some of their best material to date. Toward the end of the CD, Floating Sediment and Eciov Erazzib change the pace by introducing a bass solo and a song of experimental back-masked death vokills. Just when you think it's over, Decadence kicks in and gives the listener one last reminder that Defiled are here to stay and brutally punish all that gets in their way.

If your tired of all the boring nu-death metal that is coming out these days, then check out the metal purism of Defiled and prepared to suffer in the name of metal! Avoiding all trends, Defiled have made a name for themselves in the underground for their originality and their ability to deliver live sets that are equally crushing!

--Grim Gaijin 03.03.04