New York City-based death metal quintet Hypoxia – formed by members of Monstrosity, Vile, Secrecy, Castrator, Total Fucking Destruction, and more – returns with their third album, Defiance. The record will be released in February through Selfmadegod Records, who today unveils the cover art, track listing, preorders, and a lyric video for the lead single, “Bleed For Blasphemy.”
Hypoxia was founded in 2008 by drummer Carolina Perez and guitarist Carlos Arboleda, the band’s sound mainly influenced by bands like Sepultura, Death, Vader, Sinister, Suffocation, and more. Their first demo, The Purge, was released in 2011, followed by the Public Execution EP in 2013. Both releases caught the attention of the death metal underground, and the awareness magnified many times over through the release of their Despondent Death debut album, released in 2015 by Ultimate Massacre Productions, and its savage follow-up Abhorrent Disease, released in 2019 by Selfmadegod Records.
Hypoxia is well known for their energetic and aggressive live shows. They have played many festivals and shows all over the country and South America including Soul Metalfest, Las Vegas Deathfest and Rock Al Parque 2018, sharing the stage with bands such as Suffocation, Cattle Decapitation, Dark Tranquility, Dark Funeral, Diabolic, Obituary, Onslaught, Razor, Masacre, Embalmer, Exumer, Malevolent Creation, Derketa, and many more along the way.
The dawn of 2024 sees Hypoxia returning with several lineup changes since the prior record, now prepared to deploy their most merciless material to date with Defiance, pummeling the listener with eleven songs in thirty-seven minutes. The apocalyptic riffage and divebombing solos by guitarists Carlos Acboleda (Non Eternal, ex-Secrecy, ex-Aether) and new guitarist Ryan Moll (Rumpelstiltskin Grinder, Azure Emote, Total Fucking Destruction) are constructed atop the earthmoving rhythm section of Carolina Perez (Castrator, ex-Aether) and new bassist Mike Poggione (Omnipotence, ex-Monstrosity, ex-Capharnaum), the relentless roars of Mike Hrubovcak (Azure Emote, Imperial Crystalline Entombment, ex-Monstrosity, ex-Vile) ripping their way through the savagery.
Recorded by Hypoxia, Defiance was mixed and mastered by Noah Buchanan at Mercinary Studios (Midnight, Embalmer, Nunslaughter) and completed with cover art by Daemorph (The Black Dahlia Murder, Pyrexia, Avulsed). Prepare yourself for an old-school onslaught of new breed death metal domination!
The first preview of Defiance comes in the form of a lyric video for the track “Bleed For Blasphemy,” created by Scott Rudd Film. Hrubovcak writes, “Although the cover artwork idea was created from the lyrics for the song ‘Scorched And Skinned,’ we felt that ‘Bleed For Blasphemy’ was a stronger song for the first single, but with a similar concept. Both songs touch on the idea of rebellion and defiance for what you believe is right, even if it means bleeding, suffering, and dying for it.”
Selfmadegod Records will release Defiance February 23 on CD, limited edition vinyl, and digital formats. Find preorders on Indiemerch.com.
Tracklisting:
“Overture”
“Bleed For Blasphemy”
“Pathway To Charon”
“Correlated Embolism”
“Agonized Asphyxia”
“Drowning In Darkness”
“Too Far Gone”
“Black Omens”
“Serpents Of Gaia”
“Scorched And Skinned”
“Finale”
“Bleed For Blasphemy”:
Hypoxia:
Carlos “Dirty” Arboleda – guitars
Carolina Perez – drums
Mike Hrubovcak – vocals
Ryan Moll – guitars
Mike Poggione – bass
