Defeated Sanity Release Filthy Bass Playthrough

January 9, 2025

Fans and critics have been losing their minds over Defeated Sanity. Last year, brutal death metal's most relentless innovators returned to the raw brutality of their early classics, but the band's new album has also taken their legacy to even greater extremes. Not only has Chronicles of Lunacy landed on notable year-end lists from across the world of metal, rock and pop. It's also broken onto the Billboard charts.

"Germany's gods of brutality never disappoint" Loudwire write in naming Chronicles of Lunacy one of the best death metal albums of 2024.

"Chronicles of Lunacy is 2024's most vivid reminder of why I love death metal", Angry Metal Guy's Maddog howls, slotting the album at #8 on their year-end list.

"...it's simply amazing that they can pull this insane shit off live!", says Dave Davidson of Revocation, who named Chronicles of Lunacy one of his top albums from last year.

While known for their mind-bending jazzy interludes, Defeated Sanity aren't ones to slow down. The band are slamming into 2025 with their first headlining tour of Europe in six years. To gear up for this 20+ date run, they're releasing a new playthrough from Chronicles of Lunacy. "Amputationsdrang" opens their new album and it wastes no time before burying you underground. Even when Jacob Schmidt slips off into an oozing, bouncy groove, the tone of his Modulus Quantum bass keeps the song's low-end nice and filthy.

Watch Defeated Sanity bassist Jacob Schmidt rip through "Amputationsdrang", below.

The third pressing of Chronicles of Lunacy is now available on Season of Mist.

Order the limited-edition yellow vinyl.

https://orcd.co/defeatedsanitythecroniclesoflunacy

None of their albums are ever going to follow a straight line, but on Chronicles of Lunacy, Defeated Sanity return to sheer brutality.

Lineup
Josh Welshman - Vocals
Vaughn Stoffey - Guitars
Jacob Schmidt - Bass
Lille Gruber - Drums

Guest musicians
Danny Nelson and Paolo Paguntalan provide backup vocals on "Amputationsdrang" and "Accelerating the Rot"

Recording Studio
Thousand Caves Studio in January 2024.

Production
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Colin Marston.
Produced by Colin Marston and Defeated Sanity.

Cover Art
Artwork by Jon Zig
Title lettering by Liz Schmidt
Layout by Alex Eckman-Lawn

Pre-order & Stream
https://orcd.co/defeatedsanitythecroniclesoflunacy

Booking: Daniel Defonce TKO: danieldefonce@tkoco.com

Follow Defeated Sanity
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Defeated Sanity Release Raging Double Guitar Playthrough

December 16, 2024

Around this time last year, before the underground legends descended one last time into Menegroth, The Thousand Caves, Defeated Sanityfelt like they were in need of an adjustment. Over the past 30 years, no other band has hit on more ways to spin death metal on its deformed head. But instead of concocting another heady bludgeoning of jazz-infused chaos, they wanted to double-down on the neck-snapping brutality that fans love about their earliest classics.

Judging by the reaction to Chronicles of Lunacy, it's safe to say that Defeated Sanity delivered in skull-crushing spades. The band's new album cracked Billboard's Rock, Hard Music and Independent charts.

As they gear up for their first headlining tour of Europe since 2018, today, Defeated Sanity are flexing their rabid technical chops with a double guitar playthrough of the album's most infectious deep cuts.

Watch guitarist Vaughn Stoffey and bassist Jacob Schmidt tear through "Extrinsically Enraged" Below.

None of their albums are ever going to follow a straight line, but on Chronicles of Lunacy, Defeated Sanity return to sheer brutality.

Defeated Sanity Return to Brutality on 'Chronicles of Lunacy'

November 23, 2024

No band has flipped death metal on its deformed head like Defeated Sanity. The band's uniquely potent concoction of punishing technical proficiency and jazz-infused chaos has delighted metalheads from their familial beginnings in Berlin to Maryland Deathfest and India. Now, after breaking onto the Billboard charts with their last album, these underground champions are returning to the brutal slamming that cemented their legacy.

"Chronicles of Lunacy is not only a must buy", writes New Noise. "It's one of the top death metal records of 2024. All hail Defeated Sanity".

Chronicles of Lunacy comes out tomorrow, Friday, November 22 on Season of Mist, but you can hear all eight rip-roaring songs today by listening to the full album stream on the Season of Mist YouTube channel.

Listen Below:

Pre-order & Pre-save

https://orcd.co/defeatedsanitythecroniclesoflunacy

Chronicles of Lunacy punches you right in the face. Opener “Amputationsdrang” already has you pinned to the mat beneath its non-stop blasts. Get comfortable, too. Defeated Sanity don’t let the album up for air until "Temporal Disintegration" warps into a wiggling bass outro.

