Due to the rise of J-pop and J-rock in Japan, Heavy Metal is nowhere near the mainstream in the East Asian Island country.  However, it is becoming quite a phenomenon in the underground scene, especially due to the work of the death metal group DEFILED.  Although they are not very well-known in their homeland or the global metal community, DEFILED have been around for a little over three decades, having formed in 1992.  If the four-piece group's longevity doesn't speak for itself, then perhaps their track record of two demos, one EP, and seven full-length albums will.  Their seventh and most recent album, "The Highest Level," was released on April 28th, 2023, through the French record label Season of Mist.

My first observation was that all of the album's tracks, with the exception of the band's single "Red World," were no longer than 4 minutes.  The relatively short duration of the songs show that DEFILED delivers their sound with brutal efficiency, leaving no room for unnecessarily long instrumental breaks.  The number of lyrics and instrumentation were well-balanced in all of the songs.  While some bands have the first track on their albums as short audio samples or instrumental tracks, DEFILED doesn't take this route.  They're straightforward and cut to the chase with their opener "Off-Limits." Amidst Yusuke Sumita and Shinichiro Hamada's guitars-as well as Takachika Nakajima's bass- drummer Keisuke Hamada's double bass drums and backbeats on the track completely stand out.  The title track, which is the third song on the record, is no different in terms of intensity and pace.  The song begins with a groove metal-style guitar riff, before exploding in a suffocating wave of double bass by Keisuke Hamada coupled with a brutal, guttural growl from Shinichiro Hamada.

Another song that particularly stood out to me was "Inquisition," the eighth track on "The Highest Level."  The title and lyrics evoke the band's feelings about the Catholic Church's violent crusade against non-Catholics centuries ago, which coincide with DEFILED's familiar past themes of vengeance, wrath, and anger.  After 14 incredibly powerful death metal songs, DEFILED brings their seventh album to a close with a haunting 32-second audio sample titled "The Speech."  It starts off with a man giving a sinister laugh before speaking a few words.  One phrase that clearly stands out is, "In politics, nothing happens by accident."  The man then laughs evilly again before the sample closes, and so ends the album "The Highest Level."

Before concluding, I do want to note that Shinichiro Hamada's vocals were pleasantly brutal, as all death metal vocals should be.  However, I expected there to be some more variety in his vocals.  Throughout the album, Hamada only used deep guttural growls.  On the other hand, some death metal vocalists like George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher of CANNIBAL CORPSE alternate between deep growls and high-pitched shrieks.  Besides my judgment on the vocals, "The Highest Level" is another job well-done by DEFILED.  It may be underrated and overlooked by many, but it deserves all the appreciation in the world by members of the death metal scene.