Chitin (Gate)

DEFECT DESIGNER / CHITIN / Norwegian death metal band Defect Designer have taken things to another level with their hugely anticipated new full length album. It comes on the heels of their well-received EP release where they showcased their skills most recently, playing in their own trademark weird style with a sense of vibrancy that was unmatched. The grind urgency has since been supplanted with more of a thrashy influence and sees the death metal part of their sound getting more pronounced along with their innate, irrepressible flair for progressive experimentation. The music is just as wild, imaginative and colourful as you would expect from them, and much like their Ian Miller artwork, it has mind-boggling intricate details. Each song seems to offer something unique to the release, even adding a dimension or two in some cases, and despite all the infinite intricacies, there's a sense of rhythmic catchiness and cohesiveness. In simple words, this is a refreshing death metal record of the kind that you don't get too often. It has an unhinged, free-spirited quality to it which is impossible to recreate and the sheer delight derived in creatively putting together this record is palpable, nay, infectious, to say the least. Suitably challenging and outrageously boisterous, 'Chitin' will set your head on fire while putting a smile on your face.