SINGLE REVIEW: DEFIATORY - IN HELL
Swedish thrash metallers 'Defiatory' release their new single 'In Hell'
The world of heavy metal is filled with many sub-genres and enthusiastic fans who stick to strict codes from everything down to fashion, lifestyle choices and of course the subtle nuances of the music that they follow so religiously. Of all these different sects and factions, there are few more fanatic than fans of Thrash. Studded battle jackets, long and messy hair and a love of riffs; the devotion that thrash fans show towards their musical icons reaches a whole new level. It is a strange paradox then, how few contemporary bands appear to have succeeded in pushing themselves out of the underground over the last twenty years. ‘Municipal Waste’ have enjoyed moderate success and over the last couple of years we have seen bands such as ‘Power Trip’ and ‘Havok’ begin to fill larger venues, but no-one has come even close to the levels of success of the likes of ‘Slayer’ and ‘Megadeth’ or even ‘Kreator’ and ‘Overkill’. With Slayer recently announcing that they are calling it a day and Joey Belladonna steering ‘Anthrax’ further and further off of a cliff; one has to ask “who will fill the void when these bands eventually stop?”
Enter Sweden’s ‘Defiatory’. Formed out of the ashes of various Black and Death Metal bands, ‘Defiatory’ are heavily inspired by the early East Bay Area Thrash scene. Their 2016 debut ‘Extinct’ took inspiration from the likes of ‘Megadeth’, ‘Exodus’ and ‘Metallica’ whilst adding a modern style and flairs of death metal. The outcome was an eclectic blend of thrash and death metal that was innovative enough to keep listeners interested, but far from groundbreaking.
‘In Hell’ is the first single from their upcoming second album ‘Hades Rising’ and a giant step in the right direction. The track begins with a brutal and foreboding death metal guitar intro as lead guitarist Ludvig Johansson shows off his shredding prowess whilst accompanied by Jon Skare’s hard hitting blast beats. At the 50 second marker the song switches course into one of the heaviest thrash riffs written in years and it is non-stop from that point onwards. It is pretty clear that Defiatory have been listening to a lot of Slayer. In Extinct, vocalist Martin Runnzell growled along in time to the basic stomp of the accompanying backing track. With In Hell however, he has taken a leaf from the school of Tom Araya; instantly launching in a tirade of fast yet clear shouts that match the new and faster tempo of the riffs. The entire song sounds like a blend between ‘Angel of Death’ and ‘Raining Blood’ without ever sounding like desperate attempt to cash in on a well worn formula. The track could arguable benefit from being a little shorter as it starts to get a bit repetitive towards the end, but In Hell is a massive improvement on their earlier release. If the rest of the record lives up to the same standard, then Defiatory are on to something really special and with the kings of thrash metal announcing their departure; this could be the moment for a new generation of thrash bands to take their place.
