Defiled — Altered State

Carving their own path through the juicy flesh of the death metal world, Japan's Defiled have continued to shred and thrash, unabated and influential, for nearly three and a half decades. Two thirds of that time have been with Season of Mist, and the label has provided the band with an outlet for their ever evolving brand of death metal. Impossible to pin down, Defiled have utilized all forms of extreme metal and hardcore to deliver their message, and their latest, Altered State, is no exception. While their style may change and evolve from one album to the next, one thing is a given: their ability to deliver a frenetic, fun, headbanging frenzy.

Half a world away from both the European and American scenes, Defiled was free to develop their sound and style freely, taking influences as desired, but not pigeonholed into any genre scene or sound. Their formation in 1992 is an aeon ago in the death metal world, but their resolution and devotion to their sound keep them sounding as fresh in 2026 as they did when they began their career. There are a lot of moving parts on Altered State, but not in an unwieldy way; everything is clear and precise, its progressiveness taking very interesting forms. As founder and guitarist Yusuke Sumita states, "there are many catchy hooks, but tricky progressive rhythms and song structures can be found as well. The album may not be understandable after a few listens, but it taps into a blind spot that many bands have missed." That last sentence is key to Defiled's sound - it's very easy to crack open and enjoy, but its depth allows for repeated listens, expanding on the experience. Altered State can switch effortlessly from thrashy skank, to stomping crossover/hardcore, then into blistering death, all while sounding modest - meaning, there's nothing getting over-complicated or purple. But, as Sumita said, it takes a few listens. I had used the phrase "pulled the mask off" in my review of Defiled's Towards Inevitable Ruin, and that rings even more true with their latest. All these really cool, intricate, and progressive flourishes hidden in plain sight, the album's spartan tightness covering up the art student within.

Altered State is a very clever album; its slamming precision will knock your teeth out, the tricky progressiveness and change-ups will steal your wallet, and you'll continue to ask for more. Much like previous Defiled albums, their clarity and modesty is misleading at first, feeling simple on the first few passes, but this is the charm. There is no reliance on layered obfuscation and a morass of arpeggios and time changes to flex their muscles, just really well-written and played metal leading to an extremely enjoyable record. It's easy for bands that have been in the game as long as Defiled to play it safe and stick to their old school sound, but thankfully, Defiled continues to up the ante and create more and more impressive work