DEFEATIST’S TYRANNY OF DECAY WILL SCARE THE TOWNSFOLK

Summer is slowly but surely slipping away, and with that comes the eventual end of BBQs, pool parties, and muggy basement shows. While autumn is a pretty rad season, most of us are trying in vain to hold onto the last remnants of summer in any way we can. For some, that’s freezing the fuck out of one’s self at the beach. For others, it’s using up the dregs of BBQs past from the back of the fridge in an effort to pull together some sort of  “last hurrah!” smorgasbord. For me, it’s blasting crust and grind as loud as my car stereo will allow, windows down, scaring the bejezzus out of the townsfolk as I zip by. For some reason, grind just calls to mind summer for me, and I find myself in this situation year after year as the leaves start to turn. Currently on heavy rotation is Defeatist’s new album Tyranny of Decay and yes, my friends — it’s been hitting the proverbial spot.

Maybe I should clarify; I have never seen Defeatist live, in a basement or otherwise. There’s just something about their sound – that raw, dirty sound – that just makes me want to pound 40s in a dim-lit room crammed well past maximum occupancy. Though Tyranny of Decay may be a slightly more articulately produced album than some of Defeatist’s earlier work, the blood-spitting vocals, along with the unrelenting percussion, especially, make for a tear down the fucking walls album that begs to be blasted at full volume, no matter the setting.

Take note, though: this is not Grind 101 – that is to say, this isn’t “Pete’s first grind album” shit. If you’re not a fan of crust or grind in the first place, the sound conveyed could be a bit jarring, even for the genre. But for those who can really get down with that certain uncompromising grittiness, then you’re in luck.  This album delivers just that throughout its twenty minute run time.

Man… I can feel the dust in my lungs now.

(3 1/2 out of 5 horns)

-Kellhammer