Defiant: Time Isn't Healing

Coming together back in 2008, Ukrainian power and slightly symphonic metal outfit Defiant appear to have pretty much refreshed their line-up every couple of years. The band's list of previous bassists making the drum position in Spinal Tap look secure… Ever present throughout that time is guitarist Andrey Turkovsky, the line-up that created the band's second full length album (they have also released three EPs) consisting Stanislav Proshkin (the band's third male vocalist, although he replaced Olga Makarova in 2015), Oleg Yakoklev (bass), Victoria Terzieva (keyboards) and Evgeniy Smolin (drums). Openly announcing their influences as Stratovarius, Symphony X, Kamelot and Helloween gives an accurate description of what you can find in the proud, strutting metal this band produce. That said, Time Isn't Healing is an album that's more about the grunt than the light or fanciful, an overtly metal outlook always first on this band's itinerary and something the gruff, slightly limited vocals from Proshkin cements in place. While playing to his strengths Defiant do curtail their sound slightly due to the vocalist's restricted range. He does provide drama and a forceful push that offers a slightly more individual stance and yet for some his perfunctory delivery may prove a distraction.

Musically things are on a more sturdy, if expected, footing, the powering riffs and keyboard pulses never veering too far from well trodden paths. Admittedly the latter aspect is maybe a little more muted than you might be used to, but that's not to say what keyboards there are don't do a decent job of underpinning the impressive fretwork from Turkovsky. At times he straddles like Metallica and others he's more strafing, in a Kamlot-like style, although from time to time he also reveals something a little more old school than most band's operating in this arena care to. Tracks such as "Don't Trust The Words", "The Truth And The Lie" or "According To The Acts" combining the current symph sound to a blunter, but possibly more interesting metal assault. Sometimes that makes for a slightly uncomfortable melding of styles and yet it's hard not to acknowledge that at least Defiant are trying something a little different. The compromise works best on "Milestones Of Time", where a stab of almost thrash intensity slides home, or the bold, Germanic stomp of "The Dream", and it has to be said that more of the same wouldn't go amiss. For Defiant to truly leave a long lasting mark they need to hit those levels with greater consistency, but with a (hopefully) more solid line-up now in place, that aspect may well take care of itself. If that's the case and they can knock a few of the rougher edges off what they present, this outfit may well start to worry some of the big boys.

Track Listing
1. Storm (Intro)
2. Milestones of time
3. The Jericho
4. Funeral feast
5. Time isn't healing
6. According to the acts
7. The Dream
8. Don't trust the words
9. The truth and the lie
10. The grief
11. Soul is burning
12. The Eagle

Added: March 31st 2017
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Defiant online
Hits: 1266
Language: english

[ Printer Friendly Page ]
[ Send to a Friend ]