CRITICAL DEFIANCE
“No Life Forms”
Album Review by Iron Mathew

10/10

Critical Defiance are a thrash metal band from Chile formed in 2010 releasing their debut album ‘Misconception’ in 2019. Featuring a skull crushing blend of aggressive thrash, ‘Misconception’ was a head turning blast of energy – and 2022’s sophomore release ‘No Life Forms’ is a cataclysmic cacophony of more energy and aggression than ever before!

South American thrash is renowned for its brutal nature – just take torch bearers Sepultura, Sarcofago, Massakre, and Korzus as prime examples, planting South America well and truly into the world thrash metal scene. And over four decades later, South America, and more specifically Chile, remain a force in the scene, especially with bands such as Critical Defiance, and their second album ‘No Life Forms’ – jam packed with all the subtlety of using a sledgehammer to kill leafminers, flea beetles and flea hoppers! The band storm through the ten songs on offer in under thirty minutes – blazing into life with the sub two minute raucous rampage ‘A World Crumbling Apart’. And a searing vocal snarl sharp enough to lacerate the toughest of metalheads! What an absolutely devastating opening salvo…

…that becomes two – with the faster and even more aggressive ‘The Last Crusaders… Bringers Of Death!’ The opening double by Critical Defiance is a skull crushing bone snapping brutal assault of the most savage nature – the band relentless in their pursuit of extreme destruction! And the breathless barrage is far from over – there’s still eight songs to go! And hitting you right between the eyes, ‘Altering The Senses’ is an aural attack of anger and attitude, complimented with a force greater than the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs! A blazing start to the bands new album, Critical Defiance have set the world on fire – and are simply adding more fuel! ‘Dying Breath’ the next tirade of thrash to wreck the necks of metalheads in every mosh pit in every city of the world. I just can’t get over how aggressive the band are! And that aggression is a major feature of ‘No Life Forms’ (the album), along with the singers incredible snarl!

And with the hunger and determination of a herd of stampeding elephants, the band roar on with the instrumental ‘Elephant’ – a full on and intense furore of fast paced thrash. Even without vocals I can still feel the bands aggression! Punching hard and kicking harder, the band pummel the senses to within an inch of their lives – ‘Edge Of Consciousness’ delivering the hammer blows that inflict the damage. Critical Defiance resorting to all out aural violence to prove their might as a thrash metal force – and I for one bow down to their authoritative stance. As die hard as I am, I know when I’ve met my match! The band march on with the more traditional thrasher ‘Kill Them With Kindness’, yet manage to attain most of the aggression level heard so far – and then attaining the full level when ‘Kill Them With Kindness’ changes gear at the half way mark to become a lightning quick tsunami of thrash!

Is there just no stopping this band! Apparently not – ‘Warhead – Emotional Fallout’ picking up the pace, aggression and menace, blazing a fiery trail as it hurtles across the land, leaving only desolation in its wake. I’m telling ya – this is one band you don’t wanna mess with! They will slaughter and slay you with absolutely no mercy – and fucking enjoy it! ‘We Were Never Here To Stay’ is a forty four second (dare I say it) mellow passage leading to the albums final hurrah, the title song ‘No Life Forms’ and one more aggression fuelled aural attack of blistering thrash metal. For the entire thirty minutes Critical Defiance have not taken their foot off the gas, maintaining a full steam ahead attitude, throwing caution to the wind to deliver a breathless rampage of brutal thrash.

Overall, a blistering fire and brimstone barrage of savage thrash metal delivered at a breath taking pace.

TRACKLIST

A World Crumbling Apart
The Last Crusaders… Bringers Of Death!
Altering The Senses
Dying Breath
Elephant
Edge Of Consciousness
Kill Them With Kindness
Warhead – Emotional Fallout
We Were Never Here To Stay
No Life Forms

https://criticaldefiance.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/criticaldefiance

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