| CD REVIEW Defenestration |
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Band : Defenestration Earlier this year British label Rising Records struck a package deal with German based SPV for the European distribution of its releases, which means that even the oldest stuff (previously only available through import) will now be made available! You know, the label was started in mid 2003, and early 2004 saw the first material being released with mini-albums by Defenestration and Mendeed. More about the latter in the appropriate review, for now it's the female fronted Nu-Metal phenomenon Defenestration we have to concentrate on! It all started in 1999, when front lady Jen Tasker, guitarists Jamie Thompson and Rob Reeves, bassist Scott Warner and drummer Stuart Bruce formed the band in a school youth club in the Midlands town of Kettering, where they were following art, drama and music school. The drum position proved to be somewhat unstable, Stacey Maher taking over in 2000 and Ben Gondelier also playing with the band during 2002 before Kieran Brain would take over. They soon became regulars in the British music media which gave 'em rave live reviews and signed a deal with British label Dreamcatcher (owned by Martin Hooker, founder of the legendary Music For Nations label) in late 2000. By that time, the youngsters (average ago not even 18 then) had already played support slots to such luminaries as Napalm Death, Meethook Seed, Raging Speedhorn (who were from the same neighborhood and served as one of the musical influences) and Brutal Deluxe. The quintet spent three months writing the material for their debut album One Inch God, and then went on to record it, seeing it issued late April 2001. Produced by Simon Efemey (Napalm Death, Pantera, Helmet, Wildhearts), the album [which also had vocal guest appearances by Napalm Death's Barney Greenaway and Scurge's Cliff Lambert (on the track "All Fours"), Raging Speedhorn's John Loughlin ("'Til The Cows") and Dom Matter ("In")] got the band more raving reviews and features [appearing in Britain's leading magazines Kerrang!, Rock Sound, Revolver, NME, and Q, as well as being played on Mary Anne Hobbs' BBC Radio 1 show and the legendary John Peel show (in fact, the band even recorded live sessions for Radio 1 and London based Total Rock Radio)] and a row of riveting live appearances followed [(the most memorable being a Megadeth support in July, a support slot to Therapy? in October (a cooperation which would be continued with a tour of European gigs), but also the band's appearances at the Reading and Leeds Carling Festival events and opening the Wembley Arena leg of the Tattoo The Planet Tour, which was headlined by Biohazard, Cradle Of Filth, Sepultura, and Slayer!]. The label being in contact with us in those days, the album fell into the hands of your humble servant for reviewing duties. In said review, I described the music as "a crossing of...let's see...some Nu-Metal, uite evidently...but also some Stoner (most evident in the overall pace of the album), with perhaps some hints of Black and/or Death Metal thrown in as well..." comparing Jen (who would later change her name to Gen) to a schizoprhenic Alicia Silverstone Vs. Linda Blair combination (cute nice-girl singing against demonically possessed growls). Others would call it "A twisted hybrid of Eyehategod, Will Haven, and early Hole..."(source unknown). In October of the same year the album was licenced by Spitfire Records for distribution of the album in the USA. In 2002, the band would follow suit with more tours headlined by Lost Prophets, Raging Speedhorn and Will Haven, and even do a full European jaunt with Megadeth! But besides that, the quintet was also the first British band ever to embark on a full UK school tour...just to give younger fans the rare opportunity to see their favourite band in the surroundings of their educational setting. At the same time (August 2002) as ousting drummer Ben Gordelier, the band also severed ties with their management. Somewhere along the fivesome found the time to record the material for a split EP with Scurge, issued through Snapper that same year. New drummer Kieran Brain was debuted live during a batch of UK gigs during October. Originally to be issued on Sept. 1st, the release of sophomore album Ray Zero was delayed to mid October 2003. Incidently, that album was produced by one Mark Daghorn (who'd already made a name for himself by cooperating with the likes of One Minute Silence and Cradle Of Filth) at New Rising Studios (keep those names in mind, okay?). The album showed an important improvement in the songwriting area, and a band which was now totally in sinc internally. But apparently certain things were already festering inside the band. In January 2004 Thompson joined Raging Speedhorn, operating on two fronts and also participating to an early 2004 UK tour in support of the new album. It was to be the band's swan song tour, for soon after they split up! It's a good thing Mark Daghorn had convinced the band to record another set of songs with him for release on his newly formed label, Rising Records. In some weird ways, one might see the lyrics on this 6-track mini-album as being somewhat indicative of the fact that things were not going too well within the Defenestration camp. I mean, take the album title, for instance...for us it ends when we drown? Then look deeper into the lyrics of "Axe Fight", "Excuses And Exits"...and what was "Moments Of Truth" really about?, why was there a songs called "Game Over" on the recording? Weird stuff, but actually quite in sinc with the band's previous material, you know! Some people may ask themselves (as do some music journalists, apparently) whether we've really been missing out on something since the split of this British band, whether anyone's still waiting for this posthumous re-issuing of the band's swan song? To the first question, I can only say...who knows? Would the band have been able to give us a nice third full-length, or would it have been a repetition job? To the second question, I can only say I'm glad us (continental) European now finally are in the position of getting outselves this band's last outing. Because, whether the music Defenestration played in their time is still "politically correct" for this era or not (and I would say there's still a place for Defenestration music, no matter what any silly music journalist is seeking to hype next), in their time they managed to perform a couple of feats worthy of being mentioned in the books of Music History! Other members of Defenestration besides Thompson (who's also taken on a fulltime job playing guitar in his brother's band I'm Fashion You're Victim) continued to play music. Brain joined former Raging Speedhorn frontman Frank Reagan in forming an old school Rock act by the name of Motorcity Daredevils. Founding drummer Stacey Maher (now billed as Stacey Chaos) is now drumming for Punk Rock act Black Skull Squadron. And Gen Tasker has gone on to become frontwoman for Punk act Thracia, a band also featuring Calvin Brown (formerly vocalist of Milton Keynes Thrashers Conspiracy and guitarist of Northampton's Six Rounf Clip) on drums. In their time, Defenestration has managed to play over 300 shows across the UK and Europe (additional tours besides the ones mentioned above were with Earthtone9 and Stampin' Ground, no lightweights in their own eras of influence), and they gave us two full-length albums, a split release, and this final mini-album...stuff which I will cherish in my record collection, and a collection which will be complete once I've gotten myself that split! In all fairness, it would be unfair to rate this album...because it is already the kind of material which is considered cult stuff, you know...and seen as how sentimental I already was towards this band to start with. Then again, a personal opinion is asked of me with every review, so how else can I react than by giving this top score? 98/100 Tony. |