Originally written by Michael Roberts.
What we have here is technical death/grind falling somewhere between early Suffocation, Barnes-era Cannibal Corpse and Cryptopsy. Defeated Sanity are high on the speed and brutality but low on subtlety and dynamics, so if you can’t get enough of fast, brutal, American-style death metal then Psalms Of The Moribund will most likely satisfy, though more discerning fans may wish to look elsewhere.
Production-wise, Psalms Of The Moribund has a similar sound to Suffocation’s Pierced From Within and Cryptopsy’s None So Vile, and for me that’s a good thing. Both the individual sounds and overall mix are solid. The drumming is at the forefront a lot of the time, and while the double-kicking and blasting is mighty impressive, the patterns do become repetitive and rather exhausting in their relentlessness. Vocally there’s nothing much here to rave on about. The growls and gurgles of Jens Staschel are in the ‘cupped-hand’ styling which Suffocation’s Frank Mullen made his own all those years ago, though not imbued with the same level of emotion or character.
The early songs on Psalms Of The Moribund blend into each other a fair bit – especially on first listen – and it’s not until about halfway through that Defeated Sanity begin to open it up a bit and let the songs breathe more. The triad of “Butchered Identity”, the title track and “Engorged With Humiliation” is where the album peaks for me. All three tracks are more dynamic structurally, with the drums sharing centre stage with the guitars more. There are some excellent slow passages on offer, and the guitars have added texture with effective use of harmonics and discordant riffing.
While Defeated Sanity are enjoyable enough and a strong proposition musically, they remain too derivative to warrant extended listening. Psalms Of The Moribund simply doesn’t have the songs to match those of the band’s influences, but the torch is definitely there for them to pick up. Hopefully this lack of originality will be rectified on future releases and see Defeated Sanity carve out a sonic identity of their own.
