Chilean Thrashers Critical Defiance have partnered with Decibel for the premiere of “Kill Them With Kindness,” the second single from forthcoming album No Life Forms. Click below to stream!
“If you like your new-school thrash to sound old-school as fuck, look no further than Critical Defiance. The Ol band rips through 10 songs of gloriously ’80s riffage. I can hear nods to Sepultura, Death Angel, Kreator and Slayer, but Critical Defiance combine those influences into a sound that’s their own. Tight, groovy, fast, and forever marching forward on a path of destruction.”
– Decibel
Unspeakable Axe Records will release No Life Forms July 18 on CD and digital formats.
Pre-order:
BC: unspeakableaxerecords.bandcamp.com/album/no-life-forms
UAR: tinyurl.com/39y5u2sv
Chile over the past decade has been one of the hotbeds for extreme metal, particularly for bands that pay homage to, and expand upon, the pioneering work done in the genre in the 1980s and ’90s. Of particular note is Chilean thrash metal, a scene bursting with bands who take familiar styles and just do them better, faster, and more authentically than almost anyone.
Critical Defiance were one of the more pulverizing acts in thrash in 2019, with their debut album on Unspeakable Axe (Misconception) marrying high-speed riffing to Bay Area-worthy melodies. Now their follow-up, No Life Forms, has arrived, and the band shows no signs of slowing down. It’s clear from the opening notes that the three-year layoff was well-used, both to refine their compositions and to gather the massive amount of energy necessary for another full-on assault. The album is a whirling tornado of how-did-he-play-that guitar riffs, barked Tom Araya-esque vocals, and an indefatigable rhythm section that never misses a beat or slows the pace for a second. Surprisingly pretty lead parts and memorable choruses will keep you on the hook and break up the brutality just enough, like the squirts of cool water given to bloodied boxers between rounds.
With No Life Forms, Critical Defiance have exceeded themselves and made what is sure to be one of the best thrash albums of 2022.
Track Listing:
1. World Crumbling Apart
2. The Last Crusaders… Bringers of Death!
3. Altering The Senses
4. Dying Breath
5. Elephant
6. Edge Of Consciousness
8. Warhead (Emotional Fallout)
9. We Were Never Here To Stay
10. No Life Forms
Line-Up:
Mauricio Toledo – Rhythm Guitar, Backing Vocals
Rodrigo Poblete – Drums
Felipe Alvarado – Vocals, Lead & Rhythm Guitar
Ignacio Arevalo – Bass
Javier Salgado – Lead & Rhythm Guitar