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The Chilean metal force known as Critical Defiance has something for every thrash fan out
there. Not in the sense of being homogenized and generic, but in their alchemical and nearly
magical melding of blitzkrieg tempos, dizzying technicality, aggressive shouts and gang
vocals, and--rarest of all for a post-1990 thrash act--a healthy dose of actual, memorable
melody. Now about to drop their third full-length like a bomb from a warplane, they have
added a new element to the mix: just a taste of the eerie melancholy and harsh melodrama
of black metal.
Their release schedule has been nearly as fast as their music, with the debut (Misconception)
coming in 2019, and its follow-up (No Life Forms) in 2022. They have let even less time
elapse from then until this new platter's arrival, taking line-up changes in stride and pushing
forward relentlessly regardless. The addition of Mauricio Toledo on guitar (just prior to their
previous album) has pushed their music in new directions. That black metal aspect--some
tremelo riffing, some blastbeats, bits of a distinctly new melodic sensibility--lends the album
an updated feeling that sets it apart from its predecessors, while by no means abandoning
the thrash foundation that has served them so well. All of this ambition is well-served by a
terrific production job that balances just the right amount of rawness and polish. Three
albums in, Critical Defiance are poised to deliver their most ferocious work yet. Angry yet
uplifting, full of the spirit of true metal both old and new, it's a record that only these guys
could make.