ALBUM REVIEW: Modern Error – Defects
British heavy music is thriving, and bands like DEFECTS are a massive reason why. Their sound is big, bold, and polished, but it’s their sincerity, lyrical depth, and searing honesty that sets them apart. The quintet’s debut album Modern Error is a sheer force of nature, and the heavy subject matter is tackled in a relatable yet unflinching manner. This is a record that doesn’t simply ask politely for your attention, it demands it.
Drummer Harry Jennings says the band represents believing in yourself and being able to respond to setbacks while dealing with life’s challenges, and that’s a mission statement that runs through the heart of Modern Error. The album is less an act of defiance and more an exercise in catharsis. Singer Tony Maue has been open about his story and how he was taken into care as a young child, and these 11 songs find him processing and organising that trauma.
Lyrically, Scapegoat, Goliath and Echo Chamber are all tied together. Each track discusses a family member from a different perspective, but it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. For example, the chorus to opening salvo Scapegoat roars “Another life to take it out on / You hurt the people that you love / Another life that you will destroy / Their suffering is not enough to make you stop.” This sets the tone for what follows. Each song is brutally honest, and forthright, meaning the journey isn’t always comfortable.
End Of Days is a much more melodic affair that shows fans exactly what the band is about. Maue rips through the verses with a ferocious scream before launching into a chorus fans will belt out at live shows for years to come. The breakdown section that crunches into the final third is incredibly rewarding when it arrives before another blast of the chorus powers the track to the finish. There are some serious high points on this album, but the one-two punch of End Of Days and Dream Awake is hard to beat. The latter features mostly clean vocals, aside from a guttural scream that signals the start of a stunning guitar solo.
Another Heart To Bleed teases listeners with a sparse and melancholic intro, but the uncompromising energy soon returns. The guitar dances across a relentless drum beat powering the track forward, with Maue effortlessly slipping between screams and clean vocals. Follow-up Recurring is spine-tinglingly heavy, guided by a guitar riff drenched in menace. Even so, the band manage to throw in yet another infectious chorus for good measure.
For all that DEFECTS are at the top of their game here, the production and mastering are perfect. And they need to be. Heavier albums can be let down by mixing that blurs everything together, but Modern Error is razor-sharp. The band’s sound is so big and in your face, but it remains clear and crisp. That balance gives them the platform to shine, and show off the various layers that make them what they are, which is something that shines through on Recurring and then again on Lockdown and Echo Chamber.
The first thing that grabs your attention about Lockdown is its directness. The monster rhythms that run throughout combined with the delivery of the lyrics leave you unable to move from its gaze. Echo Chamber sees the band lean back into a melody-driven approach before the title track hits like a tornado. The energy of the heavier sections is reminiscent of PARKWAY DRIVE, and that’s every inch a compliment.
By the time the album hits the final stretch, Broken Bloodlines and Second To None offer little in the way of surprise, but that doesn’t mean there’s a dip in quality. The guitar solo that rips through the former is mind-twistingly good. Closing track Gone To Waste is much lighter and more stripped-down than the rest of the album. Sonically it almost feels like a palate cleanser. After the heaviness that came before, both lyrically and instrumentally, this is the band moving on after exorcising those ghosts. Modern Error tackles some tough subjects and the band should be commended for that. Their willingness to approach these topics gives the album serious depth, and it feels like an emotional release.
Long-term fans might have been hoping for a little more, as the opening three tracks all appear on the Dream Awake EP – and in the same order. Occasionally, the band can also be guilty of going to the ‘scream verses, clean chorus’ well a little too often. This means some tracks teeter on the brink of being formulaic, but the band have just enough personality to pull it off. However, these slight negatives can’t drag the album down. Modern Error is a monster debut record, and surely the foundation of a successful career to come.
Rating: 8/10
Modern Error is set for release on May 24th via Mascot Records.
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