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.

Interview With Dan Trump of Bound By Exile

Bound By Exile is a deathcore band from the UK. Although they might not have ventured out of the UK for any tours, their music has already spread far and wide across the globe which has taken the underground deathcore scene by storm. I got to converse with Bound By Exile’s guitarist 

Dan Trump about the band. 

Hey Dan, how are you doing today?
I’m good thanks, feeling pretty rough from the weekend. But yeah pretty good none the less, getting excited for Thursday

Thursday? What is happening on Thursday?
Thursday we're off on our first UK tour with our good friends Nexilva, it's gonna be a blast. Touring the country getting pissed, more than likely having a few fights, sleeping rough, playing shows and generally having an amazing time...What could be better?
So yeah, getting pumped for it.

So you guys are good friends with Nexilva? Who else will be on that tour?
Yeah I'd say so, we had a gig with them back in July. That was the first time our paths crossed
It will just be us (Bound By Exile) and Nexilva on the tour
We will be joined by some sick local bands for each show, but it’s just us and them touring

So I'm guessing Nexilva is a favourite of yours to tour with.... if you had the opportunity to tour with one band in the world, which band would it be?
Ingested...hands down. They were huge influences on us when we first started

I don't think many people know about Bound By Exile at the moment, so tell us, what is and who is Bound By Exile?
Well, Bound By Exile are a Brutal Deathcore band formed in late 2009. We take our influence from a lot of bands like Whitechapel, Ingested and Oceano. Which is quite apparent in our music. I think people like us and think we stand out because we're not a straight up death metal band or a straight up deathcore band, we're somewhere in between. We want our fans to feel like they are listening to something different, not the same as every other deathcore band. We want them to get into the music and slam along with it in their bedrooms.

Tell us about your last ep Oppression, what was the main purpose of the music?
At the time of writing Oppression, we wanted it to be brutal and in your face. Myself and Matt ( the drummer) were also HEAVILY into Ingested at that time, especially when writing Misogynist and Betrayal Of Human Kind. We just wanted to slam through the whole ep. We also wanted to make a statement with our first release as well. Which I think we managed to pull off pretty well.

Are you guys making any new music?
We've recently began work writing new material for a new ep. Not too sure on a release date yet, most likely early next year. The ep will have 5 tracks and will be recorded at Studio 6 (Annotations Of An Autopsy, Ingested, Bring Me The Horizon). One of the tracks will have Jason Evans from Ingested doing guest vocals, so stocked to have him on board for it.

Wow, Jason Evans... it seems like you guys have some big time bands backing you up, is Bound By Exile something you want to be a household name?
Yeah, Jason's a really sound guy. He seems to really like us, which is such an incredible feeling to know a member from one of your favourite bands likes what you're doing. We just want to get our stuff out there for people to hear, If we get big we get big. We just want people to enjoy what we do.

That is an excellent answer because not many bands think that way. Now back to your new music, are we expecting anything different from what we saw in Oppression?
Er...It’s hard to describe really. The stuff we are writing is a lot different to our older stuff. I think it’s all just a bit more planned and thought out. There are a lot more breakdowns but it still keeps the same Bound By Exile sound.

Were there disputes between the band members about what Bound By Exile's sound was going to be? Or did everyone seem to have a similar idea?
Not gonna lie, there are a lot of disputes about what the band should feel like. Cortz and Alex (Vocals) are very much into the breakdown side of things. Matt, Alex and Mat (Drums, Bass, Guitar) want speed, blasts and brutality. I’m pretty easy going with it, I want to mix it up and make something that has the best of everything.

Did this make your music any harder to write?
Yeah of course, I write the guitars before anything else is done. So It's hard trying to write something that is going to keep everybody happy.

Did the London riots in August affect the band in anyway?
Nope, there were riots in Bristol where Alex lives. But not to the scale of the London riots. Most of us live in the middle of buttfuck nowhere, surrounded by cows and farmers. The only reason a riot would break out here is if the local ran out of Ale.