"We love experimenting", explains drummer and founding member Lille Gruber. "But we realized that some of our oldest fans might have gotten lost after our last couple of albums. With Chronicles of Lunacy, we wanted to focus more on neck-snapping brutality".

Acting like cavemen isn’t so easy when your band has a Mensa-level maestro like Gruber at the controls. “Lille’s drumming is just ridiculous”, says bassist Jacob Schmidt. Whether Gruber is hammering his snare, pinging between cymbals or riding a colossal groove, Chronicles of Lunacy flows like a never-ending stream of filth. Lead single "The Odour of Sanctity" opens like he's puncturing a wound with blistering blast beats, only to spew over into a monstrously wonky syncopated stomp.

"He's the face of the franchise, so we're never going to abandon those head-scratching moments that set Defeated Sanity apart", Schmidt continues.

Indeed, Chronicles of Lunacy isn't Defeated Sanity for dummies. "Each song deals with a different form of mental corruption", vocalist Josh Welshman says. "Odour" stinks of religious fanaticism. Early crowd favorite "A Patriarchy Perverse" cracks open the mind of co-ed killer Ed Kemper. "Sickness breeding sickness", Welshman growls with guttural vengeance.

While it still hits from every odd angle, Chronicles of Lunacy does draw a jagged red line back to Defeated Sanity's brutal origins. After all, the band now share a label with their namesake. New guitarist Vaughn Stoffey's chunky finger taps whip "Accelerating the Rot" into the fastest song in DS history. "This album is rawer and more straightforward", Stoffey says. "It gets back to what people love about Psalms of the Moribund and Chapters of Repugnance".

To dig up the sheer brutality that long-time fans have come to crave, Defeated Sanity returned to Thousand Cave Studios. The underground hot spot served as the excavation site for their previous two albums, but with Chronicles of Lunacy, producer Colin Marston was encouraged to really get his hands dirty. "We still wanted some of the high fidelity that you hear on modern death metal records", Schmidt says, "but this album also has the old school's crushing low-end".

The band execute this two-headed approach to monstrous effect on “Condemned to Vascular Famine”. At just under six minutes, the song delivers the longest ass beating on Chronicles of Lunacy. At times, all four members sound like they’re climbing up the walls in separate asylums, but after slipping in a brief nod to Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the band come slamming down into the album’s ugliest breakdown.

“That’s one of our favorites”, the band says. “It lands at a crossroad of the DS sound that we ended up with on Chronicles of Lunacy. Even though it gets pretty fucking weird at times, there’s still an emphasis on heavy, straight-up slamming”

They're never going to drag their knuckles in a straight line, but on Chronicles of Lunacy, Defeated Sanity return to sheer brutality.

None of their albums are ever going to follow a straight line, but on Chronicles of Lunacy, Defeated Sanity return to sheer brutality.

Defeated Sanity Premiere New Playthrough with Sick Drummer

November 7, 2024

Few bands in the halls of metal have marched to a beat that's more brazen, brutal and bizarre than Defeated Sanity. Thirty years after their flaming, cataclysmic demo, the underground legends have repeatedly slammed death metal on its deformed skull. Each member is a certified lunatic when it comes to breaking brains with their fine-tuned instruments, but the band's punishing headiness is led by drummer Lile Gruber, their fleet-footed co-founder and singular mastermind.

"Lile's drumming can be described by his band's appropriately chosen name", Black Dahlia Murder drummer Alan Cassidy told Loudwire. "When you hear one of their songs for the first time you quickly become mentally exhausted with all the twists and turns of his extremely technical and groove-oriented playing".

Whether he's flaying his snare, pinging between cymbals, pounding out blast beats or riding a colossal groove, Lile ensures that Defeated Sanity's new album flows like a never-ending stream of filth. To gear up for Chronicles of Lunacy, Sick Drummer are premiering a new drum playthrough of the band's latest single. It's still plenty twisted, but "Accelerating the Rot" now stands as one of the fastest songs in their torrid history.

Watch Lile rip through "Accelerating the Rot” for Sick Drummer.

Chronicles of Lunacy comes out November 22 on Season of Mist.

Pre-order & Pre-save

https://orcd.co/defeatedsanitythecroniclesoflunacy

The drum playthrough for "Accelerating the Rot" was created by Obscenery Films.

