Defeated Sanity vocalist Josh Welshman recently spoke with Metal Devastation Radio’s Zach Moonshine for an in-depth interview covering the band’s latest activity, upcoming U.S. tour, and the current state of the death metal scene.
The conversation took place shortly after the band returned from a run of European festival appearances.
“We actually just came home,” Welshman said. “We were over in Europe for a week or so. We played a festival in Zurich two weeks ago, and then this past weekend we played Heidelberg Deathfest in Germany… it was great to be back over in Europe, especially as a primer for this U.S. run we have coming up.”
He added that the shows helped the band get back into performance mode following a break from touring.
“It was nice to kind of shake the cobwebs out a little bit before we hit the ground running on this U.S. tour.”
Regarding the band’s upcoming North American trek, Welshman clarified that while Defeated Sanity has headlined before, this marks their first U.S. headlining run in several years.
“It’s our first headlining tour in a few years in the U.S.,” he said. “We’re hoping the amount that we’re hyped for it is reflected in the audience every night.”
NEW MUSIC IN THE WORKS
Welshman also confirmed that new material is currently being developed, though he suggested it may surprise some fans.
“New music is on the way,” he revealed. “It might not be what people are particularly expecting… it’s material that Defeated Sanity has explored one time before about ten years ago.”
He continued: “Real fans will know what I’m talking about when I say it’s not like the brutal stuff. It’s something else. But we’ll also be doing the brutal stuff after that is complete.”
Despite the stylistic shift, Welshman emphasized that evolution has always been part of the band’s identity.
“Every album evolves a little bit in its own way. We stay true to the brutality, but every album does something a little different.”
SUCCESS WITH SEASON OF MIST
Defeated Sanity’s most recent album, Chronicles Of Lunacy , has seen increased visibility since the band joined Season of Mist .
“It’s been great,” Welshman said of the partnership. “The step up in PR has been great for us. Chronicles Of Lunacy has been a great success… our listeners have gone up, our PR has been better, and even the shows feel like the turnouts have been better.”
“I have nothing bad to say,” he added. “I’m very happy to be part of the Season Of Mist roster.”
FROM FAN TO FRONTMAN
Welshman, who has now spent over a decade with the band, reflected on his journey from fan to member.
“Defeated Sanity was one of my favorite bands,” he said. “To this day, it’s still very surreal to be in the band and to have contributed what I’ve contributed.”
He also spoke about performing older material he once listened to as a fan.
“It’s a very surreal experience to play songs that you were so familiar with as a listener… it hits different.”
Welshman noted that he is now the longest-serving vocalist in the band’s history.
“At this point, I’m the longest-standing vocalist… and I think technically been on the most releases. It’s nice to have that feeling after so many years, because imposter syndrome is totally a thing.”
MUSICAL ROOTS
Discussing his early influences, Welshman cited an entry point that may be familiar to many fans of his generation.
“Korn was one of the first metal bands I ever heard… Slipknot too,” he said. “That kind of got me into the sound of extreme music.”
However, his introduction to death metal came shortly after.
“The first death metal album I ever got was Cannibal Corpse’s Live Cannibalism . I saw the cover and thought, ‘This is insane.’ I was hooked.”
From there, he discovered bands such as Dying Fetus, Nile, and Disgorge.
DEATH METAL IS “GOING THROUGH A BOOM”
Welshman also weighed in on the current state of the genre, noting a noticeable increase in interest, particularly among younger fans.
“I feel like death metal is going through a boom at the moment,” he said. “The attendance at shows is going up, and a lot of younger kids are coming out.”
He attributed part of that resurgence to the post-pandemic live music landscape.
“After things bounced back, it felt like a lot of people discovered death metal while they were locked up… and now people are very hungry for live music.”
“The community has always been strong,” he added, “and I think it always will be.”
TOUR AND FESTIVAL PLANS
Looking ahead, Defeated Sanity will embark on a month-long U.S. tour beginning April 16 and running through May 16, covering much of the country.
“We’re literally on tour the entire month,” Welshman said. “So I just encourage anybody to come check out the shows… especially if you haven’t seen us before.”
In addition, the band is scheduled to appear at Hellfest in June.
“We’ve never played Hellfest before,” he noted. “So we’re all super excited—not just to play, but to watch all the bands too. It’s going to be like kids in a candy shop.”
As for what fans can expect next, Welshman kept it simple.
“New music is coming, the tour is coming… and we’re just excited to get back out there and see what’s on the horizon.”
Full Track List:
Battle Of The bands Top Six Winners:
1 - NIKOLA'S CAGE - Chopped Up Jesus
2 - Ethereal Darkness - The Cycle
3 - Matanzick - Shattered Omen
4 - Severed Sun - Complex
5 - Mistress - Terrified eyes
6 - DoomsVein - Unholy
The Zach Moonshine Intro
7 - Ozzy Osbourne - Crazy Babies/Sweet Leaf
8 - Black Label Society - Pedal to the Floor/Ozzy’s Song
Defeated Sanity - Interview featuring Accelerating The Rot/The Odour Of Sanctity
9 - Dimmu Borgir - Ulvgjeld & Blodsodel
10 - HELLRIPPER - Blakk Satanik Fvkkstorm
11 - Nocturnal Ceremony - Seasons of hate
12 - Too Much Said The Nature - Eat The Rich
13 - Eternal Dialtone - Third Song
14 - Burnt Witch - Bastard
15 - Rhinderpest - Clown Puppet
16 - Riftpatrol - I DO
17 - Sight Of Emptiness - Break Stuff
18 - Worldwide Panic - The Greatest Villain The World Has Ever Seen
19 - Filth - Rollin
Streaming on Mixcloud:
Also check out the interview segment on YouTube:
And Spotify, Apple etc:
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Super massive shout out to the 194,125 metal maniacs that tuned in to the live devastation Friday night as well as everyone that also joined us in our Discord chat! We had a blast!
Check out the band here:
https://www.season-of-mist.com/bands/defeated-sanity/
https://metaldevastationradio.com/thebeast/blog/28837/defeated-sanity-vocalist-josh-welshman-talks-new-music-us-tour-and-death-metals-resurgence-defeated-sanity?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger
