Defeatist

Defeatist is a grindcore band from New York, United States, active between 2005 and 2011. It forms from the remains of the technical metal bands Kalibas and Anodyne, and works in a raw, abrasive style that mixes grindcore with crust punk and grind-punk. The group is associated with socially and politically aware lyrics and with the later wave of acts such as Discordance Axis, Kill the Client and Insect Warfare.

Style and formation

The band is led by vocalist Aaron Nichols, who describes the group as three “cranky old dudes” playing blast beats in a room with a strong smell. Defeatist’s music is less polished than its predecessor bands, and is presented as a more direct and forceful form of grind. Although sometimes tagged with hardcore, crust and powerviolence, the core description is grindcore with crust influences.

Releases

Defeatist releases three EPs in 2007: Mechanisms of Sanctimonious Filth, a split with Kursk; In Praise of False Hope; and Thanatonic State. These recordings are later collected on Sharp Blade Sinks Deep into Dull Minds, released on Willowtip Records in 2009. Willowtip also releases the band’s debut full-length, Sixth Extinction, in 2010. In 2011, Defeatist appears on a three-way split with TRIAC and ASRA.

Label and later activity

The band is connected with Candlelight Records in the available facts, and its recorded output is documented through Willowtip releases as well. Defeatist remains identified with Aaron Nichols and the New York grindcore scene during its active years.