| CD REVIEW Defeater |
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Band: Defeater Founded in 2004, this Boston based Hardcore band solidified (at least for a short while, because since then there’s been another line-up change) in a quintet comprising drummer Andy Keitz(co-owner of a company that rents vans which have been converted to run on vegetable oils), Max Barror (now replaced by one “Mike”), Gus Pesce, guitarist/ vocalist Jason Meat (renamed himself to Jay Maas), and Derek Archambault (sorry I cannot give you any móre info about the other guys’ functions within the band, but that info was simply unavailable at all my usual sources) in 2008, and saw their debut album Travels released through Topshelf Records (a label owned and ran by a Bridge 9 employee)in September of same year! Bridge 9 partnered with TSR to give the album an international distribution, also re-issuing Travels on vinyl! Not surprisng, actually, when you get a whiff of the music the band plays! Bridge 9 themselves describe it as follows: “Defeater has a wide array of influences and at first listen, you’ll hear tracks rremeniscent of Botch or Deadguy mixed with traditional Hardcore. Ethically influenced by bands like Fugazi, Minor Threat or Modern Life Is War, Travels is challenging to the very notion of what Hardcore is and lyrically unlike any album in the last decade!” What do they mean with that last sentence? Well, to start with, the album’s lyrics are very socio-politically aware…which may not be uncommon in Hardcore, but certainly is something a lot of bands which are categorized in that genre don’t care that much about anymore…and molten into a conceptual album! With the album already out in the US, some “newspaper” clippinng may be welcome? Punknews wrote, “…While I am usually not exited by the term “concept album” it is clear that Defeater succeeded with this one. It successfully leaves behind the clichés of heavy music and concept album overindulgence, and in many ways hits a new artistic peak for Hardcore…”, and ScenePointBlank said, “…I have a feeling that Defeater may be the band that everyone talks about in 2009. They have a formula of emotive hard hitting Hardcore that crashes into you like waves during a typhoon…” Well, those are things I can agree with, and if you wanna know what “everybody” will be talking about, you may be well-advised to pick up a copy of the album…or at least listen to the three tracks the band posted at myspace.com/defeater. As you will be able to hear from the track “Prophet In Plain Clothes” guitarist/ singer JayMaasis unafraid to go beyond the strict borders of what Hardcore is about, when halfway the track the main character of the story (whom is at that moment experiencing the hardships of a homeless person in New York City) meets another homeless guy playing acoustic guitar at a street corner. In fact, there’s atail to the story! During Spring Bridge 9 will release a further 5-track EP by the band, elaborating on that man’s story. Connecting with Bridge 9 has already brought some good things for the band, as they are currently on a tour around the US with Energy (a tour which started in January and will run through to April 18, leaving the guys but very few days off to take short rests). I’m afraid Defeater will be touring the US for a long time to come (hard toget tired of their music, and I’m sure the guys will be making tons of fans during this first major US tour), and it may be a while before the band comes to grace any stages in Europe. Still…we can always hope something comes up pretty soon enough! Something to look out for… 90/100 Tony. |