Released by: Frontiers Records
Release Date: Out Now!!!
Genre: Melodic Hard Rock
Links: https://www.facebook.com
Line-up:
Bruno Ravel: Bass
Paul Laine: Vocals, Guitar
Rob Marcello: Guitar
Steve West: Drums
Tracklist:
1. Love Is The Killer
2. Standing On The Edge
3. Hollywood In Headlights
4. Fallin’ For You
5. Hold On Tonite
6. Allnighter
7. U X’d My Heart
8. It Goes Fast
9. Stay
10.Alive
11.Drink Up!
Seems like yesterday I was giving you the heads up about a brand new band set to take over the scene, The Defiants. Featuring three members of various incarnations of Danger Danger, their debut was a brilliant display of melodic supremacy. Fewer bands have had such a powerful impact on myself and the scene than this band. It seemed with each spin I loved it more and more. The guys are back and do not disappoint with a powerhouse follow-up.
Entitled Zokusho, Japanese for sequel, these four men (adding Steve West to the mix on drums this time, another D2 alum) have managed to create a second album that is almost as strong as the first, and in time may surpass it with a few more spins. Pretty much every track on this album is instantly memorable, which was one of the keys to their debut. Some may lament the fact that this album indeed feels very much like a sequel, in that there is no new ground broken. It would be a legit complaint if the music wasn’t so damn good. It falls under the cliché, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Laine, Marchello, and Ravel are synonymous with top-notch songwriting abilities, able to capture moods expertly within concise and catchy tracks. The Defiants is a unit that merely solidifies this fact and takes it to the next level. Tracks like “Fallin’ For You,” “Love Is A Killer,” “Hollywood In Headlights,” and “Stay” demonstrate the elements of a band at the top of their game from all aspects as a band- brilliant songs, masterful performances, and creating the perfect melodic vibe that makes you want to listen again and again.
The Defiants are easily one of my new favorite bands to come along in some time. Sure, it helps that they’re seasoned and experienced giving them an advantage a younger band might not have, but when you’ve got it, you’ve got it. And The Defiants definitely “got it” as Zokusho amply displays for anyone with ears. I just finished listening to this album again and I want to spin it again. Without a doubt, this will be a band I will follow as long as they keep releasing music of this caliber.
Written by: Chris Martin
Ratings: 9/10
Editors Pick
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