Review Summary: A young and talented deathcore band...
With a social conscience :)
There have been many albums out of Britain of late that protest against everything that is going wrong with the UK. However unlike Martyr Defiled, the majority of these bands are from the Punk scene, not the extreme metal scene.
This, in a way, provides something relatively fresh for the somewhat stale deathcore genre. Instead of the lyrics consisting of “I fxxxed that bxxch with a knife cause I’m brutal” or some other form of immaturity, Martyr Defiled show that they are a much tighter and grown up band. They force the listener to hear their pleas for justice and change, and this makes Collusion a much more mature effort.
Album opener "Enigma" gives the listener a false impression of what to expect. While it does include the almost standard breakdown intro that you’ll find in many deathcore albums, the overlaying synth makes it sound more like a Born of Osiris song. However the opener does showcase the tight production of the album, with only the bass (only barely audible) and the bass drum (a tad too prominent) the only drawbacks from an otherwise solid sound.
The real focus and drive of Collusion is shows right from the first line of the second track "Maelstrom". “Hidden in the shadows, the only motive is greed at the expense of millions born into slavery” is what we hear from frontman Mathew Jones’s almost nightmarish vocal delivery, which is accompanied by thundering blast beats and great riffage. Upon hearing this song for the first time, I became truly aware that this was not just another deathcore song. Breakdowns are minimal, yet the song still retains some core influences.
The lack of breakdowns in this album is something I’m sure many people will be pleased to know, yet when they do arrive, you know all about them. "An Act of Sedition" is the third track off this album and presents the listener of one such moment. Retaining a death metal feel for the majority of the song, and then slamming the listener with an extremely intense breakdown that shows that breakdowns can still be well written. This style of hitting the listener with intensity when they least expect it is par for the course in Collusion. Mathew Jones and the boys from Martyr Defiled really have shown the more established deathcore bands how to write tasteful and un-forced breakdowns, with the only sub-par effort being the intro breakdown in the second last song, "The Sectarian State", but that is the only blemish that a breakdown has on this album.
Other noteworthy things about Collusion are that Jason Evans of Ingested feature on "lll: Collusion" and his addition to the song really adds some extra brutality to an already solid deathmetal/core song.
It is quite impressive that such a young band from the UK has been able to write a very mature and all-round great album for their debut. Don’t be put off by their hardcore looks, Martyr Defiled are metal, and are fantastically talented. Their drummer is one of the most impressive parts of and already impressive outfit, and the guitarists are most certainly capable of serious shredding.
With the British government already being attacked by it’s fair share of critics, Martyr Defiled obviously don’t care and continue to nail Downing Street with their intense views on the Government’s mis-management of the UK; this is what drives their focus and being. Coupled with the ferocious instrumentation and demonic vocals, this band really has the talent and the potential to shine in a fading genre.
