So Willowtip has graced us with a killer trio of records this summer, taking a break from grindcore and delivering Fleshgod Apocalypse’s EP, Mafia, Circle of Dead Children’s disturbing Psalm of the Grand Destroyer, and the third album from Germany’s veteran masters of broodle death metal, Defeated Sanity.
Following the template set by 2007’s watershed album, Psalms of the Moribund, Defeated Sanity deliver a Suffocation styled onslaught of palm muted and pinch harmonic savagery that shifts between squealing blast beats and chugging, thunderous grooves all layered with über low, sick vocals. While Defeated Sanity aren’t trying to change brutal death metal, they are certainly ensuring their place in its upper hierarchy with nine repugnant chapters that are perfectly rendered examples of the genre.
With only Pathology’s Legacy of the Ancients as the only real competition for summers most broodle slam fest, Defeated Sanity wins by a landslide of blood, vomit and shit. Chapters of Repugnance simply crushes, not only by virtue of the myriad of vile grooves, but a ridiculously bottom heavy production. As evidenced by stupidly heavy opener “Introitus”, the production heralds 31-minutes of pure brutality. Nothing so complex or technical as Fleshgod Apocalypse or Decrepit Birth, and not a whiff or ‘core’. Instead, a shamelessly genre-riffic display of unadulterated death metal as it should be: As it was in the 90s where titles like “Carnal Deliverance”, “Blissfully Exsanguinated” and “Calculated Barbarity” were acceptable commonplace and Hot Topic had not yet taken over malls and metal. This is pure, sonic, B-movie mayhem and even with the occasional jazzy bass run (“Consumed by Repugnance”, “Blissfully Exsanguinated”), Defeated Sanity are content to pummel you into a gibbering mess. The likes of “Salacious Affinity”, “Engulfed in Excruciation” and “Coerced into Idolatry” have slams that embarrass many of today’s kiddie bands and will make fecal matter voluntarily tumble from your asshole without you even knowing.
Ultimately though, there’s little development of difference from Psalms of the Moribund and some of the samples, while nice and disturbing, don’t really add much to the album. And when closer “Lurid Assimilation” rolls around, it all sounds slightly familiar, but its still a sickeningly satisfying slab of sonic gore.
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for a genre with as much depth and character as a first grade coloring book this album ain’t too shabby! I don’t see it ending up on many end of year lists but you really could do MUCH worse (to put it lightly…) when seeking out this kind of br00tality.
on Jul 14th, 2010 at 17:46“…have slams that embarrass many of today’s kiddie bands and will make fecal matter voluntarily tumble from your asshole without you even knowing.”
AHAHAHA!!! Killer sentence… as a huge brutal death fan this album slays. If you like this also check out Acephala’s new one “Division By Zero.”
on Jul 14th, 2010 at 20:37Killer review! I’m super psyched on the 2010 roster from Willowtip too! So will you be reviewing the new CODC and Fleshgod Apocalypse soon too? I have so much respect for CODC and for Willowtip and that new Fleshgod shreds ham!
on Jul 15th, 2010 at 17:24Fleshgod review is here: https://www.teethofthedivine.com/site/reviews/fleshgod-apocalypse-mafia-ep/
codc coming soon
on Jul 16th, 2010 at 11:33It’s completely different from their last album. This is the kind of LP you have to listen to a number of times to pick out all the little micro-messages.
The guitar sound could be cleaner/better, but…whatever. Great band.
on Jul 25th, 2010 at 02:00