I Defy "The Firing Line" CD
[Reflections]
Cool. I've wanted to hear more from this German band ever since I checked out the "First Strike" EP, and this is very much in line with the material that was offered up on that disc. Melodic old school styled hardcore with lightly distorted high-pitched vocal yells, this time bringing in a more energetic melodic side and more of a punk influence as well - perfectly handled in "At First Sight" where some singing is layered with the yelling and things get a bit more upbeat. There's actually a lot more vocal variation here, with a good mix of singing and spoken passages with the yelling - sometimes lending a Ray Cappo sort of ring to the vocals. "Reminisce" is another great track that injects high energy melody and singing vocals into a straightforward hardcore framework, but this piece is definitely on the catchier side of things. Awesome. They end the record with an unlisted track, "Disco", which is a cover of the German punk band Slime, complete with German lyrics. The recording is really good. Everything is crisp, the bass tone is phenomenal and jumps up to the middle to add density to the moderately distorted guitars, the drums sound alright, and the vocals tend to rest right in with the music, coming forth a tad when backup vocals are involved. The mix is a little bit thin, so the guitars and drums could use a little bit more density, but it gets the job done. The layout's not bad. The colors are consistent, the imagery and textures work out, the band photos are tastefully used, all of the text is clean and crisp, etc. The lyrics tend to be pretty positive, and even though the messages are typical, I find the lyrics to be better written than most. "There's so much good that we can do, Appreciate the fact we have, Every second of our lives, That drive that keeps me moving on, This unconditional power I can trust..." Good work. I can't recall having heard too many German hardcore bands as of late, but I Defy really stands out from a lot of what's going on worldwide these days. Worth looking into. (7/10)
Running time - 35:14, Tracks: 13
[Notable tracks: At First Sight, Reminisce, Back to Innocence, Tomorrow's Dream]
Reflections Records - http://www.reflectionsrecords.com

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