- -- Release information ----------------------------------------------- -- -
Artist : Defaced
Album : On the Frontline
Genre : Death Metal
Year : 2012
Label : Self-released
Cat# : N/A
Source : WEB/FLAC
Bitrate : avg. 276kbps
Size : 79,26 MB
Runtime : 40:08
URL : https://defacedswiss.bandcamp.com/album/on-the-frontline
- -- Tracklist -------------------------------------------------------- -- -
01. Bitter Pill 02:58
02. Insane Memories 04:21
03. Deep Trace 04:03
04. Departure to Hell 03:06
05. Destruction Mode 03:59
06. God Has Bloody Hands 05:09
07. Pleasure to Kill 04:25
08. Gore House 04:18
09. Shotgun Slaughtering 03:37
10. Day After 04:12
- -- Release notes ---------------------------------------------------- -- -
The Swiss death metal scene arguably peaked with its most
antiquated acts, some of whom were not exclusively death metal
and have sowed their influence far and wide across numerous
genres. But gone are the days of Hellhammer, Messiah, Coroner,
and Celtic Frost, and since that time there seems to be a
slight preference for black metal in the reason. Sure, a
handful of brutal death metal bands have been signed up from
the region, but few exhibit the sort of cultural distinction
that most other European countries provide, and judging by
what I hear on this first album by Defaced, that pattern is in
no jeopardy of disruption.
To be fair, these guys (not to be confused with The Defaced of
Sweden who performed a more groove/thrash metal style) draw
upon some older influences than most arpeggio freaks and tech
wankers eschew for their Suffocation/Necrophagist-born
songwriting chops. I was hearing quite a lot of British
death/grind influence, particularly the battering force of
Napalm Death and the sort of everyman growling and presence of
90s Benediction, with some of the brickwork no-frills applied
punishment of Danish veterans Panzerchrist or Dutchmen
Houwitser. Very precise blast work balanced off against
slower, Morbid Angel-chugging miasma with double bass. Cookie
monster gutturals delivered against the snarling contrast of
death and grind pioneers. A rich, churning guitar tone which
doesn't ascribe to the Swedening and gives the album a
production value well beyond your average unsigned act.
They vary up their pretty standard tremolo-picked
phrases/blast progressions with a couple of leaden grooves
circa Sepultura's style (without going anywhere near nu-land),
but often lay into a pure grinding headache, or some slower
death/thrash patterns that feel like meatier Slayer chugs. Not
averse to leads, they often rely on bluesier basics gone wild
than anything more caustic, atmospheric and unnerving which a
lot of their influences thrived on. And this all sort of
contributed to a mere lukewarm reaction I had to the tunes
here. Once in a while you've got a tune like "Departure to
Hell" where they focus on a few peppier death/thrash riffs
which lean more towards the melodic death structures of mid-
era At the Gates, or some truly punctual palm-muted breaks of
a Fear Factory caliber, but as you can sort of tell reading
through this, the band just never develops a distinct style of
their own, molded strictly upon the trodden grounds of their
forebears without making it feeling fresh, vibrant or even
really nostalgic.
There are other bands like Coldworker that have done a better
job of integrating all these old school pummeling death and
grind inspirations into better riff fixtures, where On the
Frontline simply seems substandard in its construction. By no
means is it a bad album, and the members apply themselves to
their instruments with concussive integrity, but there are few
if any guitar riffs which stand out among the legions here and
even the song titles feel a little blase and unoriginal. I
mean..."Pleasure to Kill"? I'm not saying old bands have some
inviolable right to the use of these words, but do a little
homework at least. You probably don't want to name tunes after
verified classics, especially when they don't even have a
shadow of a prayer of living up to them.
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