The Defaced - Karma In Black
2003 - Nuclear Blast Records
By Philip Whitehouse
Go to The Defaced website.
Hmmm, this is an interesting one... a band made up chiefly of members of Soilwork and Darkane deciding to move away from the Gothenberg melo-death blueprint that has served them so well up to now, and release an album that has more in common with the Bay Area thrash sound. Admittedly, it's not a massive leap from melodic death to Bay Area thrash, but it's still an intriguing idea. So, did it work? Well, since this is The Defaced's second album, I'm guessing it was popular enough first time round to merit another run...
So, Karma In Black, then. Within five seconds of pressing play on this album, I must admit my first thought was 'Killswitch Engage'. There is, on the first listen, a similarity with Roadrunner Record's nu-thrash hopefuls, but then later more influences soon reveal themselves. Early Machine Head raises its head too, as well as occasional nods to Pantera and early Metallica. During the groove-filled, aggressive riffs of 10 Vs 9, there's even a couple of vocal parts that sound spookily like shaggy-haired motormouth Dave Mustaine of Megadeth fame!
Of course, with the band containing Klas Ideberg and Jorgen Lofberg from Darkane and Henry Ranta from Soilwork, there is, despite what the promo material would care to insist, a small amount of Swedish melodicism on display here too. There are some excellent hooks embedded within the crunching grooves and neck-snapping riffs on display, as well as a dose of suffocating brutality that makes this album an impressively diverse listen.
Overall, well worth a listen. Check it out if you're after a heavy, well-written slice of thrash-tastic molten metal.
7.5/10
2003 - Nuclear Blast Records
By Philip Whitehouse
Go to The Defaced website.
Hmmm, this is an interesting one... a band made up chiefly of members of Soilwork and Darkane deciding to move away from the Gothenberg melo-death blueprint that has served them so well up to now, and release an album that has more in common with the Bay Area thrash sound. Admittedly, it's not a massive leap from melodic death to Bay Area thrash, but it's still an intriguing idea. So, did it work? Well, since this is The Defaced's second album, I'm guessing it was popular enough first time round to merit another run...
So, Karma In Black, then. Within five seconds of pressing play on this album, I must admit my first thought was 'Killswitch Engage'. There is, on the first listen, a similarity with Roadrunner Record's nu-thrash hopefuls, but then later more influences soon reveal themselves. Early Machine Head raises its head too, as well as occasional nods to Pantera and early Metallica. During the groove-filled, aggressive riffs of 10 Vs 9, there's even a couple of vocal parts that sound spookily like shaggy-haired motormouth Dave Mustaine of Megadeth fame!
Of course, with the band containing Klas Ideberg and Jorgen Lofberg from Darkane and Henry Ranta from Soilwork, there is, despite what the promo material would care to insist, a small amount of Swedish melodicism on display here too. There are some excellent hooks embedded within the crunching grooves and neck-snapping riffs on display, as well as a dose of suffocating brutality that makes this album an impressively diverse listen.
Overall, well worth a listen. Check it out if you're after a heavy, well-written slice of thrash-tastic molten metal.
7.5/10
