Defeatist: "Sharp Blade Sinks Deep Into Dull Minds" CD
scenepointblank.com: I really hate bringing up the ex-members of thing when talking about
records. No, seriously I do. Defeatist is the perfect example as to
why. When doing research for this album I found a pedigree of
underground metal. Members of Anodyne and Kalibas join forces to create
a grindcore band indebted to early Napalm Death and Repulsion. To
someone like me that almost instantly sounds awesome. Those who know me
know that I've dorked out about grindcore, particularly
Scum -
era Napalm Death. Needless to say, I was pretty psyched to hear what
this was about. This was certainly not hurt by the fact that I count
myself as a fan of both Kalibas and Anodyne as well.
To get
right into business as stated before, this is a grindcore album.
Grindcore is a fairly simple yet rather technical style of music to
begin with. Unfortunately this also brings into effect that it makes it
rather hard to differentiate band to band without something very
interesting thrown into the mix. Some have thrown strains of superior
subject matter, crust punk values, death, satan, and even techno
splashes. So what does Defeatist bring to the table you ask? Sadly
nothing, truly nothing at all is particularly different from any other
grindcore band out there today.
This isn't to say the band isn't
talented. To play grind to begin with takes a certain level of skill.
You can certainly hear interesting riffs and talented drum fills thrown
in to keep things moving. Things do certainly move at a ridiculously
fast clip (twenty songs in about as many minutes). The lyrics seem to
point towards a somewhat death metal influence, there also seems to be
slight reference to mental illness or something of that matter, for
example:"Spirits Broken, and forgotten,
pumping poisons, into victims daily, this will corrupted, no resistance
/ Nauseous, weakened and, disjointed, heads are cut and, saved as
trophies, worldwide blackout, gives rise to destruction." For
one, this is literally all of the lyrics to the song "Snuffed", not one
word omitted. In addition to this fact, this is one of the longer songs
lyrically on this CD. Keep in mind that this CD acts as a discography
of Defeatist's twenty songs of their moderate released works thus far.
These releases were originally released on Level Plane and Chainsaw
Safety, but in reality this band fits into Willowtip's collective
discography much better than either of the first two. One thing that is
really great about this - in addition to the CD release itself - is
that after having two of the releases prior that I couldn't have told
you a single lyric of, Defeatist has included clearly printed lyrics.
All
in all this is very competent but not quite original grindcore. I look
forward to what growth they make in the future. This is a worthwhile
but only vaguely interesting flashback to the recent past.
invisibleoranges.com: Defeatist know what makes good grind: ripping at Siege or Repulsion-like velocities. Their debut full-length (
Willowtip,
2009) compiles all of their 7"s. Thank them for recording it all in one
session, which creates a uniform sound throughout. Defeatist play
meat-and potatoes-grind; there's something comforting in their traditionalist take on the genre. From artwork to lyrics, the band
doesn't deviate far from the well-trod path. Consider the total lyrics
to "No One and Nothing": "No one and nothing / No one is safe."
The
secret to Defeatist is their superior musicianship. Seasoned veterans
power the machine. Joel Stallings and Josh Scott made up Anodyne's
disciplined rhythm section, while Aaron Nichols hails from Kalibas.
These New Yorkers tap into the rage beneath the Big Apple's rotten
renovations. (Have you been to Crown Heights, Bed Stuy, or
Williamsburg?) Though not quite harnessing Defeatist's live power,
Sharp Blade captures the brute force of their beginnings. (Casey Boland)
Decibel Magazine: In our totally awesome grindcore issue a few months back, Defeatist,
the personification of New York’s greasy streets, oppressive
overcrowding, exorbitant cost-of-living and cat-sized sewer rats,
self-described themselves (for better or worse) as “three cranky old
dudes who spend their free time playing blast beats in a room that
smells like a dead bum’s ass.” I qualify this with “for better or for
worse” because your particular predilection for wishing to expose your
ears to music of such a sunshine-y description will depend on how much
you love or hate grind reeking of hobo taint—or at least if your
preferences should ever veer towards the like.
