The Defiled (1888-2016)
Key Facts
Country: 🏴
Formed: 2005 (Disbanded in 2016)
Genre: Industrial metal/metalcore
Record Label(s): Nuclear Blast
Releases: 2 Albums, 1 EP, 1 Live Album
FFO: Bury Tomorrow, Rammstein, Marylin Manson
Band Members:
Stitch D - Lead vocals, Guitar
The AvD - Programming, Synthesiser, Keyboards, Backing Vocals
Vincent Hyde - Bass
Needles - Drums
Aaron Curse - Guitar
Bio
"The Defiled were a four-piece [originally five but Aaron Curse left the band in 2014) British industrial metal band from London, England mixing groove-laden hardcore/metal with electronic music influences. They have been described by Kerrang! magazine as "The saviours of UK Metal" and championed by Metal Hammer as one of the leaders in a new wave of British metal along with bands such as While She Sleeps, Bury Tomorrow and Devil Sold His Soul." (Wikipedia, 2019)
Key Albums
1888 - EP
Released: 2009
Label(s): IATDE Records
Favourite Track(s): 1888, Red Tape
Favourite Track(s): 1888, Red Tape
Inspired by the Jack the Ripper murders in Whitechapel, London in 1888 this crushing debut release set the tone for The Defiled's career. The EP was considered a vital, must hear release in the UK metal scene at the time.
"Dealing exclusively in a vicious-chorus/big-verse songwriting format, the short running time is more blast than whimper... What you discover is a band with more witty lyrical nous and thematic depth than their energetic stage presence would suggest" (Law, 2009)
Grave Times
Released: 2011
Label(s): Raise The Game
Favourite Track(s): Blood Sells, Black Death, Call To Arms, In Your Name, Metropolis
Favourite Track(s): Blood Sells, Black Death, Call To Arms, In Your Name, Metropolis
Self described as “Too goth for metal, too metal for goth” (Dead Press, 2011), Grave Times was a landmark album on the UK metal scene at that time. Original released for free as a CD cover mount for Kerrang!, the deluxe version with remixes of the 5 tracks on the 1888 EP (or ReWorks as they are listed) had more pre-orders than Rob Zombie and Foo Fighters at the time.
Daggers
Released: 2013
Label(s): Nuclear Blast
Favourite Track(s); The Mourning After, As I Drown, Unspoken, Porcelain
Favourite Track(s); The Mourning After, As I Drown, Unspoken, Porcelain
In what would be their final release, the band really cemented their sound and songwriting style. With some monumentally catchy and brutal songs, this album would eventually lead them into the Guinness World Records for being the first band to play on an iceberg. Combining the metal and goth aspects of the previous releases and delivering them with a more devastating effect.
Favourite Song
The Jägermeister Ice Cold Gig - 2014
How They Inspire Me
The first ever metal band that I saw live was The Defiled, two days after a break up if I remember correctly and it was the best therapy that I could have had. Stood in a nearly full Thekla in Bristol with my best mate, after having briefly encountered Needles outside in the queue, with everyone moshing and singing the words was truly magical for 17 year old me (yes it took me that long for my parents to let me go to a show as most of them were in Bristol). I first heard them long before that, when I was in year 8 or 9 (7th or 8th grade for my US readers) on the bus by a couple of friends I had in 6th Form (Freshmen year). I became hooked on the 1888 EP, it would eventually inspire my love and curiosity in the Jack the Ripper case, Whitechapel and Victorian history in a whole.
I listened to them continuously from when I was introduced to them to when they split. The lyrics were deep and intellectual, and the music was heavier and grittier than anything that I had ever heard before. They came at a time when my music tastes were being defined and like quick-set cement The Defiled firmly placed themselves as a vital band that I'd include in everything. It mixed everything that I liked, heavy down tuned guitars, distorted and melodic synth programming alongside some more dent-y (*cringe intensifies* I hate saying that) sections. Goth met metal perfectly in my mind.
Through the three releases previously mentioned, I was deeply inspired by the stories that they were inspired by; Jack the Ripper, the Black Death, Revolutions, etc. For I genuinely obsessed over them, during school I'd always have a massive phase for one band before moving on to the next, but the only ones that really stuck from that time were The Defiled (obviously), Rammstein, Black Stone Cherry, Bring Me The Horizon, Bury Tomorrow and Architects. Now I look back, I think this was one of the first places where I saw a battle jacket of sorts and knew I had to have one ever since, low and behold approximately 6 or so years later, I have one and it's my pride and joy alongside my workhorse of an Ibanez guitar. For a long time I tried to write riffs like these guys. I think there was a knock on effect listening to their music as now I love putting synthesisers in with big metal riffs. In all honesty I was a proper little fan boy. You should have seen the ugly crying I did to the slower songs Five Minutes and Final Sleep, emotionally angsty me had them on repeat through some pretty dark moments.
