Review Summary: The Defiled’s Grave Times is a good debut album that has an unfortunate fizzling effect.
Members:
Stitch D - Vocals & Guitar
The AvD - Programming/Keys & B. Vocals
Aaron Curse - Guitar
J.C - Drums
Vincent Hyde - Bass
Grave Times is another drop in the metalcore ocean. At times it will be hard to distinguish
The Defiled’s sound when compared to most acts that share the same genre name. Their debut effort does little to create an impression on the listener while maintaining their interest throughout this release. This does not mean that
The Defiled are bad at what they do. They know how to write songs, but lack a strong sense of creative ability to expand on their talents.
Grave Times fizzles out due to a combination of semi recycled ideas and a rather generic sound.
Instrumentally each member knows what they are doing. They show particular skill which adds to the music’s overall quality and combines effectively with the other members works. The drum work is especially well done and shows many of the bands consistency throughout. It’s from the drums that the band builds itself as they are very rhythm based and rely heavily on triplet patterns and a quick tempo. The use of electronic sound sources and synth work also add interest for the listener, the only problem is they are usually washed under the thick layering of other instruments where unfortunately, they lack some of the effect they could have achieved. While the instrumentation is relatively top notch, listeners may understandably find fault with the vocals. The screams sound for the most part the same over the length of the album with little deviation and the cleans of Stitch D show that some form of vocal training needs to be applied to remove that slightly whiny tone that seeps into them.
The album shows much of the same throughout the album. The solid musicianship that the band builds off and the lack of diversity coupled with limited a creative idea that leaves the listener bored after three or four tracks. The creative juices just stop flowing and the album suffers. Most of the records highpoints can be found in the first four tracks. Album opener ‘In The Land Of Fools’ will showcase the overall feel of the album and establish the listeners thoughts of: Will I like it? For the most part listeners will find some enjoyable moments but will not be blown away by it. With the almost constant barrage of breakdowns, shrieked vocals and quick tempo listeners will know what to expect from the rest of the album.
By ‘Black Death’ the attention of the listener is already waning. The repetition and recycled ideas become too much and it becomes harder to determine where one track ends and the other begins. The music is not bad, just lacks any memorable moments and tracks mesh together easily. There are some moments that redeem
Grave Times with tracks like ‘In Your Name’ that show some of the band’s greater song writing ability but some listeners may fail to make it through the album’s ten tracks.
Sporting looks reminiscent of the Murderdolls,
The Defiled present music that is fast paced and built from the drums up. The music is listenable but due to repetitive and recycled ideas falls short of making a great impression on the listener.
Grave Times is a solidly unmemorable debut effort that fizzles out before even hitting the halfway mark.
Recommended Tracks:
• In The Land Of Fools
• Black Death
• In Your Name