For better or for worse, Defeatist sound like Hellnation on a steady diet of Scum,
Septic Death and Australia’s lo-fi noiseniks, Super Fun Happy Slide—as
opposed to Hellnation strictly mainlining on Phobia and Siege. For
better or for worse, everything sounds pretty much the same and only
the most lynx-eared listeners will be able to discern between “Terminal
Existence” and, say, “Voice of Treason,” let alone this album and band
from countless others with merch available in 625 Thrash and Sound
Pollution’s mail order. And what that ultimately means, for better or
for worse, is that anyone with even a passing interest in raw, rabid
and uncouth grind will have already heard everything Sharp Blade Sinks Deep Into Dull Minds
has to offer in various forms and sonic helpings. It may sound familiar
and comfortable—as familiar and comfortable as grindcore can get—but it
is what it is and it sounds pretty good. Just not entirely essential. —Kevin Stewart-Panko
teethofthedivine.com: Comprised of former members of unsung underground metal stalwarts
Kalibas & Anodyne, Defeatist has been relentlessly pursuing the
kind of revered status in the American grindcore scene that European
and Japanese bands have achieved by virtue of their comprably more
prolific and superior output to their stateside counterparts. Hailing
back to the glory days of Napalm Death, ENT and Terrorizer while
matching their foreign counterparts in a post-Nasum emphasis on
distinguishable riffs and grooves, Defeatist also indulge in that
strung-out, spazztic American crust-grind angst which made labels like
Pessimiser & Life is Abuse recognizable icons in both the U.S. and
worldwide underground. This collection of their vinyl output to date is
a preview of their debut full-length,
Sixth Extinction, also due through Willowtip in mid-summer.
While drummer Joel Stallings is essentially a non-stop maelstrom of
blast as fuck peppered with trainwreck fills, guitarist Aaron Nichols
and bassist Joshua Scott layer thick, sludgy riffs in such a critical
mass that they effectively provide a strong percussive counterpoint
that makes each song invididually kick-ass and memorable. Many other
bands of this style have fallen into a trap where they are certainly
produce a menacing aura of overwhelming intensity, yet utterly fail in
producing songs that can stand on their own merits, the latter of which
is certainly not the case here. Nichols voice is on the caustic but not
piercing high-end, phrasing his brief verses in the abrupt hardcore
tradition. While Stallings performance is certainly impressive, ever
adventurous, and sometimes even exhausting to try to follow, the band
might be better served if he let off the gas and let the riffs catch-up
occasionally. I mean, I know this is grindcore and all but I think the
trade-off of occasionally easing off for more space and momentum to
create a dynamic that makes the faster parts sound ten times faster
would be a good move in this band’s case.
Aside from this minor quibble, Sharp Blades… is certainly a
riveting and righteous display, powerful and punchy yet still
endearingly sloppy enough to appeal to metallic speed freaks and punked
out thrashers alike. Comparisons to recent tourmates Sayyadina are
well-warrented as Defeatist similarly blend raw and rhythmic riffing
with a viciously chaotic backbeat resulting in some intensely savage
grinding euphoria. If and when, or to be more optimistic, when and not
if, the current US grind scene catches up to, and even surpasses their
foreign comrades, bands like Defeatist will be a big part of the reason
why.
metalreview.com: Some serious down 'n' dirty grindcore, New York's Defeatist is comprised of former members of Kalibas and Anodyne. The band's first release on Willowtip, Sharp Blade isn't new material but a collection of the band's tracks previously released on various 7"s and split EPs. Stylistically, Defeatist take their cues from the earliest of grinders, presented here with a hefty dash of crusty power-violence/hardcore, from the black-and-white punk-influenced cover to the scratchy and ragged production. Defeatist reminds of early Extreme Noise Terror (with stouter production), Dropdead (with stouter production), Vulgar Pigeons (with stouter production), Enslavement-era Napalm Death, Insect Warfare… This is ugly; this is harsh; this is raw; this is a damn good time.
