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Album Review – Defacement / Duality (2024)

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Three years after their latest output, this Dutch Black and Death Metal entity flares its cryptic head yet again with an epic tome of twisted and gnarly emanations, an immersive pathway into the void.

With an inception going back to 2019, Utrecht, Netherlands-based Blackened Death Metal beast Defacement rapidly gained momentum within the underground realms with two full-length records marked by an intense and experimental take on Death and Black Metal, those being their 2019 debut Deviant and their 2021 self-titled album. Three long years after their latest output, the band flares its cryptic head yet again with an epic tome of twisted and gnarly emanations, an immersive pathway into the void entitled Duality. Mixed by Gabriele Gramaglia (Cosmic Putrefaction, Vertebra Atlantis) and mastered by Simon Da Silva (Aversio Humanitatis) at The Empty Hall Studio, Duality is as addictive as it is distressing, a vast landscape of sense and spirit, an ode to the dark night of the soul, a penetrating sonic journey masterfully crafted by Forsaken Ahmed on vocals and bass, Khalil Azagoth on the guitars, and Mark Bestia on drums, sounding unpredictable in its own dynamic, ever-changing form.

Eerie sounds arise from the depths in the opener Optic, sounding and feeling futuristic yet primeval, therefore captivating our senses before the trio smashes our souls in Burden, where a visceral, demented roar by Forsaken Ahmed invites us all to their Stygian lair, not to mention how evil and technical the blast beast by Mark Bestia sound, resulting in a multi-layered aria of darkness alternating between Black Metal-inspired moments and sheer Death Metal bursts for admirers of the most experimental side of both genres. Vagus is another cryptic interlude that brings moments of serenity, yet sounding obscure, flowing into the phantasmagorical Barrier, a fulminating onrush of Experimental Death Metal not recommended for the lighthearted where the riffage by Khalil Azagoth couldn’t have sounded more dissonant and infernal, adding extra layers of violence and insanity to their core sound.

It’s then time for another instrumental piece titled Facial, again presenting the band’s characteristic obscurity and experimental vein, morphing into Scabulous, a very detailed and disturbing creation where the deep roars by Forsaken Ahmed walk hand in hand with the piercing riffs by Khalil Azagoth, all embraced by another bestial performance by Mark Bestia behind his drums. Hypoglossal, their last interlude, will drag us back to the pits of hell together with the trio, consuming our souls until there’s no way back in the 16-minute feast of darkness titled Duality, an absolutely demonic, captivating and grim explosion of Black and Death Metal, showcasing their caustic riffs, blast beats and infernal vociferations, a sonic descent into the abyss presenting all the band’s dexterity and passion for the underworld, ending in a climatic, ethereal and hellish way.

If you think you have what it takes to face the disturbing sounds blasted by one of the most talented bands hailing from the Netherlands, you can start following Defacement on Facebook, stream their wicked creations on Spotify, and above all that, purchase a copy of the pulverizing Duality from their own BandCamp page, from the Avantgarde Music’s BandCamp page, or from Sound Cave as a CD or LP. Duality is challenging and confrontational in its invocation of primal forces lying dormant in the world below, and Defacement deserve our full recognition and admiration for continuing to pave their path to total darkness with another excellent album of pure, undisputed extreme music.

Best moments of the album: Burden and Duality.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2024 Unorthodox Emanations

Track listing
1. Optic 2:10
2. Burden 9:48
3. Vagus 2:23
4. Barrier 5:05
5. Facial 2:23
6. Scabulous 6:27
7. Hypoglossal 2:30
8. Duality 16:18

Band members
Forsaken Ahmed – vocals, bass
Khalil Azagoth – guitars
Mark Bestia – drums

Album Review – Defacement / Defacement (2021)

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A dissonant Death and Black Metal statement of utter violence and despair against the endless inner struggle caused by the growing lack of meaning in this thing we call life.

3.5rating

defacement-defacement-2021What started in 2019 as the side project of an underground Black Metal band called Deathcrush quickly evolved into one of the most promising acts in the realm of dissonant Death and Black Metal and certainly one that doesn’t fear to experiment, although they remain faithful to Extreme Metal’s sonic roots. I’m talking about Utrecht, Netherlands-based entity Defacement, who after their self-produced debut Deviant are back from the underworld with their self-titled sophomore opus, a statement of utter violence and despair against the endless inner struggle caused by the growing lack of meaning in this thing we call life. Recorded, mixed and mastered at Catacomben Studios, displaying a sinister cover painting by Dusty Ray, and with art direction and layout by Francesco Gemelli, the album is a work poised between horror and introspection, showcasing all the talent and obscurity by vocalist and bassist Forsaken Ahmed, guitarist Khalil Azagoth and drummer Mark Bestia.

Limbo I is a beyond eerie intro sounding as if the gates to the netherworld have been wide open, haunting our souls before Defacement come ripping like a ravaging beast in Shattered, where Mark is simply demonic behind his drums, providing Ahmed all he needs to roar and scream in great Death Metal fashion (not to mention the pulverizing riffage by Khalil). In other words, it’s a lecture in modern-day Death and Black Metal, offering us all almost ten minutes of disturbing sounds and noises, endless obscurity and absolutely no sign of hope. Then even more atmospheric and ethereal, the interlude Limbo II will warm up our senses for the Blackened Doom-infused aria Disavowed, another vile and Stygian creation by the trio with Mark dictating the song’s infernal pace while Ahmed continues to burst his lungs vociferating nonstop, always accompanied by Khalil and his razor-edged guitar lines.

The second act of the album begins with the interlude entitled Limbo III, offering more whimsical sounds while at the same time warning us all of the dissonant metal attack that’s about to come in Disenchanted, which begins in full force to the hellish blast beats by Mark. Needless to say, Khalil is once again on fire with his intricate and extremely caustic riffage, while Ahmed showcases all the dark and fury inside his heart through his putrid roars, followed by their last instrumental bridge Limbo IV, once again displaying serene and calming sounds before Defacement crush our souls one last time in Wounded, featuring guest vocals by Brendan Sloan (Convulsing). The band brings to our ears over eight minutes of sheer brutality and dementia in the form of Death and Black Metal, with the riffs by Khalil reminding me of classic names of the Norwegian scene such as Mayhem and Immortal, flowing majestically until its hammering grand finale.

defacement-2021Although the album is only going to be launched in the beginning of September, you can already pre-order your copy from the I, Voidhanger Records’ BandCamp page and from Apple Music, and while you wait for it you should definitely start following Defacement on Facebook for news, tour dates and other nice-to-know information about the band, and stream more of their visceral music on Spotify. From chaotic blasting madness to melancholic slow passages and ambient interludes, Defacement’s atmospheric journey into the depths of the mind is going to leave a mark in the Extreme Metal scene, as well as an ugly scar on your soul, pointing to a promising and utterly vile path ahead of those unrelenting Dutch metallers.

Best moments of the album: Shattered and Wounded.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2021 I, Voidhanger Records

Track listing 
1. Limbo I 2:06
2. Shattered 9:30
3. Limbo II 0:55
4. Disavowed 6:38
5. Limbo III 1:05
6. Disenchanted 9:51
7. Limbo IV 1:12
8. Wounded 7:55

Band members
Forsaken Ahmed – vocals, bass
Khalil Azagoth – guitars
Mark Bestia – drums

Guest musician
Brendan Sloan – vocals on “Wounded”