Defeated Sanity "The Sanguinary Impetus" Review

    If playing music could be thought of as analogous to painting, Lille Gruber would be the equivalent of a machine programmed to do its best Basquiat impression.

 

    Barring any logic behind the existence of such a machine, you might wonder why this connection would be suggested. Listening to “The Sanguinary Impetus” will tell you exactly why. Not only does he play the drums with a high degree of technical mastery, he does so in such a calculated yet fluid manner, one might think a Boston Dynamics intern may be out on the streets somewhere putting up flyers to try and get him back to the lab he broke out of. Nevertheless, along with his cohorts, he lays down track after track of pure filth and brutality, and (Matrix be damned) he has become exceedingly efficient at it.

 

    The second half of the above analogy stems from the unbridled chaotic artistry put on display each time Lille or any other member of Defeated picks up their tools and goes to work. Lille obviously gets the lion’s share of the credit here, having been the sole member of the band to be present for every iteration through its 26-year lifespan, and being primarily responsible for creating its well-known brand of soul-crushing sound. But this is not to say his drumming prowess is the only feather in this group’s proverbial cap. Jacob Schmidt, who has been part of the lineup since 2005 and thus present for most of the major studio releases of the band, slams down bass tracks with gusto, complementing Lille’s jazz-influenced style with a repertoire of fantastically imaginative lines. Josh Welshman joins us here for his first album appearance after providing touring vocals for the band in the US, delivering not only exactly the style and quality of vocals expected of the band at this point, but doing so well enough that I was convinced they had just told the engineer to record the sound of two massive granite slabs moving past one another for half an hour. Finally, not to be outdone by his peers, Lille also recorded all guitar parts for the project himself after the departure of longtime contributor Christian Kuhn, but in all honesty unless I had read this myself I would’ve believed Christian had left after recording his parts of the album, because there is definitely no dip in quality here. Somehow I think if Lille could play both parts live, he would do it, the madman.

 

    Defeated Sanity’s previous release, “Disposal of the Dead // Dharmata”, was an exercise in experimentation for the band. The front half retained their signature gutturals, blast beats, and screaming leads, while the back half forged a new path, showcasing the band’s progressive side while acting as a love letter to 90s death metal heavyweights like Death and Cynic. So one might be inclined to question which “half” of Defeated we might see on this record. The answer is, as always, a bit of both. With Josh’s impressively low gurgles throughout, the band isn’t straying far from their well-traveled path. But it seems almost as if “Dharmata” may have given the group the confidence to flex a little more jazzy muscle this time around. “Naraka” from their 2013 record “Passages Into Deformity” served as an excellent showcase of Jacob’s ability on the bass. But here, his presence is felt throughout every song, noted especially on “Insecta Incendium” and “Entity Dissolving Entity”. The drums on the album (the snare tone in particular) seem a bit lower and muted in the mix when compared to the previous release, but this only serves to highlight the other instrumentation even more, especially when the snare on “Disposal of the Dead // Dharmata” had a reverb that seemed like it could last for a full second and a half at times. 

 

    Though not a long record, its purpose and drive is felt immediately on “Phytodigestion” as Lille begins slowly beckoning you into his auditory Venus flytrap in the opening seconds before beginning the quick descent to the band's complex web of riffs. "Imposed Corporeal Inhabitation" fully engages with a barrage of blast beats in the opening minute while also showing off Lille's guitar skills, and the effect is nothing short of impressive, listening on as the trio fires on all cylinders. Vocals steal the show on "Conceived Through Savagery", peaking at the minute and a half mark with an absolutely disgusting gurgle that I'm shocked could be pulled off without vomiting, and nearly repeated on "Entity Dissolving Entity". Each song on the release seems to have a highlight of some sort, to the point that it's surprising the composition has so many tricks to reveal. Even when the tempo is slowed as it is at multiple points throughout, the mood is always tense, the air always thick with the threat of violence and destruction. But one key point of note is that whenever the tempo does slow, it's never for long, which helps with this effect. Intense rapid-fire vocals and quick tapping sections can often take place within the same 30-second stretch as a slow-paced breakdown, and back again, creating a nauseating whirlwind that leaves the listener both disoriented and impressed. But one thing the group never lacks in this assault on the senses is the chance to latch onto a groove. Too many times have brutal death metal bands inserted generic breakdowns in between sections of incoherent technical wankery, but not Lille and co. There's no shortage of excellent sludge-covered breakdowns here, but the composition is unparalleled in the genre; not too self-indulgent as to go overboard, but enough to keep the kids in beatdown hardcore cut-off tanks happy, no track more exemplary of that here than "Propelled Into Sacrilege". "Insecta Incendium" also offers an interesting but off-putting synth interlude at the one-minute mark, which is not heard often from Defeated, but welcome nonetheless and sets the mood almost to that of a "creature feature" horror film.  The album is hammered completely home with the last two tracks, which are absolute standouts in an amazingly consistent release. Seriously, people, “Drivelling Putrefaction” is menacing in its last two minutes, before allowing “Dislimbing the Ostracized” to completely devour you.

 

    In overall effect, the album achieves an almost laboratory-quality level of harmony between ingredients: equal parts thunderous leads, infectious bass, grotesque lyrical subject matter, and rapid-fire drum fills. By the time the death march ensues at the end of “Dislimbing”, there’s almost a sense of zen relaxation; you have been indoctrinated into the hive, and after seeing what lies within, you’re not turning back. The lyrics sheet is filled with all kinds of other animalistic references (we’re talking neurotoxins & sensory receptors!) which I would guess are meant to give the listener an impression of watching some kind of hellish Animal Planet where a lion ripping apart an elk carcass is considered tame. But the band can hardly be blamed, after all, what screams “brutal death metal” more than the lawless realm of nature, where animals are subject to horrific acts of violence completely unbeknownst to the humans nearby? “Blood will have blood”, as stated in Macbeth. A sanguinary impetus, indeed.

 

    The Sanguinary Impetus is available on all streaming platforms, including the Defeated Sanity Bandcamp.

-Ryan