Even though these tracks are compiled from various previous releases, Sharp Blade maintains continuity by the simple fact that these tracks were recorded in one mammoth session and then divided up for release on separate outlets. The average song length here is around one minute, with many songs clocking in at around thirty seconds long. The vocals are a rabid higher-pitched scream, never deviating, never varying, and thus, they’re the weakest component, simply because they wear thin across the thirty-minute running time. These riffs aren’t overly technical or complicated, and at times they’re a virtually indistinguishable blur beneath the furious drumming. Blastbeats abound, but the pace does slow here and there, if only to introduce the next round of frantic chaos. Not to cop out on in-depth analysis, but there’s really not too much to say about Sharp Blade beyond that—it’s a grind record in the truest sense. As such, it seldom breaks its manic stride even when the pace slackens—Defeatist feels like a runaway bullet train and manages to be equally chaotic even in their slowest moments. What tempo changes may come are just brief pauses in the violence before the world explodes again.
As good and as fun as it is, Sharp Blade isn’t the best grindcore album I’ve heard all year (a fact largely due to a banner year for serious grind-master flashes). So far, it’s still 2009’s most promising grindcore release by a band of whose existence I’d previously been completely unaware. Willowtip’s penchant for quality grindcore continues, and I’m looking forward to what Defeatist brings to the grind table from here on out.
Grindandpunishment Blog: Joel Stallings is a fucking beast who can rock a drum kit along side grind luminaries like Dave Witte and Bryan Fajardo. Despite my ongoing, undying, everlasting man-crush on Mike Hill, Stallings’ concussive yet textured playing was the secret sauce that powered the last pair of Anodyne albums. And just in case you need a refresher course, Defeatist’s “Snuffed” and “Loathe” give Stallings a palette to get all Jackson Pollack in bruised shades of black and purple.
After waxing ecstatic for the first few years of their existence, Defeatist has tag teamed with Willowtip to collect all of their vinyl splits and 7-inch solo shots onto one handy plastic platter with Sharp Blade Sinks Deep into Dull Minds. From the black and white street grit artwork through the deliberately low-fi battery, New Yorkers Stallings, ex-Anodyne collaborator Joshua Scott and ex-Kalibas guitarist Aaron Nichols conjure the glossed over scuzz of the city before Guiliani decided to turn Times Square into Disney Land.
Nichols’ high pitched vocals can be a bit monotone and repetitive over the course of a full length, but have no doubt the music is the star of Sharp Blade and the band run a rigged three card monte song writing game on our rube asses. The Scum-grade punk is simply a launching pad for sparks of experimentation like the cork screw, trepanning guitar of “Mouth of Night,” which could have been lifted from Anodyne’s Outer Dark. Or the loping, lilting textures of “End of Suffering” and slow burn simmer of opener “Terminal Existence.”
Ferocious, intelligent and backed by a drumming legend in the making, Defeatist are grindcore brain surgeons. Their blades are sharp and if this doesn’t at least merit a listen, then your brain is pretty dull. - Andrew Childers
www.blabbermouth.net: More KILL THE CLIENT than AFGRUND, New York City's DEFEATIST are all about the quick kill, eschewing experimentation and expansionism and openly advocating grindcore that results in bloody noses and cracked ribs. Pretension is anathema, triggers strictly prohibited, and at 20 tracks with a total running time of 26 minutes, getting to the point is of paramount importance. The iron scrapings that fall to the floor as each riff is played should have been your first hint.