Where do you see Bound By Exile in say, three or four years time?
I suck at these types of questions. Anything can happen, we could split up tomorrow, we could get signed in a week. What we hope for is that we're still together doing what we love. Our aim is to obviously get signed, relentless touring and an album or 2. We want to make something decent out of this, We are determined not to end up being just another crappy local band that didn't do anything. Label wise though: Victory records or Siege Of Amida would be nice.

Well its seems that hopes and ambitions are high for Bound By Exile and I'm sure and certain that deathcore fans from around the world will be knowing who you guys are sooner or later. Speaking of fans, is there anything you wanted to say to the readers on Spirit of Metal?
Umm...check us out in Facebook, download out music, purchase some shirts and spread our name like the plague.

Thanks for your time Dan and I wish Bound By Exile prosperity and success in the future.
No worries and thanks a lot man

Interview also on:

Bound By Exile - Oppression

Bound By Exile - Oppression

Oppression is Bound By Exile’s debut EP, these guys are a deathcore band based in Exeter, United Kingdom. This EP was released in the November of 2010 and these guys were unsigned when this was released. Deathcore is a relatively new genre that has only been around since the dawn of the 21^st century and already, we have seen many permutations of the genre ranging from progressive to symphonic deathcore. The thing that I like about these guys is that this EP is just deathcore at its purest form. No electronic/dance music and certainly no orchestral instruments, this is just straight up deathcore they way it was meant to be.

Like I have mentioned before, these guys are a pure deathcore band and anyone with a remote liking of deathcore music will know that the genre has a particular sound to it. Well… it’s not just a sound, it can be described better as an atmosphere. Now, one of the perks that this band, is that they do in fact have this very distinctive deathcore atmosphere, there is definitely the trademarked darkness associated with deathcore it’s evident in Bound By Exile’s sound. It’s very similar to the style of atmosphere that bands such as Whitechapel and Chelsea Grin use. This is mainly because of the distortions of the instruments, mainly the guitar. It’s a little hard to describe, but it almost sounds scary or even sinister. Just what a deathcore band is supposed to be!

Ok, so the atmosphere is one thing, but that doesn’t make this pure deathcore… so what does? Obviously, apart from typical deathcore riffs and song writing, the answer has to be the breakdowns. The breakdowns, just like the atmosphere, have a watermarked style that basically says that these guys are a legitimate deathcore band. For those who aren’t familiar with what a pure deathcore breakdown sounds like, they are; low pitch, medium pace and usually have more than 3 chords that are strum consecutively. This just adds to the sense of darkness in this EP. But this isn’t the only style of breakdown utilized. You have your fast paced declining breakdowns where many low key palm muted notes are played in short intervals, and finally, you have your dead slow breakdowns where the only target is to be as heavy as possible. The breakdowns sort of remind me of the breakdowns that are used in Disfiguring The Goddess and Whitechapel’s music. And for those who have aren’t aware, Whitechapel are well known for their breakdowns.

There is one last aspect of this EP’s sound to mention and that is the song writing. These guys do indeed have your typical deathcore song structure. They have all the indigents necessary and deathcore know how to create some creditable song writing.  Their song structure comprises of both organised and disorganised pieces which are well placed so they don’t clutter, their breakdowns are thrown in there at almost the right places and they don’t overuse them. Also, the style of breakdowns used are perfect for the intended mood and atmosphere, also the tempo and energy seems to be fairly well balanced. So basically they have shown their song writing talents with the release of this EP. Not only this, but It is also very clear on where all the inspiration for this has come from.

Now one of the best things that I love about any band is that they know where their limits are and a big mistake that many younger bands seem to do is try and play things that are beyond their skill level which is massive mistake, especially when trying to make a first impression. What I love about this band is that they don’t seem to overcomplicate their music and attempt to play at outrageous speeds or brutality. These guys seem to know where their limits are and have stuck to it.

The vocals I must say are fairly decent, they are your average joe vocals in terms of pitch, tone and distortion but they are used in the correct way for what they are trying to achieve. Now there is nothing better than a deathcore vocalist that doesn’t try to be Oli Sykes or Mitch Lurker all the time because sure those two vocalists sound awesome but I don’t think that everyone is capable of getting up to the same standard. Now there is a saying I have and it might be a little harsh at times but it’s the truth, you cannot buy what you cannot afford. Luckily, the guys vocalist is aware of what good deathcore vocals should sound like. He doesn’t try to go all out with his screams and he doesn’t try to be the deepest most br00tal growler ever either. But there is one thing I absolutely hate about some deathcore vocalists and that is they try and sing their words way too fast. It’s almost like they are rapping, I am so glad the vocalist hasn’t tried to do this because it could have ruined the whole vibe and atmosphere of the EP.  

