ALBUM REVIEW: In The Balance – Defences

Metal troupes from Britain generally have big shoes to fill and a battle against the wave of American metalcore bands which saturate the scene. But Hertfordshire-based DEFENCES have inched their way deeper into everyone’s ears with their sophomore album, In The Balance.

It’s been four years since they released their debut, With Might And Main, which made a clear statement for the quintet’s sound and direction. With In The Balance, that statement is solidified, with more of themselves poured into the lyrics, more riffs to supplement the stories being told, and even a fuller sound from better production which shows they deserve a seat at the alternative metal table.

From the outset, first track Something More stamps its feet and demands to be heard as it asks the age-old question of ‘is there more?’. As an opener to this monster of an album, the track carries this questioning, this search for guidance, throughout and opens you to the experiences of primary lyricist and clean vocalist Cherry Duesbury, who draws heavily on the pandemic and cultural events.

As the tracks continue to flow, it’s easy to see where inspiration has come from, with obvious nods to WHILE SHE SLEEPS and early OCEANS ATE ALASKA. As well as this, the added technical guitar riffs and mixture of clean female vocals and gritty male screams brings some relation to the likes of LANDMVRKS and SPIRITBOX; both of whom have brought a new level to modern metal music.

Recent single False Gods offers us more hope from the questioning at the beginning of the album, as Duesbury sings about her experiences of the Black Lives Matter movement and the strangers she witnessed sharing her anger and despair and the hope it gave her to move forward together. The screams of this track range from gritty growls accompanied by chuggy guitar melodies adding depth to the despair, to storytelling with a little too much enunciation to stand behind the hopeful anguish.

A change of pace is welcomed with ninth track Ocean Floor. Here, the focus shifts from constant heavy guitar to electronic synth verses and wondering falsetto vocals, before bringing us back into the five-piece’s classic sound. The album is then rounded off by closing track Meant To Be. While the music and sequencing itself is very recognisable to all metal-based emo kids, the lyrics conclude the story weaving across the other songs with words encouraging us to be the change we want to see in the world.

Overall, a solid effort from DEFENCES for their sophomore album. It offers the listener a glimpse into the minds and plights of the band members, but there is limited originality in the melodic guitar riffs and drum fills, regardless of the addition of synths. While the band seem to have found their comfort zone with their sound, it would be great to see them push their boundaries on the style of sound and distinguish each song and each lyrical story as individuals rather than weaving them together.

Rating: 7/10

In The Balance is out now via self-release.

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