Defeated Sanity – Chronicles of Lunacy

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The slam/brutal style of death metal was first brought by the U.S. legends Suffocation in the early 90s and became a catalyst for such standards in the genre. One perfect example of this style is the International four-piece band Defeated Sanity, which gave a modality of this archetype sound supposedly inspired by bands like Disgorge, Cryptopsy, and Cannibal Corpse. Defeated Sanity now returns with their seventh studio album “Chronicles of Lunacy” after four years of hiatus; however, these bands may share the same similarities in the insane blasting, palm-muted chugging, and nasty gurgles which present the apogees of brutal slam. But what defines these bands is the skill of the drummers in maintaining a high level of speed and technicality.

Defeated Sanity consists of Lille Gruber (drums), Jacob Schmidt (bass guitar), Josh Welshman (vocals), and Vaughn Stoffey (guitars). If you have an acquired taste for this kind of music, Defeated Sanity’s newest album offers a cacophony of hyper-speed riffs and machine gun blast beats topped with layers of sickening gurgles. The one common album I can refer to is from the U.S. brutal death metal band Brodequin‘s latest album “Harbinger of Woe” which is close to “Chronicles of Lunacy”.

The opening track “Amputationsdrang” offers infectious brutal elements, with the bass guitar sounding audible; the pounding of the drums injects a nonstop barbarity from start to finish. The vocals kick ass most of the time, with many varied slamming breakdowns and offering barbaric bludgeoning. Lille Gruber’s embodiment is particularly in the way that should be and the performances of all the band members are impressive, the technicality in the next track “The Odour of Sanctity” proves that the core songwriting has remained the same if not better.

Defeated Sanity‘s niche in the extreme brutal death metal sub-genre required attention to a level of sophistication that cannot be mimicked, and the songwriting is some of the best I have ever heard this year.

From the insane showcasing of the crushing double bass and the groove-laden slams, the guitars provide sophistication with the insane butchery erupting into grooves and ripping blast beats in “Accelerating the Rot”. Riffs are modeled from old-school death metal to brutal slam, think Suffocation vs. Cryptopsy and they are gripping in twisting the songs into a brutal aural onslaught. Riffing intricacies in the album are mind-blowing, and the compositional palette is brimming with technical and progressive jazzy sections; shrewdly entwined into the songs.

Truth is, I never paid attention to the ilk of Disgorge or Devourment and I remember purchasing Defeated Sanity’s album “Passages Into Deformity” when it dropped almost one decade ago. Defeated Sanity detached themselves from the modern brutal death metal acts and have remained loyal to their sound, you should expect nothing but insane bludgeoning on the newest album.

After the opening onslaught on “Temporal Disintegration,” the quartet offers complex methods of technical wizardry; from the slow churning riffs, and low guttural growls to the pounding bass riffs and the expertise of the drumming proficiency is on display.

The ideal vocals of Josh Welshman fulfill the guttural grunts as one of the elements besides the drums constantly shifting and offering plenty of blasting sections, to the slow slammin’ grooves that make “Chronicles of Lunacy” more than your standard brutal death metal album.

There are some insane jazzy sections here and there that remind me of the band Aetheist, and showcase the technical patterns of the guitars, these intricate patterns add depth and layers to the songs providing tons of hooks and rhythmic flares. “Extrinsically Enraged” is a straightforward brutal track brought by extreme technical riffs of Vaughn Stoffey that are mindboggling, Defeated Sanity leaves a lasting impression on the listener by incorporating tons of dynamics and velocity.

Songs like “A Patriarchy Perverse” and “Condemned To Vascular Famine” offer plenty of dynamics and slow growl-infused passages, all these innovative musicality are a part of the outstanding performance that showcases the dark and brutal side of the band. The shredding riffs and the quality of the guitar work are quite hard to replicate and instantly catchy; there is no compromising when it comes to blast beats and double bass, allowing room for technicality to hit the apex on tracks like “Condemned To Vascular Famine”.

There is a sense of rhythm in the band’s approach to brutal death metal, even when the guitars veer into the technical and jazzy sections in the opening moments of this highlight track. The mixture of the inhuman guttural vocalization is gore-soaked infused and the perfect combination of low muddy riffs and brutal slam maintains such a filthy putrefied brutal death metal quality. The closing track “Heredity Violated” brings some old-school style of Cryptopsy, the drum snare is fucking awesome even when the blast beats erupt they convey sheer heaviness and inhuman brutality beyond description.

REVIEW SCORE

  • Music / Songwriting 9/10
  • Vocals / Lyrics 9/10
  • Mix / Production 9/10
  • Artwork & Packaging 9/10
  • Originality 9/10
9

“Chronicles of Lunacy” is another crowning achievement from one of the revered institutions of brutal slam death metal, the putridity and brilliance are almost beyond bearing.

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