Defiled Turn Heads on New Single “Obsession”
Posted on April 28, 2026
More information about Defiled - Altered State
Though longtime masters of the vile art known as death metal, Defiled aren’t relics or custodians for the old-school. Since 1992, the living legends have shared the stage with Morbid Angel, Mayhem, Cannibal Corpse and Incantation, but their upcoming ninth album continues to take the genre in dark but unexpected directions. On Altered State, they deliver a dizzying blast of death metal straight from the future.
“While rooted in death metal’s formative years, the record pushes far beyond genre orthodoxy”, Metal Injection wrote upon the album’s announcement.
Today, Defiled are releasing a music video for the second advanced single from Altered State. With its slippery groove, “Obsession” turns more heads than the occult.
“Altered State is an expansion of our last two albums, The Highest Level and Horror Beyond Horror”, Defiled guitarist and founding member Yusuke Sumita says. “It centers on altered states of human consciousness. Each song explores different forms of extreme psychology or mental manipulation”.
“‘Obsession’ delves into the fascinating story of Jack Parsons”, Sumita continues. “He was a pioneer of rocket fuel technology for NASA but also deeply immersed in the occultism of Aleister Crowley. The dramatic and tragic nature of his explosive demise felt deeply metaphorical to me. It compelled me to weave the intensity of his story into the lyrics of this song. I hope you find it a compelling journey!”
Watch the music video for “Obsession” on the Season of Mist YouTube channel.
https://youtu.be/OpiUZbWDVYc?si=GXSeng9NwU0RNRts
Altered State comes out June 12, 2026 on Season of Mist.
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https://orcd.co/defiledalteredstate
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12” Vinyl Gatefold (Transparent Yellowish-Green)
After hearing them pound out three albums in four years, metalheads would be forgiven for assuming Defiled had reached the highest level, that there were no horrors left for them to reveal. Altered State quickly quiets any further foolish suspicions. “Obsession” locks into a nasty groove, only for Sumita and fellow axesmith Shinichiro Hamada to shred through a labyrinthine of treacherously technical riffs.
“The music on Altered State is a combination of old-school death metal, technical-thrash riffs and the rhythmic changes of progressive rock”, Sumita says.
Defiled are still guided by the underground spirit, but “Obsession” delves deeper into their psychic perception of our warped reality. Bassist Takachika Nakajima and drummer Keisuke Hamada pound out rhythms that are truly twisted. “Obsessed by a dark vision”, Shinichiro Hamada growls. With one final headbanging twist, he and his bandmates descend into psychological hell. “Let the psychic flame burn”.
Hear “Obsession”, “Portal” and other songs from Altered State during Defiled’s Japanese summer tour, as well as their upcoming shows with Incantation and Brujeria
Defiled 2026 Altered State Japanese Tour
June 9 – Tokyo @ Holiday with Incantation
June 10 – Yokohama @ El Puente
June 11 – Fussa @ Chicken Shack
June 12 – Tokyo @ Earthdom
June 13 – Fukushima @ Sora
June 13 – Sendai @ Solfa
June 14 – Aizuwakamatsu @ Karando
June 14 – Niigata @ Rocka
June 15 – Nagano @ Rosebery Cafe
June 16 – Kofu @ Bodega
June 17 – Iida @ Space Tama
June 18 – Nagoya @ Studio 246
June 19 – Osaka @ Hokage
June 20 – Okayama @ Dogvult
June 20 – Hiroshima @ Agit
June 21 – Fukuoka @ Reflex
June 21 – Sasebo @ Distortion
June 22 – Mabi @ Branch
Defiled 2026 Japanese Dates with Brujeria
September 15 – Tokyo @ Cyclone
September 16 – Osaka @ Socore Factory
The video for “Obsession” was created by Seaside99works.
More praise for Defiled
“Nobody sounds like these guys: they make art out of riffs, snares, and death” – New Noise
“Defiled boasts a pompous, unrelenting cavalcade of punishment and decimation” – Ghost Cult
“Blending the influence of extreme metal and gutter punk, Defiled are straight to the point and it’s relentless” – Distorted Sound
“Defiled don’t stick around long for their songwriting to risk losing its audience but, at the same time, the band do a striking amount of work within any individual track as they keep evolving the riff or sequence of songwriting so you’re always wondering what will happen next” – The Razors Edge
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