Defect Designer – Neanderthal Review

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Every now and then I take a look at the press release just to check what the record company or the PR has to say about the band. It also gives me ideas to write about or I look at some curious about the bands. However, the thing that interests me the most is the labeling. I have a great time reading, and while listening to the band, analising the labeling. It’s great to verify that Metal music is so varied that labeling varies as well.  Two different people will have two different labelings. Most importantly is to notice that this labeling is never simple with only one kind of labeling. I mean a band is always Death/Thrash Metal, Old School Epic Heavy Metal, things like this. Most of the times I agree with the labeling given. Other times, I don’t.

Right! here we’ve got Defect Designer with “Neanderthal” which is labeled as Death/Grindcore. So, when I put it to play I wondered there was going to be a bloodbath or butchery. Well, there is. Kind of. Not all tracks as expected. Defect Designer are much more a Technical Death Metal with some traits of Grindcore added with some grooves. By the way, the grooves are everywhere in “Neanderthal” much than Grindcore or Death Metal. If my dear fan starts by album opener and tittle track “Neanderthal” there will be some discomfort. There is also some debauchery in the instrumentals. Something as a Gwar with Napalm Death. Got it? Form where I’m standing this kind of band beats me in the good side. As I said many times I love to be surprised and “Neanderthal” surprises the fan. “Neanderthal” is everything but standard or regular. Defect Designer aren’t a down to Earth band. It’s all or nothing. “Luddites” for instance has the same spirit of Nuclear Assault. It’s heavy as hell but there are some out of the box sonancies in it. Vocals are the thing that remind Grindcore  the most. Instrumentals don’t. They are too varied with great bass lines. “Vlad,” for instance is totally insane. Lots of grooves, disharmonies, blast beats, and other things. It seems to me that Defect Designer’s musicians are toying with music and enjoying a lot what they’re playing.

This album is for my dear fans that love music out of the box and out of labeling. The music here is intense, exciting, but sometimes hard to get.

Defect Designer “Neanderthal” will be released on July 08th via Transcending Obscurity Records.

Track Listing:

  1. Neanderthal
  2. Wrinkles
  3. Trolls
  4. Luddites
  5. Vlad
  6. Pigsty
  7. Time, Forward

Watch “Luddites” official video here:

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