Can't wait for your pre-order? Join Defeated Sanity for tonight's Bandcamp Listening Party. Chat with the band and listen to all of Chronicles of Lunacy two weeks before the album comes out.

Chronicles of Lunacy Bandcamp Listening Party

Thursday, November 7 @ 9 pm Eastern Time

RSVP
https://defeatedsanity.bandcamp.com/live/chronicles-of-lunacy-listening-party

None of their albums are ever going to follow a straight line, but on Chronicles of Lunacy, Defeated Sanity return to sheer brutality.

Defeated Sanity Shred Like Maniacs on New Single

October 22, 2024

Ever since their maniacal mastermind picked up his first pair of sticks at the tender age of six, Defeated Sanity have found newly inventive ways to spin death metal on its deformed head. This band of technical headbangers have broken onto the Billboard charts with jazz-infused chaos and even recorded a proggy split with...themselves?

But on their upcoming seventh album, Defeated Sanity are returning to the brutal slamming that cemented their legacy. The latest single off Chronicles of Lunacy is still plenty twisted, but "Accelerating the Rot" now stands as one of the fastest songs in the band's history.

Watch the punishing and precise performance video for "Accelerating the Rot” Below.

Chronicles of Lunacy comes out November 22 on Season of Mist.

Pre-order & Pre-save

https://orcd.co/defeatedsanitythecroniclesoflunacy

Over the past 30-odd years, many esteemed vocalists have cycled in and out of Defeated Sanity. However, after a satisfyingly gruesome performance on their last album, Josh Welshman is back for Chronicles of Lunacy. His foul emanations bring a refreshing air of continuity. "Each song on the album delves into a different form of mental corruption", Welshman says.

The album's lead single stunk of religious fanaticism, but "Accelerating the Rot" races like the mind of a vigilante whose idea of justice is more than a little warped. "One by one, I decimate the miasmic masses", Welshman roars above a bass line that scrambles all over the fretboard like a blood-hungry tick.

When it comes to death metal, Defeated Sanity understand that there's more than one way to deliver a brutal beating. After all, the band's mastermind is one of the world's sickest drummers. Since his father's passing in 2010, Lille Gruber has composed the bulk of their imposing discography.

"We love experimenting", Gruber explains. Even though "Accelerating the Rot" is just a few scraggly chin beard hairs over three minutes long, he never stops switching between different blistering tempos. And yet - whether he's blasting, pinging or flaying his snare, the song never loses its oddball bounce.

"Lille's drumming is just ridiculous", says bassist Jacob Schmidt. "He's still the face of the franchise, so we're never going to abandon those head-scratching moments that have always set Defeated Sanity apart".

The band's previous single crept and crawled into the album's most slam-heavy breakdown. Thanks to its lurching groove, the breakdown on the latest single from Chronicles of Lunacy will still scrunch plenty of noses, but "Accelerating the Rot" punches the gas and heads straight for the loony bin. Their maniacal timekeeper is still working the controls, but the blinding pace is set by new guitarist Vaughn Stoffey, who chews through chunky shredding and squeals of dissonance with fresh fingers.

"Accelerating the Rot is one of the fastest songs in Defeated Sanity's history", Stoffey says. "It gets back to the sheer brutality that fans love about Psalms of the Moribund and Chapters of Repugnance".

The video for "Accelerating the Rot" was created by Obscenery Films.

The underground lost their collective mind when Defeated Sanity announced Chronicles of Lunacy. Metalheads couldn't wait to bang heads over the first pressing of their new album. Several of the color variants are already sold out, but anyone who missed out isn't condemned to suffer in silence.

The second pressing of Chronicles of Lunacy is now available for pre-order. This pressing includes a transparent lime variant that's exclusive to the Season of Mist webstore. Don't wait! This variant is limited to 150 copies.

Order

https://orcd.co/defeatedsanitythecroniclesoflunacy

Can't wait for your pre-order? RSVP for Defeated Sanity's upcoming Bandcamp Listening Party. Chat with the band and listen to all of Chronicles of Lunacy two weeks before the album comes out.

Chronicles of Lunacy Bandcamp Listening Party

Thursday, November 7 @ 9 pm Eastern Time

RSVP
https://defeatedsanity.bandcamp.com/live/chronicles-of-lunacy-listening-party

None of their albums are ever going to follow a straight line, but on Chronicles of Lunacy, Defeated Sanity return to sheer brutality.

