Forming in 1999, Deflore worked hard at their industrialised hard tones becoming known for their explosive live gigs along the way. They carried on along this path for 5 years, whereupon they were signed by Subsound Records to produce their debut album ‘Human Indu[b]strial’. 2008 sees the release of the bands sophomore effort, which teems with dark industrial soundscapes and bass heavy teeth rattling guitars.
Dubiously titled opener ‘Evil Whales’ lulls you into a false sense of security at the very beginning, with its sweeping electronic crackle softly covering a lone, echoing acoustic guitar, alongside a disembodied softly spoken female voice. However, it’s the second track which truly shows the band off for what it is, with its crushing guitars and pounding electronic drums reminding me greatly of Red Harvest on their most heinous of warp spasms. Deflore clearly have a soft spot for everything Justin Broadrick too, with a such a constant stream of nods to Godflesh that it’s like a uncontrollable headbang in their direction.
With that said, it’s not all bone-breaking industrial drama. Deflore obviously have a good ear for atmosphere, drenching their blissed out atonal hums with a dark futuristic visions of mechanical dystopia, with each electronic hiss and squirt carefully placed into its rightful spot with artistic precision. At times the industrial elements go further into the realms of the likes of Aphex Twin or Autechre with their crazed, angular feeling – though with that said, it’s never too long before a monolithic guitar will come into play to pound out a few more discordant blasts.
This isn’t too bad for what it is, as even a hardened straight-forward metal head like myself could stomach its overtly electronic edge for a couple of listens. However, I can’t say it’s really my cup of tea either. If you’re ardently against any sort of experimentation, I’d advise to steer well clear.
http://www.deflore.com
