ALBUM REVIEW: In The Eye Of Death We Are All The Same – Defocus
Before the COVID-19 pandemic engulfed the world in March last year, emerging band’s made their name on the stage. Touring relentlessly was the key for a band to establish a buzz and set the foundations for their records to make maximum impact. But COVID-19 changed everything. As the world shut down and the stages fell silent, the focus has switched. For DEFOCUS, they know this all too well. Birthed out of lockdown, debut record In The Eye of Death We Are All The Same is a mightily impressive record from a band hungry to hit the ground running in a post-pandemic world.
Dynamically balancing the ferocity of the resurging metalcore movement with ambient passages that inspire reflection into one’s fragile existence, DEFOCUS present a gripping first outing. Thought of a Vision comes storming out of the gates as a cacophony of high-octane riffing intertwine with Simon Müller‘s powerful vocal deliveries whilst In Our Heads keeps the momentum surging as the relentless pace and booming power of the band’s brand of modern metalcore wonderfully replicate the chaos of the live experience.
Common Grave is an utter monster boasting the swagger and bounce that CRYSTAL LAKE would be proud of and is arguably the heaviest song on the record whilst Disease reigns true to its namesake with some utterly sick breakdowns and punching riffing from guitarist Jeffrey Uhlmann. When DEFOCUS let the shackles loose and go for it, they are a force to be reckoned with.
It’s not all shock and awe though. DEFOCUS regularly subside into the aforementioned ambience to enable their more melodic flavours to be experienced and whilst it may not be particularly new or original, the execution is solid none the less. Immerse Me offers splashes of melodic cleans and ambient flutters that helps the heavier bedrock of their sound to be all the more impactful, Diverge‘s chorus is absolutely epic and Can You See Me‘s sombre undertones really help the song stand strongly on its own two feet and leave a lasting connection.
As brilliant as these moments are though, if there is one improvement to be made moving forwards, is that if DEFOCUS really focus on allowing these ambient moments to grow and expand (almost akin to trendsetters LOATHE) then they would surely stand out in an increasingly congested crowd.
DEFOCUS aren’t going to rewrite the playbook for modern metal but that was never their intention. What In The Eye of Death We Are All The Same sets out is to present a high octane and gripping listen through big hefty riffs that bounce and unite us all under one banner. Sitting comfortably to anyone who enjoys the work of the bands spearheading metalcore’s revival, DEFOCUS stand in good stead to make a big name for themselves as the world awakens from the great pause.
Rating: 8/10
In The Eye Of Death We Are All The Same is out now via Arising Empire.
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