DEFEATED SANITY Announce New Album

August 13, 2024

"One of the most extreme things I've ever heard" - Decibel
"When Defeated Sanity release a new album, it's always cause for attention" -Metal Injection

"Defeated Sanity have captured the throne of brutal death metal..." - Angry Metal Guy

"A jazz ensemble hiding in plain sight as a brutal tech-death band" - No Clean Singing

"While the rest of us smooth-brained mortals are content with playing checkers or Connect Four, these guys are playing six simultaneous games of 3D chess with their swollen, pulsating minds" - Metal Sucks

"Should be up for some sort of award for being one of this offshoot's most steadily morphing bands" - Last Rites

"Defeated Sanity's brutality comes almost entirely from their demandingly intricate songwriting" - Toilet Over Hell

"Defeated Sanity has crafted a sound that is wholly their own" - Heaviest of Art

Defeated Sanity have pushed the boundaries of extreme metal for 30 odd years. The band execute jazz-infused chaos with mind-bending precision, while also slamming together so many memorable breakdowns that they cracked the Billboard charts. Their upcoming seventh album still hits from every odd angle, but on Chronicles of Lunacy, these technical maniacs return to sheer brutality.

“The last few DS albums leaned heavily on the proggier side of our sound”, says the band's drummer and founding member Lille Gruber. “We still like to experiment, but on our new album, we wanted to get back to the raw slamming that our fans love about Psalms of the Moribund or Chapters of Repugnance”.

Watch the foul video for lead single “The Odour of Sanctity” Below.

Chronicles of Lunacy comes out November 22 on Season of Mist.

Pre-order & Pre-save

https://orcd.co/defeatedsanitythecroniclesoflunacy

Just like the rivers of hell, "The Odour of Sanctity" comes pouring out the speakers in a never-ending stream of filth. Guttural vocals spew through a churning mix of chunky riffs, hiccuping drum fills and a cavernous low-end. "We wanted to keep some of the fidelity that's associated with modern death metal", the band says, "but Chronicleshas more of the raw production style that stood out on Psalms and Chapters".

To dig back into the brutal mindset that long-time fans have come to crave, in January 2024, Defeated Sanity returned to Thousand Cave Studios. The underground New York City hotspot was also the excavation site for The Sanguinary Impetus, which dumped a fresh layer of dirt on the more "polished" production of Passages Into Deformity. Except this time around, the band encouraged producer Colin Marston to really get his hands dirty.

"The Odour of Sanctity" stinks to high heaven. New guitarist Vaughn Stoffey shreds with such gross speed that even the old school heads will be spinning around like The Exorcist. Of course, the ungodly pace is still set by the whip of Lille Gruber. He opens the song as if puncturing a wound, hammering out blast beats that are as merciless as the nails of the cross.

"Lille's drumming is just ridiculous", says Jacob Schmidt, whose belching bass lines give "Odour" a oddball bounce. "He's the face of the DS franchise. So even though Chronicles is more slamming and straightforward, the weird, hyper-technical experiments still found a way into the mix".

Plenty of knuckle-dragging awaits within its stomach-turning twists, but Chronicles of Lunacy isn't Defeated Sanity for dummies. Heck, the album's concept is wrapped up in the many malicious ways that delusional thinking can rot the human psyche. "Each song deals with a different strain of mental corruption", says Josh Welshman. "Odour" stinks of religious fanaticism. After a brutal showing on Sanguinary, Welshman returns with a vengeance. "A miracle defiled / Fraudulently wrought", he summons with a demonic growl as the band open up the pit with a brutal breakdown.

"In true DS fashion, 'Odour' showcases the full range of our sound", the band says. "It's freaky but also unrelentingly brutal, which represents the crossroad that we ended up at on Chronicles of Lunacy. Even though the album can get pretty fucking weird, there's still a emphasis on straight-up slamming".

The video for "The Odour of Sanctity" was created by Obscenery Films.

None of their albums are ever going to follow a straight line, but on Chronicles of Lunacy, Defeated Sanity return to sheer brutality.

Lineup
Josh Welshman - Vocals
Vaughn Stoffey - Guitars
Jacob Schmidt - Bass
Lille Gruber - Drums

Guest musicians
Danny Nelson and Paolo Paguntalan provide backup vocals on "Amputationsdrang" and "Accelerating the Rot"

Recording Studio
Thousand Caves Studio in January 2024.

Production
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Colin Marston.
Produced by Colin Marston and Defeated Sanity.

Cover Art
Artwork by Jon Zig
Title lettering by Liz Schmidt
Layout by Alex Eckman-Lawn

Pre-order & Stream
https://orcd.co/defeatedsanitythecroniclesoflunacy

Follow Defeated Sanity
https://defeatedsanity.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/DefeatedSanity
https://www.instagram.com/defeated_sanity_official