I do not get to hear many albums that make me want to be better at my instrument. The new cut from Defeated Sanity did this; I felt compelled to go practice.
Melting faces at every turn, Chronicles Of Lunacy (Season Of Mist) starts off stomping the pedal and never really lets up. With crazy left turns and time shifts that weaken the knees, this is what this band has perennially brought to the table.
With this new cut they are definitely showing how they stay at the forefront of the Metal scene and proves their longevity is no fluke. The way they seamlessly move from Progressive runs into pit-churning chug riffs is something that leaves the listener scratching their heads in disbelief before just letting it take you away.
It is fun to see how they are consistently pushing the envelope with nothing feeling as though it is mailed in; they are in it all the way. I really cannot overstate how the time signatures shift literally all over the place, and there are all kinds of little nuggets that force you to rewind to see if you heard what you thought you heard.
With perfectly placed guitar “squeelies” and some “bink binks” from the bass it really shows off their ability to throw in a little style while maintaining the level of ass kick we come to expect from such an unrelenting genre. That aforementioned flavor also adds to the re-playability of the cut as a whole. I even thought I caught a Kemper sample in there, but I could be wrong.
As far as the musicianship goes everything on this cut has a nice balance of showing off technical skill while still keeping it totally brutal. Sometimes the flashy shit comes off like “we have seen that before” but I love it when a band does things that haven’t been heard before. The drumming is stellar without a real weak spot. The techniques used are solid from A to Z, with some of the speeds attained mind-bending. The guitar is solid with a killer tone and a crunch that really kicks in the chug.
I like to listen to the cuts I receive on multiple platforms, computer, house and my truck, and what I really dug was the thump this album delivered. We don’t think of Metal when we think of bass and car stereos, but this cut thumps. I could not help but smile when it shook about everything in my garage.
The bass as I mentioned before made me want to go practice. I love it when a band runs one guitar, and the bassist has the chops to fill in that space. This is delivered in spades. The vocals are true to form, great for modern Death Metal!
I am sorry if I come off as a bit of a fan boy on this one, but I have always made a commitment to myself to be honest in my review process. This album just hit me right in the feels. I think it is an excellent representation of what is possible in the Death Metal genre.
Buy the Album here :
https://defeatedsanity.bandcamp.com/album/chronicles-of-lunacy
9 / 10
TORBJORN SOLGARD
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