Sharp Blade Sinks Deep Into Dull Minds

Defeatist are an N.Y.C.-based grindcore trio in the vein of Discordance Axis or Insect Warfare. This disc compiles their Thanatonic State and In Praise of False Hope EPs alongside the tracks from a split with Kursk, for a total of 20 bursts of abusive, noisy punk metal fury in just over 25 minutes. For such a seemingly stripped-down and minimalist form, grindcore has surprising amounts of room for stylistic individualism and even innovation, and while Defeatist aren't as self-consciously arty as Discordance Axis or Brutal Truth, they've definitely got a unique and recognizable style, particularly guitarist/vocalist Aaron Nichols, whose lyrics are totally indecipherable, and yet he sounds nothing like Napalm Death's Lee Dorrian or DA's Jon Chang. He sounds like himself, albeit a version of himself that's being stabbed in the neck with flaming needles. Drummer Joel Stallings, too, has a unique approach to his instrument, playing blastbeats that have a looseness to them reminiscent of a noise rock drummer like Pussy Galore's Bob Bert, rather than a machine gun-precise kit basher like Napalm Death's Danny Herrera. Bassist Joshua Scott fills out the mix with waves of distortion, allowing Nichols to take the guitar on tangents that aren't quite solos, but do expand the instrument's role within the song beyond mere riff crunching. Grindcore frequently gets by on pure adrenaline, and Defeatist offer plenty of that, but there's more going on here, and this is a disc one could listen to multiple times without suffering diminishing returns.