ALBUM REVIEW: DEFIATORY - HADES RISING
Thrash metal is enjoying a boom of a renaissance at the moment. In the last week alone 'Havok' have headlined The Underworld and 'Power Trip' have played at Brixton Academy alongside 'Trivium'. Heavy music is coming back with a vengeance across the globe and new bands are lining up to fill the spaces left behind as the older bands bow out.
Spirit Level reviewed the latest single from 'Defiatory' back in March saying "If the rest of the record lives up to the same standard, then 'Defiatory' are on to something special" and we have spent the last two months listening to the new record 'Hades Rising' on repeat, eagerly awaiting the official release date in order to write up our review.
'Defiatory's debut album 'Extinct' was an angry blend of old school thrash worship and death metal. Although not exactly reinventing the wheel, 'Extinct' was inventive enough to maintain peoples interest and hinted at the promise of something greater in the future. Two years later and 'Hades Rising' takes all of those expectations and blasts them into the stratosphere. Taking the formula from 'Extinct', 'Defiatory' are now a well oiled machine and they have developed their riff laden and death metal infused style of thrash metal and perfected it into a sound that pays tribute to the bay area scene that came before whilst still sounding current and never dated.
The 'Slayer' influences are undeniable, but 'Defiatory' never try to hide them. Songs like 'Death Takes Us All' and 'King In Yellow' sound like loving tributes but never rip offs. Likewise the fist-pumping chants on 'Metatron' echo 'Metallica' on 'Creeping Death'. It is clear that 'Defiatory' have a lot of love and respect for the bay area scene, but what sets them apart from the majority of their contemporaries is how fresh 'Hades Rising' sounds. 'Dance of the Dead' contains elements of more modern bands such as 'Trivium' and ''Machine Head' and there are periods where the band utilise electronics to a subtle but devastating effect such as the distorted vocals on 'Down To His Kingdom Below' or the guitars on 'All That Remains'.
Throughout the 48 minute running time of 'Hades Rising' there isn't a single moment where the band stop for breath. Guitarists Ludvig Johansson and Ronnie Björnström shred at blistering speeds and cram in an insurmountable amount of riffs aided by Patrik Wall on bass. 'Stronger Than God' and 'Metatron' are phenomenally fast and the lead riff on title track 'Hades Rising' sounds as though the devil is clawing his way out of hell. Jon Skäre pounds the drums with an energetic fury throughout, ensuring that the pace never alleviates.
Vocalist Martin Runnzell sounds like a man reborn. In essence, not much has changed in his vocal style since 'Extinct' but the shift in quality, range and power is mesmerising. Huge choruses polarised against deathly roars on the likes of 'Stronger Than God' and 'Morningstar' help to show just how far 'Defiatory' have come in the past two years.
Once again, 'Defiatory' have created nothing new, but the level of quality and technicality on 'Hades Rising' is undeniable and the fresh energy of a band still in their early stages combine to make this one the best and most exciting thrash records of the decade.
9/10
Personal Highlight: From start to finish, 'Morningstar' is a masterclass in modern thrash. Shredding guitar intros, stomping riffs and chugging vocals followed by blistering guitar hooks into the chorus. The song gets progressively heavier as the vocals get more aggressive and the guitars tear into one of the most shredding breakdowns and solos on the record. 'Defiatory' show a masterful control over the dynamics as they stop and start and shift between eerie quiet to horrifying volumes at the flick of a switch.
‘Hades Rising’ is out on 11th May 2018
