(Progressive Metal) Defyance - Дискография ( 1992-2015) 5 релизов, MP3, 320 kbps CBR [1992(Demo) 224 - 256 kbps]

Brian Harrington - Vocals
Brent Scott - Guitars
Marcus Peterson - Guitars
J.J. Wagner - Bass
Doug Beary - Drums

Ah Iowa, hotbed of modern heavy metal! What fan of heavy metal can't name at least ten heavy metal acts that hail from Iowa? Yeah, me neither. Ok, Iowa aside, Defyance are a fivesome who play some really good progressive metal. If you're of the opinion that Dream Theater has forgotten the "metal" part of the progressive metal equation, you might want to give Defyance a listen.

"Amaranthine", which means eternally beautiful and unfading, is the second CD available from the band's websites or a few online retailers. The music is solid, guitar driven metal with a nice backdrop of keys that show a definite Dream Theater influence. Sadly, the production quality is not the greatest. Some of these songs could really shine were it not for the poor quality of the CD. Musically, there is a lot of talent on this disc. The guitar work is first rate with lots of crunch.

But the main drawback for me was the singing. The singer has a good voice, but he uses it too hard on this disc. Much of the singing almost screamed. The vocalist for this CD is not the same as on the more recent "Time Lost" CD, and the improvement is very dramatic. Aside from the forced vocalization, the songs are above average for progressive metal. The lyrics are available only on the website. The lyrics are upbeat and of the positive, feel-good variety.

If you were to only buy one Defyance CD, I'd recommend "Time Lost" as a more mature and focused CD, but "Amaranthine" tries hard to live up to its name.

Brian Harrington - Vocals
Brent Scott - Guitars
Marcus Peterson - Guitars
J.J. Wagner - Bass
Doug Beary - Drums

With a new vocalist in place, Defyance releases their third CD which is available for purchase at their website or from a few online vendors. This CD is several steps forward from "Amaranthine" in terms of quality and cohesiveness. As the band has matured, they have settled on a solid progressive metal sound with a few notable influences.

"Shadows Of My Mind" has a Golden Earring feel to it, reminding me a bit of Vanilla Queen, but with a much heavier sound. There are hints of Dream Theater in the keys and Uriah Heep and Iron Maiden in the vocal structure and harmonies. The guitars wind around each other in ways reminiscent of Iron Maiden. The combination of all these influences creates a sound that is both unique and familiar. You'll catch yourself thinking, "Where have I heard that before," or, "That sounds like . . ." in more than one place as you're listening.

This disc is full of heavy, driving metal with a nice tight sound and feel. The change in vocalists adds to the sound and gives it a depth that was missing on "Amaranthine". The talent of the group is brought out in how well they work as a unit in producing the songs. The sound on this disc flows much better than on "Amaranthine". This disc has seen a lot of play time with me.

Defyance is still reaching to define themselves, but they have come a long way with this CD. I don't know why they are still an independent group. This is a band that deserves to be signed with a decent label. There is just too much talent and potential here to go unnoticed.
Satan Stole My Teddybear

Scott Andreas - vocals
Brent A. Scott - guitars
Marcus Peterson - guitars
Rob McGrath - bass
Doug Beary - drums
******
Matt Bell - keys and backing vocals
Aaron Bell - backing vocals

The nucleus of DEFYANCE felt very strongly about playing music that is both memorable and interesting. So, during those formative years, a few members came and went. Even so, with the three albums that DEFYANCE has brought forth: "Voices Within", "Amaranthine" and "Time Lost", the band's sound has remained intact, yet the songwriting continues to evolve.

With DEFYANCE's forthcoming release, "Transitional Forms", the band shows that their writing abilities have continued to grow. They've taken their sound to the next level by utilizing the established talents of vocalist Lance King of BALANCE OF POWER, EMPIRE, THE KINGS MACHINE and GEMINI. The band met Lance through Lance's company Nightmare Records, which distributes DEFYANCE's earlier releases. Also teaming up with DEFYANCE is longtime friend Aaron Bell, the founder and leader of DEGREE ABSOLUTE, on bass guitar.

This combination of musicians has "transformed" the music into something that is instantly recognizable as DEFYANCE, yet at the same time, has a fresh and unique feel. This collaboration and the bands new album, "Transitional Forms", has yielded some very interesting music that pulls from the strengths of each individual, forming a sound that we hope many will find fills a musical void. Combining the power of heavier bands, the technicality of progressive bands, and the melodic finesse of hard rock bands, DEFYANCE looks to spread their music farther than ever before.

This CD is incredible! For fans of Sanvoisen, The Quiet Room, Fates, Angra and Superior-like styles. The music is heavy, progressive and melodic... the vocals are upfront, clean, powerful, emotional and stacked with great harmonies and have a great dynamic range. A little, but tasteful keys and every note played on the guitars is well thought out, not a bit of overindulgent overplaying here, highly recommended.

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Lance King - vocals
Brent A. Scott - guitars
Marcus Peterson - guitars
Aaron Bell - bass
Doug Beary - drums
******
Matt Bell - additional keyboards

*Brian Harrington: Vocals/Acoustic Guitar
*Marcus Peterson: Guitar/Keyboards
*Brent A. Scott: Guitar
*Doug Beary: Drums