Deströyer 666, often considered Australia’s blackened thrash “supergroup,” made us wait a full six years for Defiance. Their last full-length and arguably their magnum opus, Cold Steel... For an Iron Age, was released in 2002, followed by the Terror Abraxas EP in 2003. Since then, fans had eagerly awaited a new release—and when Defiance finally arrived, it fell short of those high expectations. But taken on its own, it remains an above-average album.
Tracklist:
Weapons of Conquest
I Am Not Deceived
Blood for Blood
The Barricades Are Breaking
A Stand Defiant
The Path to Conflict
A Thousand Plagues
Human All Too Human
A Sermon to the Dead
Let’s start with the sound. The production is clean, polished, and bright—maybe too polished for some. In certain tracks, Warslut’s vocals feel a bit buried. Musically, the band has also evolved. Their sound is darker, heavier, and noticeably more melodic, especially in the guitar work. The sharp blackened thrash riffs of old are far less prominent here. The drumming and vocals, however, are signature Deströyer: relentless double kicks, aggressive gang-backed shouts, and Warslut’s feral vocal delivery.
My personal favorite is the opener, “Weapons of Conquest.” It feels like a holdover from the band’s glorious past—a true statement piece. Primitive riffs, scorching solos flying at you at full speed, relentless drumming, and that trademark venomous vocal style all converge into a chaotic, triumphant beginning. In contrast, tracks like “Blood for Blood,” “Human All Too Human,” and “A Sermon to the Dead” are more melodic and slower in tempo. While there's nothing musically wrong with them, they’re unlikely to satisfy die-hard fans craving Deströyer’s usual savage edge. With doom-tinged melodies and melancholic solos, these tracks lack the raw destructiveness expected of the band—though Warslut’s vocal ferocity, particularly in “Human All Too Human,” remains undeniable. Lyrically, it’s one of the strongest on the record, fully embodying the band’s nihilistic ethos.
“The Barricades Are Breaking” and “A Thousand Plagues,” on the other hand, are the kind of old-school Deströyer 666 chaos fans were starving for after six years of silence. Rooted in old-school black metal but delivered with a modern black/death touch, these tracks are raw, ripping, and uncompromising. Black ‘n’ roll leads over blast-driven drums, Warslut’s venomous and perverted vocals—it’s pure release, the kind that makes you exhale, “Finally!”
In the end, Defiance is a good album. A quality record. If six years hadn’t passed since the last full-length, it wouldn’t have faced so much scrutiny. Personally, I would’ve released it as an EP with just the ripping highlights like “Weapons of Conquest” and “The Barricades Are Breaking.” That would’ve hit the mark much harder. But looking at it as it is, Defiance doesn’t fully satisfy. After all that time, I expected Warslut to have more to say—and lyrically, he does, but the delivery is a bit more restrained. Push it just a bit further and you could almost call this a Melodic Black Metal album. At times, it even reminded me of Rotting Christ. Stripped of primitive riffing, laced with melodic solos, occasionally treading into black/gothic territory, and with a grinding black/death edge that’s no longer as vicious—Defiance is a Deströyer 666 record that finds the band pulling back from their former ferocity.