The Defiled's Grave Times

Grave Times, released in January, is 50 minutes of fantastic metalcore. Metalcore, dating back to the late 1980s, is a cross between extreme metal and hardcore punk. It is characterized by both clean and screamed vocals, breakdowns, and double-bass drumming.

The first minute and forty seconds of the album is more like sound than music, though it then leads wonderfully into a guitar segment before the vocals enter. The vocal style alternates several times within each song between the expected metal screams and a smoother, more melodic singing. The Defiled does a very good job of balancing both vocal styles so that neither one is overwhelming. In addition to this, there are several well-placed harmonies that do well to make their sound just a bit more unique. Best of all, there is not a word uttered by their singer that cannot be understood.

There are several tracks on Grave Times that blatantly employ the use of an electronic keyboard, yet their sound is not synthetic or artificial-sounding. Though it is mainly used as an emphasis with no intent to take over, it gives The Defiled a slight edge over other metalcore bands and makes them stand out that much more. In Your Name demonstrates this perfectly, blending harsh and melodic vocals with the guitars, emphasised by the keyboard.

Grave Times combines enough variety in its sound to keep it interesting, but not so much variety that it is difficult to follow. This is one of those albums that can become background noise to writing that English essay on 'Lord of the Flies', or studying for a chemistry test. It isn’t one of those CDs that distract you every 17 seconds. Of course, that’s not to say that it can only be background noise. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. This CD can be listened to anywhere, anytime and on any occasion.

Overall, Grave Times has received an enormous amount of praise. It is the perfect band for someone who wants to give metal a try, or for someone who is already familiar with the genre. For a band that earned their fame from live shows, this London, England-based quintet has made an absolutely brilliant debut album. If one were to judge the band based on their appearance, they would be making a huge mistake. The expression “Don’t judge a book by its cover” seems to have been made in anticipation of The Defiled. The Defiled does not sound the way they look, and they sound absolutely brilliant.

[This album was given a rating of 8/10]