Bound by Exile - Defilement (review)

Bound by Exile - Defilement

Deathcore, deathcore, deathcore, a genre of metal which currently is populated by young bands and young musicians who have high hopes and ambitions, attempting to become “the next big thing”. You don’t see many sixteen or seventeen year olds starting new black or death metal bands out there, which explains this (well, as far as I’m aware there aren’t many around). In other words (and put into a more colloquial manner), in deathcore, there are many wannabes out there who reckon that they have what it takes to be the best, which means outdoing the current deathcore juggernauts i.e. ; Suicide silence, Whitechapel, Chelsea Grin, Suffokate, etc, etc… the list can go on and on. But the unfortunate fact is that, THEY ARENT the best. Sadly deathcore is one of those genres full of young kids try to either; emulate their favourite bands (such as the ones mentioned before) or be innovative, which superficially, isn’t a bad thing, but considering the lack of knowledge that the majority of these young musicians (AKA. n00bs) it’s safe to assume that the majority of these ‘innovations’ will never make it off the ground and sound like shit. As a result of this, many of those who were previous fans, have lost hope in the deathcore genre. Luckily for us, Bound by Exile have come to save the day. They are proof that gems still exist and there is still hope in the deathcore scene. If I had enough money, I would buy ten duotrigintillion copies of Defilement (for those who don’t know, that’s a ‘1’ followed by a hundred zeros) and send a copy to each of these ‘wannabe’ bands so they can be shown how deathcore is really done… and of course I would keep a few spare copies for myself.

Bound by Exile, one of the bands currently shaking the living shit out of the underground scene with their super heavy deathcore sound. I think the main attraction (and the reason why Bound by Exile have the reputation of being one the best) is the fact that they have adopted a more ‘true’ style of deathcore. You know; old Whitechapel, old All Shall Perish, old Animosity, old Job For a Cowboy, that kind of style. There is none of this progressive bullshit which can sometimes contaminate a half decent sounding deathcore in Bound by Exile’s music which is a massive plus in my book. Lately, I’ve been reading about how some people are complaining and bitching about “oh, why don’t they make breakdowns like they used to?” or “oh my god, this new progressive/djent/ambient/hardcore/grindcore/post-avant deathcore band sucks, just give me some normal deathcore!” well, Bound by Exile and their EP Defilement may just be the answer to their prayers. It’s quite hard to fully describe how Bound by Exile have brought back “good ole’ deathcore” from the ashes or the hands of ignorant children, but the word “awesome” can be used to describe this description (if that makes sense). The breakdowns- heavy as fuck, the atmosphere- brutal as fuck and the general aesthetic of Defilement is simply awesome as fuck. What more could you want!

In 2010, Bound by Exile released their debut EP titled “Oppression” and for those who have heard Oppression, you’ll notice a few changes in Defilement. The first difference that struck me were the vocals, they seem to have a little bit more depth and character this time round which packed a hell of a lot more punch into the overall quality of the music. In Oppression, they seemed rather one-dimensional and monotone (even though they were still awesome) but now, they appear to be; raspier, more gutturally and more loyal towards the hardcore influences in deathcore (especially the growls). Another clear change was the overall texture of the music and production of Defilement itself. The drumming has a deeper tone and the guitars sound a lot darker and thicker also which gives their sound a somewhat sense of real authenticity, rather than the simulation back in Oppression. Everything sounded high pitch and sort of ‘simulated’ in Oppression, I’m not sure if that was due to the difference of production quality of Oppression in comparison to Defilement or if the band was going for that effect at the time. Either way, Defilement is completely different, now there is certain smoothness to their music which tends to carry itself a lot better. However, I think the most important change to point out is their song structure. They’ve clearly put some thought into the crafting of Defilement, they haven’t just thrown a few deathcoreish riffs in here and there with the occasional breakdown and incoherent drumming and vocals. This is 100% legitimate hand crafted, authentic, premium deathcore which doesn’t come around very often. 

Hmmm, I know what you’re probably thinking “oh boy here we go, another boring ass underground band who is trying to bring back shitty old boring deathcore by making shitty old boring generic deathcore”. Well, first of all to those who are thinking this, fuck you because Bound by Exile kicks ass and second of all, even though Bound by Exile may take 90% of its influence from a more primitive approach to deathcore, the way the music is delivered/executed is stylish and modern and in a sense, quite original (well, I haven’t heard anything quite like it). There is one particular moment in the track “Sick of it” (during a breakdown) where there is obviously some computerized manipulation going on but it manages to still sound natural and uncontaminated. This is probably the pinnacle reason why Bound by Exile is arguably one of the best underground bands out there today.

Another thing that I love about Bound by Exile is that they showcase what real deathcore is all about, not only in their music but also their general nature too. They have that “in your face” attitude which seems to be absent from many newer bands. I mean, how many albums/demos/EPs have a track title like “You're Old News Now Cunt”. This shows that Bound by Exile aren’t making music for the sake of making music, they’re making music it because they WANT to make awesome deathcore which can be adored by awesome deathcore fans.

Overall, Defilement is definitely one of my favourite EPs and is quite significant in three ways; first of all, it proves that there is still hope in the underground scene, it proves that old deathcore doesn’t equate to boring deathcore and finally, well… it kicks arse. These are all excellent reasons for why Bound by Exile is one of the best deathcore bands to date. I recommend Defilement to those who are into the heavier side of deathcore, have had enough of all the technical, progressive and avant-garde shit that spoils half of the underground scene and also to those who enjoy bands not taking themselves too seriously. Although I do have one complaint about Defilement though, IT’S TOO SHORT! There is only a total of 4 tracks on this EP and all of them are equally as great but if you’re looking for a particular track to listen to, I recommend either; “Sick of it” or “Desecrate”… they’re both awesome. I give Bound by Exile’s Defilement an 18/20 and I cannot wait for a full length from them which hopefully comes out later this year.