So the day they released the statement announcing their split absolutely destroyed me;
"It is with heavy, blackened hearts, that we inform you that the time has come to lay The Defiled to rest. There is no drama or fallouts, but we have been forced to face the reality that the love of what we do is not enough to keep our black ship sailing; the continuation of The Defiled has become logistically (financially) untenable. Thank you - you, our fans, have given us a life experience that we could have never dreamed of. From a grotty flat in north London, you have enabled us to reach places we’d previously only read or heard about, allowed us to grace stages all over the world, cheered for us at some of the worlds most prestigious festivals and granted us the opportunity to perform alongside some of our heroes. And we are in the Guinness Book Of World Records - WTF??!! Seeing you singing our words back to us, hearing your stories on how our music has affected you, watching you lose your shit to the heavy bits and seeing the spontaneous outpouring of love when some of you linked arms and made a "circle of love” at our last London show has moved us in ways that are impossible to articulate, but just know; we love you for it. This means we are forced to cancel our scheduled shows with In This Moment in May as well as the headline shows planned. We hate to let you down a second time in just a few months, but unfortunately this is unavoidable. We know this is not good enough, and all of us deserve a proper send off for The Defiled. We are currently working out how to record some final songs for you, and if we can do a farewell tour before our Final Sleep. Until then... The Defiled 1888 – 2016"
It's never easy learning that one of your favourite bands have split, and it does feel weird seeing the guys going on to do other projects because you're so used to seeing them together in one phenomenal entity. Overall, they're just an awesome band with two high quality and well written albums. While Stitch D and The AvD have gone on to do other projects (Lowlives and Red Method respectively), the impact the band's image and songwriting had on me was greatly significant. Anyone who knows me knows I rarely venture outside the tight jeans and band shirts combo, no matter what the occasion, completed with my battle jacket, it has to be inspired by these guys (and obviously my ventures into the Black and Death metal scenes). I think in these Grave Times we face I've revisited the band a lot more, and seeing the music from a new perspective yet the songs still resonate with me and remind me of simpler times. Even though they cease to exist I will recommend them as one of THE best newer British bands to listen to.
Oh I nearly forgot, THEY PLAYED A SHOW ON A FUCKING ICEBERG! Do you need anymore convincing?
I listened to them continuously from when I was introduced to them to when they split. The lyrics were deep and intellectual, and the music was heavier and grittier than anything that I had ever heard before. They came at a time when my music tastes were being defined and like quick-set cement The Defiled firmly placed themselves as a vital band that I'd include in everything. It mixed everything that I liked, heavy down tuned guitars, distorted and melodic synth programming alongside some more dent-y (*cringe intensifies* I hate saying that) sections. Goth met metal perfectly in my mind.
Through the three releases previously mentioned, I was deeply inspired by the stories that they were inspired by; Jack the Ripper, the Black Death, Revolutions, etc. For I genuinely obsessed over them, during school I'd always have a massive phase for one band before moving on to the next, but the only ones that really stuck from that time were The Defiled (obviously), Rammstein, Black Stone Cherry, Bring Me The Horizon, Bury Tomorrow and Architects. Now I look back, I think this was one of the first places where I saw a battle jacket of sorts and knew I had to have one ever since, low and behold approximately 6 or so years later, I have one and it's my pride and joy alongside my workhorse of an Ibanez guitar. For a long time I tried to write riffs like these guys. I think there was a knock on effect listening to their music as now I love putting synthesisers in with big metal riffs. In all honesty I was a proper little fan boy. You should have seen the ugly crying I did to the slower songs Five Minutes and Final Sleep, emotionally angsty me had them on repeat through some pretty dark moments.
So the day they released the statement announcing their split absolutely destroyed me;
"It is with heavy, blackened hearts, that we inform you that the time has come to lay The Defiled to rest. There is no drama or fallouts, but we have been forced to face the reality that the love of what we do is not enough to keep our black ship sailing; the continuation of The Defiled has become logistically (financially) untenable. Thank you - you, our fans, have given us a life experience that we could have never dreamed of. From a grotty flat in north London, you have enabled us to reach places we’d previously only read or heard about, allowed us to grace stages all over the world, cheered for us at some of the worlds most prestigious festivals and granted us the opportunity to perform alongside some of our heroes. And we are in the Guinness Book Of World Records - WTF??!! Seeing you singing our words back to us, hearing your stories on how our music has affected you, watching you lose your shit to the heavy bits and seeing the spontaneous outpouring of love when some of you linked arms and made a "circle of love” at our last London show has moved us in ways that are impossible to articulate, but just know; we love you for it. This means we are forced to cancel our scheduled shows with In This Moment in May as well as the headline shows planned. We hate to let you down a second time in just a few months, but unfortunately this is unavoidable. We know this is not good enough, and all of us deserve a proper send off for The Defiled. We are currently working out how to record some final songs for you, and if we can do a farewell tour before our Final Sleep. Until then... The Defiled 1888 – 2016"
It's never easy learning that one of your favourite bands have split, and it does feel weird seeing the guys going on to do other projects because you're so used to seeing them together in one phenomenal entity. Overall, they're just an awesome band with two high quality and well written albums. While Stitch D and The AvD have gone on to do other projects (Lowlives and Red Method respectively), the impact the band's image and songwriting had on me was greatly significant. Anyone who knows me knows I rarely venture outside the tight jeans and band shirts combo, no matter what the occasion, completed with my battle jacket, it has to be inspired by these guys (and obviously my ventures into the Black and Death metal scenes). I think in these Grave Times we face I've revisited the band a lot more, and seeing the music from a new perspective yet the songs still resonate with me and remind me of simpler times. Even though they cease to exist I will recommend them as one of THE best newer British bands to listen to.
Oh I nearly forgot, THEY PLAYED A SHOW ON A FUCKING ICEBERG! Do you need anymore convincing?
References
Wikipedia, (2019), The Defiled, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Defiled
Law, S., Kerrang! #1282, (10 October 2009), Album reviews. "London Quintet Expose Brit-metal's Dark Underbelly", p. 51
Redrup, Z., Dead Press (14 February 2011), ALBUM: The Defiled – Grave Times, http://www.deadpress.co.uk/album-the-defiled-grave-times/
Comments
Post a Comment