INTERVIEW: DEFIATORY DISCUSS THEIR UPCOMING ALBUM 'HADES RISING'
Last month Swedish thrash metal band ‘Defiatory’ released ‘In Hell’ the stunning new single from their upcoming album ‘Hades Rising’ which is scheduled for release in May.
In the run up to the album release, we had a chance to talk with ‘Defiatory’.
Check out the interview below…
Spirit Level: Sweden isn’t known for its Thrash Metal scene, what motivated you to form Defiatory?
Defiatory: I think that was one of the reasons why. There aren't that many bands prominently racing forward in the thrash scene in Sweden so there is a vacuum there. We are all huge fans of the East Bay Area Thrash Metal Scene, and we wanted to play music in that vein. It just kind of fit.
Spirit Level: There is a clear American influence on ‘Hades Rising’ with Slayer being the clearest inspiration. What European bands did you listen to when you were writing the record?
Defiatory: Same as everyone does. Comes down to Kreator and other bands in the genre. I don't think we listened to any specific bands during the writing process of this album than we've done previously. We just go with the feeling we have, the drive in our minds, and if that drives us close to Slayer, then fine. We don't try to copy or pay tribute to other bands. We just try to compose music we want to listen to and it seems to work.
Spirit Level: ‘Hades Rising’ is a massive step up in quality from your first record. What were your ambitions when you entered the studio?
Defiatory: The first album was a trial. A “we want to play thrash metal, full stop” kinda album. I don’t think we changed that mindset for Hades. It just felt like a natural progression from our roots and of bands we have played in before and we found a more united feel in the music that came out of it. We never sat down and said “hey, let’s make another style of album”. It just came naturally.
Spirit Level: With major acts like Slayer announcing their retirement over the next few years, the thrash scene is in desperate need of rejuvenation. Do you see this as a key moment for you to show the world that there is still a lot to come from the scene?
Defiatory: You know, bands like Slayer, who have been there since the dawn of fucking time, will eventually retire. It’s sad to see, but yes, there are bands out there to fill the void when they are gone. Of course I hope that we will be one of these bands that can step in and pick up the flag of hate left behind as those heroes retire. Time will tell.
Spirit Level: There is a noticeable shift in the vocal style on this record. Was that a conscious attempt to try something different or just a natural progression?
Defiatory: As that vocalist, I can right up say that I didn’t do anything different on this album compared from what I did on Extinct. I just went with the feelings of the lyrics and that was that. If there is a noticeable change in vocal style I guess it just comes from me getting better at what I do and utilizing my core in a better way. There was no thought in making any kind of change. I like the way my vocals worked on the first album and I just went on in the same way. The music took me to other places certainly, but that’s about it.
Spirit Level: ‘Hades Rising’ sees you descend into some pretty heavy breakdowns that most thrash bands tend to steer away from at the moment. Is this a trend that you plan on continuing in the future? Do you think this is one of the things that helps you to stand out amongst your peers?
Defiatory: Well... You’ve been referencing Slayer earlier and they are the lords of breakdowns. That kind of slow, moshy, groove that walks inbetween the thrashy beats have always been a big part of thrash metal. I honestly don’t think we do anything new when it comes to mixing styles here. We’re just holding on to the East Bay Area Thrash as hard as we can since that’s the style of music that will stand unbeatable thoughout all time. Maybe we just do it better than a lot of other bands and that’s what makes it sound “different”.
Spirit Level: The new record features quite a lot of variety whilst still maintaining the core themes of old school thrash. How important was it to broaden your horizons whilst making sure you didn’t put off the old school fans?
Defiatory: The core is all. As long as you hear that right hand just slamming downwards on the strings in an aggressive way, you’re golden. The variety comes from various influences from other bands, the sound of the time and the history of the members of Defiatory. We play Thrash Metal, but we never want to play the same song over and over again. So we mix in a bit of our death metal, our black metal, our melodic... We want to keep the music interesting, fresh and fluid. But like said, the core of it is always thrash metal and always will be.
Spirit Level: ‘Hades Rising’ already seems to be getting a lot more attention and positive reviews compared to ‘Extinct’. Do you see this as your moment to push your music to a wider audience? Can we expect to see you tour across Europe and the UK in the next year?
Defiatory: Obviously, that’s what we want to do. You can get any reviews or thoughts from people around you or just sit at home and listen to what you’ve done but in the end, we play music to play music live. Defiatory has always been a band that has focused on delivering a massive, tight and solid live experience and we don’t plan to break that intention. If we have the opportunity to go out and tour, we will, and we will fight to get to that point. We hope to see all of you on the road all over Europe, the UK and the world. That said, we will never compromise our music and fall into the main stream to do so. If you see us live, aggressive thrash metal is what you’ll get.
Spirit Level: As I mentioned earlier, ‘Hades Rising’ is a massive improvement from your debut record. What direction do you see Defiatory taking in the future?
Defiatory: Extinct was our debut. Hades is the album where we’ve come into our own. Beware of the next one... That’s when we’ll take the world by storm. We’ll keep evolving. We’ll keep progressing. We’ll never stay in the same place, but we will always stand Defiatory.
'Hades Rising' is out on the 11th May 2018 and will be reviewed in the next few weeks.
