Artist: Defueld
Title: Defueld
Type: Album
Label: Shortwave Records
Defueld hail from Sweden, and are huge...in Senegal, that is. Playing a tour of the African nation this year, the Scandinavian outfit seemed to work some magic on the crowds of Dakar, because the accompanying press blurb seems to suggest that they were completely enamoured with their modern take on heavy metal. This is their first full length album, but you'd be forgiven for thinking that this was an album by a much more experienced band.
Playing a fusion of modern heavy metal somewhat like the now less extreme nature of In Flames or Soilwork, with a modern rock sensibility, Defueld is full of songs that my wife can hum to. Now, that might sound like a bit of a back handed compliment, given that her normal musical tastes don't go much more extreme than Evanescence or Within Temptation (pity me readers, pity me), but I am forced to concede that there is something for everyone here. The songs have a massive, groove laden beat to them, aided immensely by the production, which earns my praise for being so beefy even Desperate Dan couldn't consume it, pie or not. The chunky, addictive and hook laden riffing is a constant theme, and although there is nothing here that is going to tax the ears of the average metal fan (indeed, for much of the album, it's a bit like easy-listening metal for the long standing metaller), it isn't utterly repugnant either. The clean vocals are a bit too MTV for my liking and the melodies tend towards the pop rather than the rock, but this is exactly the kind of stuff that I can get away with listening to in the car when the ball and chain is accompanying me.
Not all metal can be extreme, of course, and there were days when heavy metal even bothered the singles charts. I can actually see this getting some mainstream airplay, and maybe even hitting the relative big time. I suspect that the live environment is the true way to listen to Defueld, as the anthemic nature of many of their tracks means that in the heat of a summer’s day, with a belly full of ale, this would be agreeable head-nodding stuff. As it is, this then is mainstream, rocking heavy metal. It even features a ballad for all the girls out there. It isn't remotely offensive, and there are tunes you can hum to, but to be honest, it's all a bit too safe and bland for me. Sorry guys, there's always Senegal.
http://www.defueld.com
http://www.myspace.com/defueld
Chris Davison
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