The guitar work in this EP is also fairly decent, the guitarists use a wide range of deathcore chords so it doesn’t sound boring. And even if they did use the same style for every song I couldn’t really tell because this is only a short five track EP. They also play at different speeds to match the intended mood or energy level. Another thing that I liked about the guitar playing is that they could have been tempted to play high pitch chords like in many new deathcore and technical death metal bands, I have heard this from almost every new deathcore band out there and it’s always nice to see a change for the better. So I am almost 100% sure that the aim for this band isn’t to be as technical as they can. The distortions of the guitars are also suitable for the style they are trying to play, I honestly think that this style of distortion is the main culprit in creating that trademark deathcore atmosphere that everyone loves so much. They have a really doney sound to them so they don’t palm mute their riffs often which is another contributor to this atmosphere.

Out of all the bands instruments, I think that the drummer easily has the most impact on the band. The drummer guides the pace and energy of the music but ultimately controls the band it’s self. The drumming is key to having a tight band and the drummer in Bound By Exile has it! He does an astonishing job at keeping the music flowing and tight. Not only this, but he playes at certain speeds at certain times to coincide with the intended mood or energy. Also, he is responsible for controlling breakdowns and how they sound, he does an impressive job at this as well. He makes sure they aren’t too fast or too slow and I believe the drumming is also responsible for how heavy a breakdown sounds. How many times have you heard a breakdown and it sounds poor due to out of time drumming?  Out of everything I have mentioned about the drummer, nothing compares to his super speedy double kicks. I there aren’t many drummers out there that can play double bass so quickly that it sounds like a humming. I think that the double bass in the track Misogynist would give My Fears Have Become My Phobias (As Blood Runs Black) a run for their money because it’s bloody fast.

This is a five track EP and I must say that there are five tracks that are worth listening to in this EP. The opening track is a crappy musical but the first real song Oppression and it basically sets the stage for the whole EP and introduces the band it’s self. It opens up with your typical deathcore breakdown and death growl, after that it goes into some medium paced music. This might sound generic but I believe that tracks like this are the very definition of deathcore as they have everything a pure deathcore band should have; the atmosphere, energy, chuggy breakdowns and song structure are all perfect. Fast forward two tracks and you hit Betrayal Of Human Kind, this is probably the most energetic track out of the whole EP. The vocals are a little quicker and more abrasive than the rest and the blast beats stand out a lot more than in other tracks. Not to mention the speed of the track as a whole as well. The final track is Misogynist and it is probably the most outstanding track on the whole EP as it combines everything loveable about Bound By Exiles sound into one track. The guitars and vocals are both awesome in this track because they don’t sound repetitive at all. Also I think that right from the start the music sounds like it’s progressing, and not for not reason, the music keeps on progressing until it hits one of the best moments in deathcore, the super speedy extremely mega awesome double bass, I just cannot stress how awesome the doubles are in this one track.

Overall, this is one hell of a way to go about releasing a debut EP, I honestly thought there were no bands left out there that could play deathcore like it was back in the day but obviously I was wrong. These guys have brought back the genre that all deathcore fans fell in love with, so us fans should be grateful. These guys have a seemingly perfect song structure and the breakdowns are just awesome. Also, I don’t think that any of the band members were slacking off during the course of this EP, and they don’t try and push things that they can’t move. These sure know their limits. I highly recommend this band to any deathcore fan out there, for all those who enjoy this likes of Whitechapel and Disfiguring The Goddess this one is definitely for you! Furthermore I recommend that you check out the tracks Misogynist, Betrayal Of Human Kind and Oppression but since this is more than half, get the whole thing! Bound By Exile have shown all the newbies out there how to do pure deathcore the right way so I give their debut EP Oppression a 17/20, nice work.