Defeated Sanity
Prelude To The Tragedy

Defeated Sanity is a Brutal Death Metal band from Germany. Their style is characterized by the musicians' high technical proficiency, as well as the singer's not-quite-traditional growl.

The group has recently released a new album, but I prefer to focus first on this one from 2004. The album is structured in a classic way, with 8 songs that generally do not exceed 5 minutes, without too many intros or outros. In fact, the first song already starts off with a bang, the tempo changes are very frequent, the guitarists make great use of harmonics and engage in fast solos, the bass follows them with a rich sound that does not fade into the background. The drum work is truly excellent, a real wall of sound created by mixing individual parts together, blending speed with constant breaks. The growler is no less, with a voice truly dark and malevolent, very low but not excessively gurgled, as is often the case with some brutal colleagues (especially in slam).

The choice of times and rhythms can be described as "personal". In fact, most bands are unfortunately set on just one rhythm, which is fast first, then very slow, then fast again, and so on. On the other hand, Defeated Sanity partly draw inspiration from "Effigy Of The Forgotten" by the masters Suffocation, and prefer to focus not only on fast rhythms but also on parts that can be considered reflective, where they leave room for drum or guitar solos, or interludes where the guitars intertwine in riffs as complex as they are sharp. The riffs are indeed chosen very carefully, the sound is never monotonous and boring. The solos are another clear tribute to Suffocation, consisting of fast scales crowned with extensive use of harmonics, keys, tapping, and slower moments where the solo seems to take shape and explode in speed and violence. Unfortunately, the bass does not find many solo moments, but it is a classic example of how the instrument in question is the heart of the group. It represents the key to the violence unleashed by the group, giving a considerable depth to the sound, in addition to being impeccably played at an insane speed.

The drummer, as mentioned earlier, absolutely does not choose dull rhythms made of blast beats and snare/cymbal hits. He fully exploits all parts of the instrument, creating truly original and well-done rhythms. The singer never seems to change his tone of voice, although he willingly explodes into hallucinatory cries or rotten gurgles. His style can be described as similar to Frank Mullen's, but much lower and cavernous.

I am eagerly looking forward to listening to the new album, hoping it is at the high level of this one.