Defocus: A Brave New World
When the early years of the 2020s is looked back on in the annals of history, there will be few positive to take away. Not quite the return of the ‘roaring twenties’ as many had quipped when the new decade kicked off seventeen months ago, when COVID-19 hit, life as we know it changed forever. With so much needless death, prolonged periods of isolation from the ones we love and mass gatherings (the very essence of what it means to be human) banned, the great pause of 2020 was catastrophic; especially for those in the arts. For bands, their way of life is the road and their world was literally stopped dead in its tracks when lockdowns were enforced and we retreated into our homes. However, from darkness comes light, and as our eyes adjust to this post-pandemic world, there is opportunity to be had, a chance to hit the ground running once more. An ample opportunity for emerging German metalcore troupe DEFOCUS.
“I’m not sure whether we would have got the result like that if we weren’t in the COVID pandemic, because, you know, everything was locked down. But you had the time for doing some stuff for yourself. I mean, we had sessions each evening and we were working together until the early morning until five or six am! Everybody was falling asleep right in front of the screen! And I don’t think that this would have been possible if we wouldn’t have had this lockdown situation.”
What vocalist Simon Müller is referring to is the band’s debut full-length album; In The Eye Of Death We Are All The Same. And what a debut it is. Capturing the frenetic and pulsing atmosphere of thumping live metal and showcasing a band who look to make their mark on a awakening scene with the utmost force. Thought Of A Vision smashes the eardrums in a thundering opening foray whilst the splashes of ambience and reflective passages helps demonstrate the versatility of the band, propelling them beyond the confines of being yet another metalcore band. It’s a match made in heaven when you hear it, and interestingly, it was not a pre-medicated plan as Simon explains. “To be honest, it was not that important to us to kind of have a strategy, how to explicitly write those songs. We were just, you know, writing those songs. And that’s actually what came out of the writing process. So we were not planning to kind of get this specific sound, it was just the result that we got was the mix of those two worlds.”
With band’s MO forcibly changed with live shows suspended in purgatory for the foreseeable as the virus swept across Europe, DEFOCUS‘ story turned to creating material is not an isolated case. Flash forward to the here and now and we are enjoying the spoils of those lockdown sessions. And the spoils are ripe. They say the best art comes from times of great turmoil and for metal, COVID-19 has certainly played its part in the sheer quality of the releases we’ve enjoyed throughout 2021. But how much did the pandemic directly influence the mood, concepts and talking points found within the band’s debut?
“The pandemic definitely had its influences into the lyrics but the lyrics themselves were just created about topics that struck home with me. So that’s why I think that the pandemic has been an indirect influence, but it was not that the pandemic made me talk about specific topics because these topics have been always omnipresent. Common Grave for example, that’s about the environment, which has always been a thing even before COVID-19. And it has probably been a bigger influence since the pandemic because we realised can be possible if the whole world stands still and how this affects our environment. So yeah, I guess that the lyrics could probably be influenced in this way.”
In The Eye Of Death We Are All The Same is one of the stronger debut records to emerge this year and whilst DEFOCUS can revel in something they can be truly proud of, their home is on the road. As live shows return and music fans can feel the sweat, energy and release that only live music can provide, for Simon and his bandmates, they intend to pick up right where they left off and regain the momentum gained from the energetic performances of 2019. With people foaming at the mouth at the prospect of live shows, the pressure is on but as we conclude our conversation, Simon is as cool as a cucumber and relishes the chance to hit the ground running. “I guess that this might be the perfect way to make it as a newcomer band. We’ve had the time to write our album. And, of course, we had some pressure sometimes, but it was not that big. And now we release the album and we are allowed to play the first shows for over one and a half years! Hopefully the people are as excited as we are to be able to go to those shows. We’re pretty excited for what’s coming right now!”
Excited doesn’t even begin to cover it. We’re entering a brave new world and DEFOCUS are primed and ready to make it their own.
In The Eye Of Death We Are All The Same is out now via Arising Empire.
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