Defiled Premiere New Album ‘Altered State’

Defiled aren’t relics or custodians for the old-school. While the Japanese legends have shared stages with Morbid Angel, Mayhem, Cannibal Corpse and Incantation since the early ‘90s, they’ve carved their own unmistakable path through death metal’s hallowed crypts. With their new album, founding member Yusuke Sumita and his band of technical masters continue to alter the genre in unthinkable ways. On Altered State, they deliver a dizzying blast of death metal straight from the future.

“Fourteen pinpoint brawlers in 43 tightly wound minutes evince zero body fat or DM stasis” Decibel writes in a 7/10 review of Altered State.

“Defiled are once again pushing the boundaries of extreme music”, Metal Insider writes in a track-by-track breakdown of the band’s new album. “Rather than following the established rules of death metal, the band’s ninth studio album explores overlooked corners of the genre, blending old-school brutality with progressive rhythms, crossover thrash influences and unconventional songwriting”

Altered State comes out tomorrow, Friday, June 12 on Season of Mist, but you can hear all 14 mind-altering songs today by listening to the full album stream on the Season of Mist YouTube channel.

https://youtu.be/d53JjUeWhAg

“Like many other bands, our musical roots are heavily influenced by early ‘90s death metal and ‘80s thrash and hardcore, however, our interpretation is different and has branched off from the current scene”, Sumita says. “On Altered State, there are many catchy hooks, but tricky progressive rhythms and song structures can be found as well. The album may not be understandable after a few listens, but it taps into a blind spot that many bands have missed. We invite anyone to join us in exploring the outermost edges of the genre”.

Pre-order & Pre-save

https://orcd.co/defiledalteredstate

Available formats

CD Digipack

12” Vinyl Gatefold (Black)

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 leftover suspicions. “Dazed in Blindness” opens the album with flurry of expert moves not taught in any rule book before lead single “Portal” opens with a reminder that the band can sharpen even traditional riffs into a series of tempo shifts that unlock another plane of existence.

“Both musically and lyrically, Altered State is an expansion of The Highest Level and Horror Beyond Horror”, Sumita explains. “The music is a combination of old-school death metal, technical-thrash riffs and the rhythmic changes of progressive rock. The lyrics are based on the dystopian world presented in George Orwell’s science-fiction masterpiece 1984. They express the madness that everyone living in the present currently feels”.

Though still influenced by sounds that came out of the underground during the ‘80s and ‘90s, Altered State delves even deeper into Defiled’s psychic perception of our warped reality. Occultists gather around the shapeshifting groove that seizes hold over “Obsession”. The band isn’t afraid to wind through the darkest and most mysterious corners of our collective consciousness. But listen closely to this album and all secrets will be revealed.

“Receive the power”, Defiled command on the album’s title track with a chaos that only they can control.

Hear Defiled perform songs from Altered State during the band’s current Japanese tour, as well as their upcoming shows with Brujeria.

Defiled 2026 Altered State Japanese Tour

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

More advanced praise for Altered State

“Altered State challenges its listeners to embrace a slightly new form of musical chaos and darkness…If you’re looking for a death metal record to bang your head to as our society continues to decay, Altered State will not disappoint” – The Metallist

“Defiled still sound like a band with something to prove” – Antihero Magazine

“[…] this is probably their best release of the last decade or so. A high recommendation” – Mystification Zine

“[…] its slamming precision will knock your teeth out, the tricky progressiveness and change-ups will steal your wallet, and you’ll continue to ask for more” – Musique Machine

Dazed in Blindness (2:59) Altered State (3:05) Obsession (3:04) Portal (3:39) Necro-Force (2:31) The Degradation (3:51) Genocidal Stage (2:27) Metamorphosis of Evil (3:11) The Ultra Death (2:42) Zombified (2:17) Lunatics (3:07) Prophecies (3:29) Demolition (3:25) Apocalyptic End (3:25)