All previously released on splits, 7" records, and EPs, the songs of "Sharp Blade Sinks Deep into Dull Minds" are not the most original in the world and fall short of the power of a band like INSECT WARFARE, but sure as hell succeed for being a bullshit-less display of grindcore intensity. Most would expect as much after one look at that album artwork; it seems to go hand in hand with the musical aesthetic. Featuring former members of ANODYNE and KALIBAS, the trio looks to grindcore's nascent years for inspiration and succeeds at producing a sound that is live as hell and genuinely passionate. I love the loose, fuck-it-all feel on this one (the natural drum sound is especially endearing). The vocals aren't exactly powerful, but are not ineffective either; the delivery is an upper range maniacal one that generally fits within the musical constructs.
The songwriting isn't as one-dimensional as one might think, at least when considering the context. While you'll not find standout lyrical lines, the array of riffs is impressive and the brief compositional shifts work quite well. It's all about a vibe anyway. DEFEATIST gets its point across with the kind of caution-to-the-wind freedom and hostility toward complexity that has always defined the purest end of the spectrum. Not essential, but pretty damn solid. (Scott Alisoglu)
www.ultimatemetal.com: Defeatist, a New York-based grind trio with ties to Anodyne and Kalibas, have done their fans a favor by releasing Sharp Blade Sinks Deep into Dull Minds. Specifically, the latter consists of the band’s three 7” EPs first unleashed in 2007—Mechanisms of Sanctimonious Filth split with Kursk, Thanatonic State, and In Praise of False Hope. Essentially this is a one-stop shop for all things Defeatist unless you happen to be a collector. But for those who aren’t, this’ll do just fine.
This speedy threesome plays a caustic, dirty form of grind that rarely allows the listener to surface for a breath of air. In fact, the twenty tracks elapse in under twenty-six minutes, but with grindcore, brevity is par for the course. Tempo aside, Nichols provides shrill, unintelligible screams for the duration, causing me to think of fellow Willowtipsters Watchmaker—a band equally as punishing. Moreover, followers of the Selfmadegod brand of grind should feel right at home, too, as this is about as raw, trashy, and unabashed as it gets.
While I can’t heartily recommend Sharp Blade Sinks Deep into Dull Minds for the simple fact that most grind doesn’t move me like (excellent) black and death metal, Defeatist are a commendable outfit whose songs angrily speak for themselves. Grind aficionados need apply, though need not expect anything extraordinary.
www.allmusic.com: Defeatist are an N.Y.C.-based grindcore trio in the vein of Discordance Axis or Insect Warfare. This disc compiles their Thanatonic State and In Praise of False Hope EPs alongside the tracks from a split with Kursk, for a total of 20 bursts of abusive, noisy punk metal fury in just over 25 minutes. For such a seemingly stripped-down and minimalist form, grindcore has surprising amounts of room for stylistic individualism and even innovation, and while Defeatist aren't as self-consciously arty as Discordance Axis or Brutal Truth, they've definitely got a unique and recognizable style, particularly guitarist/vocalist Aaron Nichols, whose lyrics are totally indecipherable, and yet he sounds nothing like Napalm Death's Lee Dorrian or DA's Jon Chang. He sounds like himself, albeit a version of himself that's being stabbed in the neck with flaming needles. Drummer Joel Stallings, too, has a unique approach to his instrument, playing blastbeats that have a looseness to them reminiscent of a noise rock drummer like Pussy Galore's Bob Bert, rather than a machine gun-precise kit basher like Napalm Death's Danny Herrera. Bassist Joshua Scott fills out the mix with waves of distortion, allowing Nichols to take the guitar on tangents that aren't quite solos, but do expand the instrument's role within the song beyond mere riff crunching. Grindcore frequently gets by on pure adrenaline, and Defeatist offer plenty of that, but there's more going on here, and this is a disc one could listen to multiple times without suffering diminishing returns. (Phil Freeman)
Defeatist/Kursk: "Mechanisms of Sanctimonious Filth" EP
Maximum Rock'n'Roll March 2008: New York's Defeatist blasts out screeched vocals over for tracks of NAPALM DEATH-ish guttural guitar grindcore over throttling drums that drive the whole affair. Brutal! Winnipeg's Kursk's two tracks are also completely driven by a high-paced drum attack, but is almost like a collision between grind and "dude, no way" indie math-rock, capped with tormented dwarf vocals spewing Carcass-style medical residency 'n' bong hits influenced lyrics. Savage! (Ken Sanderson)
Hanging Like a Hex: More Nasum grind style from Defeatist featuring more grind-approved artwork featuring goat-headed ministers, wolves, skull-headed boy scouts with rifles, and so forth. Oh, and teeth... and lots more black. They continue on their warpath of short, fast, loud, and gritty. Kursk take a different approach. It's still grind, but it's a lot more spazzy. It also sounds as if there is some sort of weird Melt-Banana or Discordance Axis worship going on and I say that because things sound rather on the high end of the scale, rather than grind's typical obsession with all things low and dirty. I can't quite place it. It's still abusive as fuck sounding, but more screechy. You listen and figure it out.
