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.
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” Below:
Altered State comes out June 12, 2026 on Season of Mist.
Pre-order & Pre-save
https://orcd.co/defiledalteredstate
The video for “Obsession” was created by Seaside99works.
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”.
Altered State isn’t afraid to wind through the darkest and most mysterious corners of our collective consciousness. But listen closely to Defiled and all secrets will be revealed. “Receive the power”, the band command on the album’s title track with a chaos that only they can control.
Lineup
Shinichiro Hamada - Vocals, Guitar
Yusuke Sumita - Guitar
Takachika Nakajima - Bass
Keisuke Hamada - Drums
Production credits
Recorded at Studio Zot in Tokyo, Japan
Producer - Yusuke Sumita
Sound Engineers - Shinichiro Hamada and Keisuke Hamada
Mixing and Mastering Studio - Studio Nest in Chiba, Japan
Mixing and Mastering Engineer - Kenji Kikuchi
Songwriting credits
Music and lyrics by Yusuke Sumita
Cover art
Wes Benscoter
Booking contact
Yusuke Sumita - info@defiled.info
Pre-order & Pre-save
https://orcd.co/defiledalteredstate
Available formats
CD Digipack
12" Vinyl Gatefold (Black)
12" Vinyl Gatefold (Transparent Yellowish-Green)
Follow Defiled
Website : http://www.defiled.info/
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/defiled
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/defiledjapan
Bandcamp : https://defiledjapan.bandcamp.com
Soundcloud : https://soundcloud.com/defiled
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@defiled
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6KDc0SB4ero6zAgrafjVrt
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/defiled/72867298
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/music/player/artists/B001GJ407S/defiled