DEFECTO
Not to be confused with Mexico City’s underground punk metal scene darlings; “Defecto” or “Sin Defecto”, this Copenhagen export boasts a sound that comes across as a powerful progressive one mixed with hard-hitting metal themes. The Defecto that we’re reviewing today comes to us with their first official release, ‘Excluded’ that includes a few tracks from their 2012 debut-EP, simply titled ‘Defecto’. When I originally heard these tracks a few years ago, I want to say I was less than blown away by the overall sound that Defecto was presenting. I had also heard some of their cover work at live recordings of their stuff and was left enjoying it about as much as the bands they were covering (System of a Down & Bring Me the Horizon). Less than thrilled.
So, this brings us to 2016 as Defecto comes to us with their first official studio album, ‘Excluded’, which brings us five of the tracks found on their 2012 EP –t itle track ‘Excluded’, ‘Desperate Addict’, ‘You Had it Coming’, ‘Drifting into Blackness’ and ‘When Daylight Comes’. I’ve heard ‘Excluded’ from their social network page a while back and, while it didn’t really impress me entirely, I felt that it was a pretty good tune. With these tracks comes another six, for a total of eleven that round up this offering.
Going into this familiar territory, it’s wise to try to clear your memories of past Defecto work and look at this as a final version of their collected first works. I had a quick once through listen to ‘Excluded’ and recognized a few riffs from prior experiences; however, the quality is quite a bit improved upon. Each track from the EP that was along for the ride in this release is SO MUCH better! More crisp, the production, the sound. Everything. I can’t even begin to express how much of an improvement in overall sound is shared here.
Looking at the entire album we have a few really solid tracks that instantly stand out from the get-go. Each of the first four tracks were present on the 2012 EP; however, with the improvements found this time around, you can practically erase those ‘beta versions’ from memory! The first real new track we’re treated to is a softer ballad called ‘The Final Transition’. Interestingly, this is the weakest track on the entire release. On my first listen through I was really worried after hearing this.
Up next is ‘Rage’, which picks up the pace and offers a bit more explosive lyrics and a rokken chorus. ‘Desperate Addict’ continues a very nice transition into terrific riffs and sweet snarling growls. ‘Don’t Lose Yourself’ has a very familiar sound and is one of those tracks that offers more of the same from prior songs, but still comes off with good energy. ‘Into Oblivion’ kicks things off with a nice bassline that sets itself apart from the rest of the tracks. This pushes into a building chorus with innovative keyboards for a really complete offering for nearly seven minutes of moody blues and speedy riffs. ‘Sovereign’ and ‘The Sands of Time’ close out the album and continue this very unique melodic style that I’ve become far more interested in than I realized I could be. Where ‘Sovereign’ kicks you in the ass from beginning to end, ‘The Sands of Time’ slows things down to a point where it could be considered the second ballad tune of the album, but is far deeper than the aforementioned ‘The Final Transition’.
Overall, I would say that ‘Excluded’ is my surprise of the month and my vote for most improved band I’ve heard in quite a long time. Defecto are proof that, with hard work, a talented group of metal heads can improve on their past shortcomings and produce excellent work!
So, this brings us to 2016 as Defecto comes to us with their first official studio album, ‘Excluded’, which brings us five of the tracks found on their 2012 EP –t itle track ‘Excluded’, ‘Desperate Addict’, ‘You Had it Coming’, ‘Drifting into Blackness’ and ‘When Daylight Comes’. I’ve heard ‘Excluded’ from their social network page a while back and, while it didn’t really impress me entirely, I felt that it was a pretty good tune. With these tracks comes another six, for a total of eleven that round up this offering.
Going into this familiar territory, it’s wise to try to clear your memories of past Defecto work and look at this as a final version of their collected first works. I had a quick once through listen to ‘Excluded’ and recognized a few riffs from prior experiences; however, the quality is quite a bit improved upon. Each track from the EP that was along for the ride in this release is SO MUCH better! More crisp, the production, the sound. Everything. I can’t even begin to express how much of an improvement in overall sound is shared here.
Looking at the entire album we have a few really solid tracks that instantly stand out from the get-go. Each of the first four tracks were present on the 2012 EP; however, with the improvements found this time around, you can practically erase those ‘beta versions’ from memory! The first real new track we’re treated to is a softer ballad called ‘The Final Transition’. Interestingly, this is the weakest track on the entire release. On my first listen through I was really worried after hearing this.
Up next is ‘Rage’, which picks up the pace and offers a bit more explosive lyrics and a rokken chorus. ‘Desperate Addict’ continues a very nice transition into terrific riffs and sweet snarling growls. ‘Don’t Lose Yourself’ has a very familiar sound and is one of those tracks that offers more of the same from prior songs, but still comes off with good energy. ‘Into Oblivion’ kicks things off with a nice bassline that sets itself apart from the rest of the tracks. This pushes into a building chorus with innovative keyboards for a really complete offering for nearly seven minutes of moody blues and speedy riffs. ‘Sovereign’ and ‘The Sands of Time’ close out the album and continue this very unique melodic style that I’ve become far more interested in than I realized I could be. Where ‘Sovereign’ kicks you in the ass from beginning to end, ‘The Sands of Time’ slows things down to a point where it could be considered the second ballad tune of the album, but is far deeper than the aforementioned ‘The Final Transition’.
Overall, I would say that ‘Excluded’ is my surprise of the month and my vote for most improved band I’ve heard in quite a long time. Defecto are proof that, with hard work, a talented group of metal heads can improve on their past shortcomings and produce excellent work!
LABEL:
FORMAT:
Elevation
Album
EXCLUDED
Review by Joshua Jaeger
RUNNING TIME:
48:23
RELEASE DATE:
18th March 2016
TRACK LISTING
1) Excluded
2) When Daylight Dies
3) You Had It Coming
4) Drifting into Blackness
5) The Final Transition
6) Rage
7) Desparate Addict
8) Don't Lose Yourself
9) Into Oblivion
10) Sovereign
11) The Sand of Time
2) When Daylight Dies
3) You Had It Coming
4) Drifting into Blackness
5) The Final Transition
6) Rage
7) Desparate Addict
8) Don't Lose Yourself
9) Into Oblivion
10) Sovereign
11) The Sand of Time
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:
Denmark
"Defecto are proof that, with hard work, a talented group of metal heads can improve on their past shortcomings and produce excellent work!"