Collective Zine Blog: Defeatist feature the powerhouse rhythm section of New York's late, great, grind-tech-metal legends Anodyne, together with some geezer from Kalibas. Joel Stallings' drums were always particularly distinctive in their inhumanly mechanized way, with every single thwack of the snare sounding as perfectly heavy than the one previous to it, with force effortlessly combined with speed. Defeatist are a much more straight-up proposition to Anodyne, but there are sudden shifts in riffs and it still tears you a new one each time you spin it. More please! Kursk are in beautiful contrast on the flip, with their crazed, barely cohesive, scattered brand of thrash hardcore, falling about all the over the place and generally ruling. Great split. (Kunal Nandi)
Going Through the Motions Blog: Split 7"s are a hard thing to pull off nowadays as it's pretty rare to find two bands that are in the same style that you can actually tell apart and are pretty even musically. Usually you walk away from things like this saying "Man, I wish they'd just put out a record for Band A and left Band B off altogether." This record does really well in this respect. Kursk and Defeatist both play fast, intense grind style hardcore, but don't really sound alike. Defeatist are a lot heavier with a more straightforward sound than Kursk, but mix it up enough to be surprising, which is hard in grind. Kursk are more into off beat, riff based speedcore as opposed to just tuned down power chords. Kind of like Slayer covering Koro. Definitely recommended. My only complaint is that it's too short.
Razorcake Online: This very silly, very technical grindcore split is hard to dislike due to the sheer hilarity it delivers. I don't think it's a joke record, but I also don't think either band takes itself too seriously. There's a lyric sheet included so that the crazed grind/crust growls can be followed. Defeatist is the more impressive of the two bands, with drum beats so insane that the drummer must have tendonitis or some other dire physical ramifications caused via his craft. It's comforting to know that straight grind records are still coming out, untouched by the related sounds that followed. (Art Ettinger)
Short Fast & Loud: This is a very interesting split, Defeatist is made up of former members of Anodyne and Kalibas and retain a definite feel of both those bands in their current sound. Four tracks of heat seeking technical grind that is limitless in it's delivery. These people are good musicians and it comes across on this record. Kursk is on the flipside with two tracks of brutally killer grind-core. Fans of One-Eyed God, Anodyne, Insect Warfare and (early) ND will dig this pairing of bands.
Two-thirds Anodyne plus one-third Kalibas equals 666% killer grind action. Like a runaway train that's thrown its gearbox, this relentlessly fires out salvo after salvo of maniac riffs, screams and time changes, clanking along machine-like until things grind (ha!) to a sudden halt. That damned drummer makes sure everything's under control whilst sounding out of control. Right now, Defeatist are a great 7" band, and with all their songs to date recorded in the same session, feel free to apply this review equally to the "In Praise Of False Hope" 7" on Chainsaw Safety Records and the Kursk split. (Kunal Nandi)