Destroyer 666 - Defiance

Six years after Terror Abraxas, black metallers from down under Destroyer 666 are back with a bang with their new album Defiance.The album is quite an accomplishment for the band, a defining slab of black metal that somewhat maintains the quality of previous records, not as good as some of their heralded material, but still packs a cruel punch to the gonads of Christianity.The epic feel of 2000’s Phoenix Rising and the urgency of the rousing 2002’s Cold Steel For an Iron Age are present but do not dominate, Defiance is a record to push on with their attack rather than reminisce about past glories.

Destroyer 666’s music has historically been best described as nihilistic, even to the point they’ve even been accused of conjuring up white supremacy issues in the past. However, Defiance somehow comes off far less shocking than any of Destroyer 666’s previous efforts and honestly, it is all to the good this time. Although the sounds of the album are gritty and raw, it's a lot more polished than the average black metal band due to the thrash and death influences the band have garnered. With Warslut's bellowing rasps and the random breakaway tempos set at vengeance’s pace—largely the album focuses more on finding proper grooves and dark melody to make it Destroyer 666’s most mature recording to date.

Agreed there's nothing mature to a guy named Warslut, but the way the band builds around Human All Too Human only shows the band's resolve to grow more artistic instead remaining downright dirty. Also the elegiac A Sermon To Dead is so epically structured, that Warslut's belching in those trancy doom tempo clearly depicts the band's biggest improvement till date.Having curtain-call guitar solos abound on this album courtesy of Shrapnel is even more exciting than the focused aggression of Weapons of Conquest or the alacrity assisting the snidely I Am Not Deceived.

There are countless moments on Defiance that remind you why you loved Destroyer 666 in the first place. Whether it be the delectable lead lines and squealing solos, or the sudden switch to groovy moshing thrash, the metallers of Oz have triumphed again. Defiance is also a testament to the power to overcome band problems in the interim between this and the last album that led Destroyer 666 to A Stand Defiant.