As the battle for British metal's spirit and future rages on, few astute observers would bet against The Defiled emerging triumphant. The London-based quartet have had a phenomenal impact on these shores and beyond over the last few years, with a strident, genre-blitzing sound that both delivers the crushing, riff-driven goods and shrewdly redefines what it means to bring the 21st century mosh. Formed in 2005, The Defiled exploded onto an unsuspecting metal scene in 2008 with their debut EP 1888 before devoting themselves to establishing a reputation as one of the most exhilarating live bands in living memory. When the band's brutally irresistible debut album Grave Times dropped in 2011, the response was universally ecstatic, with major rock and metal press queuing up to proclaim The Defiled as the saviours of modern British heaviness.
We just make music that makes us feel something," states founder member and keyboard maestro The AvD. "I always think 'Do I love this?' whenever I'm working on something. If the answer is 'no', it's not good enough! I believe music should make the listener feel something, be it rage, sadness or happiness. As long as it stirs some kind of emotion inside me I know there will be other people out there who will feel exactly the same way.
Having risen rapidly to the top of the UK metal tree, The Defiled – completed by singer/guitarist Stitch D, guitarist Aaron Curse, bassist Vincent Hyde and drummer Needles – are now poised to obliterate any and all opposition and make a claim for immortality with their monstrous second album, Daggers. Recorded at the renowned Audio Hammer studio in Florida with acclaimed sonic guru Jason Suecof (Trivium/Devildriver/Motionless In White), the Brits' sophomore release further defines and refines their groundbreaking blend of metallic savagery, state-of-the-art electronics and bold anthemic melodies. Everything is bigger. Everything is better.
I think at the end of the day "Daggers" is who we are, only better!" proclaims The AvD. "We didn't approach this album with a specific sound in mind. We definitely tried out things we haven't done in the past. We've even thrown in an industrial based track for good measure. Jason challenged us to do things out of our comfort zone. The songs are more to the point this time round as Jason has a bad case of ADD which left us fighting to keep bits of our songs in! Lyrically, Grave Times was inspired by the world around us. A newspaper article or a book theme might inspire us to dream up different scenarios or stories on the same topic and then we'd start writing.
"A Fear Factory-ish electro approach seeps into throbbing-bass butchery in a catchy manner, while the cyber-punky rasp of vocalist Stitch D carries a frothing thrash attack wired with intriguing cyber-apocalyptic melodies."
- Paige Camisasca, Revolver Magazine
With an ever-expanding fan base hungry for more, The Defiled have made light work of evolving into the ultimate cutting edge metal band and Daggers looks certain to propel them to the very top of the heavy music ladder. Having already conquered major UK festivals like Download and Sonisphere, not to mention triumphant supports slots with everyone from Murderdolls and Static-X to Ghost and Godsmack, this is a band primed and ready to dominate the metal world. In contrast to the stark emotions and celebratory verve of their debut, however, the new album aims higher on every level, delving deep into the psyches and feelings of its creators, resulting in a furious but thought-provoking miasma of emotional intensity, unsettling insights and metaphysical musings.
There's a light-hearted song about brutal hangovers and then there's another one I wrote with tears in my eyes as a family member had just died," The AvD explains. "We have songs about the ins and outs of being in a band, then in the same breath we tackle some philosophical mind-benders. The overall theme was easy to spot amongst all of this, and that was the cold, uncompromising truth that surrounds us all. Reality. Daggers symbolises the loss of faith, disappointment in everything and in life in general. There is no question as to the message we are trying to convey. Daggers were made for only one thing: killing or betraying your fellow man. And one stab is almost always never enough...
Gleaming platinum-plated proof that the future has already arrived, The Defiled will claim 2013 as their own as Daggers lays down a new blueprint and manifesto for this most distinctive and destructive of contemporary creative forces. Strap yourselves in for the white-knuckle ride to end them all: right now, The Defiled are unstoppable.
We want to make everyone that has ever believed in us proud to be a part of this thing we call The Defiled and that means taking it as far as it can go," The AvD concludes. "There is no limit or obstacle in sight that we don't feel we can overcome!"
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