Defiled Altered State Review

Defiled
Altered State
Season of Mist

2026

Tokyo, Japan's tech death metal vets Defiled are kind of an anomaly unto the genre and unto themselves. Their humble beginnings reach as far back as the golden age of death metal in the early '90s (1992 to be exact), but they're constantly in a state of evolution. Defiled are devoid of any trends, and they are neither torchbearers for the old school nor following any sonics that are en vogue presently. For these reasons, you should affix your eyes and ears on their latest, the mind-bending and head-spinning brutality of the 14 songs that make up Altered State.

These songs see the band surpassing the excellent one-two punch of The Highest Level in 2023 and 2024's Horror Beyond Horror. The lineup of Shinichiro Hamada — Vocals, Guitar, Yusuke Sumita — Guitar, Takachika Nakajima — Bass, and Keisuke Hamada — Drums all remain and are executing song structures that owe as much to progressive death metal, thrash, and hardcore as they do to progressive rock structures. They can fire off traditional fare and riffs as easily as they can swirl in and out of a series of tempo shifts. The jazz-like changes in the aptly titled "Dazed In Blindness" are hard to grasp at first listen, but undeniably hooky and catchy. Lead single "Portal" is another poignant reminder, much in the same vein.

Defiled are far from content with that, though. They even derive some inspiration from Stravinsky on the occult-themed "Obsession," with a groove that shape-shifts like the meanest of lycanthropes. Vocally, Hamada has a decidedly less guttural approach than most, opting for a more nefarious mid-range shouted growl mixed with some well-placed lows and higher fried screams. The guitars, bass, and drums all snake along with him, recalling prime Cynic, Atheist, and earlier Cryptopsy. What I especially enjoy about Defiled is that, unlike many DM bands, they aren't completely reliant on ramming speed. There ARE moments where they blast, they d-beat, and they thrash away with reckless abandon ("Metamorphosis of Evil"), but there are plenty of spaces where they settle into mid-tempo double bass sections, half-time eerie breakdowns, and prog-forward thrash that utilizes 4/4 time and everywhere in between ("The Ultra Death").

The mix throughout Altered State is articulate, spread evenly across the instrumentation, and properly balanced with the perfect amount of mids, lows, and high frequency. This is thanks in part to producer Yusuke Sumita, sound engineers Shinichiro Hamada & Keisuke Hamada, and mixing and mastering by Studio Nest in Chiba, Japan. I would be remiss if I didn't mention the track "Demolition," which I feel is one of the heaviest tracks but also one of the most easily digested, especially at the 1:12 mark, where the band thrashes away in the best way ala Forced Entry.

Altered State may take you more than one listen to grasp, but with a running time of just 39 minutes and change for all fourteen tracks, they prefer to bludgeon you with their left-of-center blunt force rather than drag stuff out for 6 to 8-minute epics. I can appreciate the crafting of such involved, tight songs in a 3-minute-plus window way more if I'm being honest. And there you have it. Defiled are 34 years in, and to paraphrase a metaphor from their press, they are "evolving in isolation like the Japanese salamander." Here's to 'em, and here's to more forward-thinking death metal that truly only sounds like Defiled and their very bright (if a little long in the tooth) future. Crank this and be transported into another (extreme) dimension. One of my best of 2026 here, folks…

RIYL - Atheist, Pestilence, early Cynic, Monstrosity, Forced Entry, Cryptopsy, Coroner

~TB