Yeah, I have no shadow of doubt Extreme Metal has many faces. The constant is the aggression, what changes is the amount of melody. In this case, melody is the element that changes everything. With “Icon” Defaced deal with melody in a very pragmatic way. Most of the tracks the melody is totally absent or there are very few dashes of it. The band prefers to create tracks ful of them as “Sonate” to break the aggression mode of other tracks. There is only one exception that is tittle track “Icon” and “Betrayer” where the band melts both of them creating a very melodic tune that stands out of the album standards of cruel aggression. Here the guitars create a very melodic atmosphere using high notes instead of graver ones.
Many tracks of “Icon” showcase Defaced praise velocity, speed, and aggression. “Icon” commences with the machine gun drumming “The Antagonist.” By the way, the double bass drumming technique here is pristine and immediately calls the eye of the fan. There is very little melody here considering the guitar lines by the end of the song which are overwhelmed by the relentless drumming. The spanking goes on with “Perception,” except for the intro. The track follows Defaced‘s rules of the relentless drumming, however, not so fast here. The same lack of melody as well. However, I guess “As My Will Prevails” is the song that summarizes “Icon” better. Its hard vocals and all the rest show the band’s musical signature with the relentless drumming and the lack of melody on the guitars.
Lyrically, the album reflects the music, that is, it explores authoritarianism, mass surveillance and psychological manipulation from the perspective of the oppressor himself. Or power and more power over more power. Well, Metal music is all about power.
Defaced “Icon” will be released on February 12th via Massacre Records.
Track Listing:
1. The Antagonist
2. Perception
3. As My Will Prevails
4. The Initiation
5. Forever Mine
6. Anthem Of Vermin
7. Sonate
8. Icon
9. Culling The Herd
10. Betrayer
Watch “Culling The Herd” official lyric video here:
I’m just a lucky guy who has chosen metal to live with for a long time. Metal changed my life for good. It made me more confident and stronger. Metalheads are naturally far away from the mass mediocrity and don’t accept impostures from anybody else. Metal is more than music, it’s a life changing oportunity!