Defiler vocalist Jake Pelzl takes us through the band’s new record, Nematocera. Preorder the album (if you haven’t already) and read the descriptions below.
Lucky 38
I wrote the music and lyrics to this track in jail - I wrote down a little key for each pattern and note and scribbled down the lyrics. It was basically my testament to take over the world as soon as I was out - and to explain to everyone that there is much, much more to us than Cryomancer.
The Regulators
This one is different. The music is almost reminiscent of a hard rock track. It’s very verse/chorus driven, and then the end of the track completely explodes with an eerie lead over a crushing breakdown.
Octobortion
This song deals with making really fucking hard decisions that could greatly impact your life, and the consequences that follow. One path can take you toward redemption, and another, darker path, can lead to temporary satisfaction, but a horrible aftermath.
Movin’ On Up the Nation’s Chain
I love this song. It speaks from the perspective of someone going up against a myriad of tough obstacles in their life, and reaching a point where determination alone isn’t enough, and they feel like they know they won’t come out on top. But they keep going because they know they have no other choice.
Brick Killed a Guy
It’s about the hypothesized technological singularity that could befall our race someday soon - and my personal interpretation of how it could happen. It’s spoken from the remorseful vantage point of the humans responsible, and the perspective switches to the artificial intelligence towards the end.
Walk In The Glow
This track is special, and contains a lot of the different elements showcased throughout Nematocera. It has the heavy, pummeling verses with the melancholy, harmonized leads under it - the technical bridge with crazy guitar patterns - and the melodic choruses with clean vocals and a driving, spooky hook.
The Subway
Straight up love song. I wrote this about my girlfriend like two years ago, and knew it would be a very different element that I was excited to add into the slew of emotions on the album.
Elmo St Peters
You know how everyone calls us Deathcore? Well, this entire song was written without using one open note on the lowest string (the breakdown in the song is actually on the 2nd.) and the riffs in this song almost remind me of something Rise Against would play. It’s the poppiest track on the album.
Iconoclast
An expansion on the idea behind lucky 38, this track is me basically explaining that you can try to pick us apart until the cows come home you will never fucking know who we are.
Twinrova
In the Zelda franchise, Twinrova is the sorceress of fire and ice. That’s what this track is. It spans many different feelings and vibes. There’s a very somber, longing clean vocal line that opens and closes the track, and I think fans will love it.
Nuclear Anomaly
My personal favorite, this one closes the book of Pangaea. It is me finally letting go of all the demons that fucked with me back then, and laughing about how much I love my life now.
Metamora
Straight up brutal mosh. This was a song where we wanted everyone who was still standing to really hit the fucking floor.
Nematocera
The instrumental title track is one of the most interesting points of the album. Acoustic strumming and picking throughout, it slowly builds to a huge, epic conclusion that closes the album in the best way possible - it leaves you wondering what we could possibly do next.