Friday, March 1, 2013

Defeated Sanity - Passages Into Deformity

DEFEATED SANITY
"Passages Into Deformity"
Willowtip Records
The mailman must still be hung over when he posted this package because it was missent to Thailand. (See photo). Speaking of Thailand, I got to see Defeated Sanity live in Bangkok in 2010 and they were killer!  The gig meant a lot to me because it's where I got to experience "Chapters Of Repugnance" for the first time, but that's another story. I'm glad the package made it to my mailbox safely as it's one of the four records that I'm looking forward to get this February.

"Passages Into Deformity" is their fourth full length record and their second release with Willowtip Records. It was recorded at Soundlodge Studios where "Psalms Of The Moribund" was also recorded and the artwork is done by Toshihiro Egawa who also did the artwork for "Chapters Of Repugnance." It's a concept record about the cause and effect of human hostility.  It features nine songs that plays for almost forty minutes. The first four songs represents the causes which is about the dark states of consciousness: hell, hunger, animality, and arrogance and the last five songs represents the effects which are in the form of short stories.

It's a hybrid of their releases with a total worship of the 90's style of this genre. Like the previous records, it can stand on its own, and it never makes me feel like I'm listening to a different band.

This is the first recording of Konni with Defeated Sanity and he is a beast!  His ultra low espohagus spewage destroys everything he did with Despondency. There are also guest vocals by Frank Rini from Internal Bleeding, Brian Forgue from Syphilic and Gutrot, and AJ Magana from Deprecated, who as you all know did vocals on "Chapters Of Repugnance." The bands of these vocalists will give you an idea about the feel of this record. 

The songwriting and musicianship is simple in Defeated Sanity standards.  It's not as insane as "Psalms Of The Moribund" which is my favorite record, but this is heavy as fuck!

"Naraka", "Perspectives", and "Martyrium" are my favorite songs.  "Naraka" is the heaviest song on this record for me. I love its simplicity. The bass and the riffs makes me bang my head like there is no tomorrow.  It also features the last riff of Wolfgang Teske (R.I.P).  "Perspectives" is a perfect song that combines the styles of all their releases. It's sick, brutal, and technical.  "Martyrium" gives me an idea on what the next Defeated Sanity will be like. It's progressive, but not the gay Cynic "Traced In Air" kind. It's got the jazz elements but with a strong Death Metal backbone.

There are also samples done by Jon Engman from Brodequin (I think it's the same Engman) that adds to the atmosphere of the record. I particularly like the one in between "Verblendung" and "Lusting For Transcendence." It gives a dark industrial feel.

It also includes a DVD that features interviews, the making of "Passages Into Deformity" and studio performance videos of "The Purging" and "Lusting For Transcenence" that plays for about an hour and you will get to know the driving force behind their music.

"Passages Into Deformity" slays! It's one of the heaviest records I've listened to in a while and I feel that this record will still be talked about decades later and I'm proud to have experienced it when it came out.  Mandatory.