Review: Defiant “Insurrection Icon”

Defiant Insurrection Icon
Art Gates Records

For the most Croatia is rather cheap destination for vacations. Of course this is a truth and there are really lots of interesting places for every kind of tourist over there. But for us, Metalheads, the most important thing on the world is our beloved music. And Croatia also has something to show on this field. Well, as far as I know it was always like that, touched all sub-genres of Metal and was not only about two biggest cities: Zagreb and Split.

Požega isn’t big town and there live something like 26.000 people. In 2005 four guys decided to play together and in consequence DEFIANT was born. Now only one founding member plays there in the band, by the way (Bole, File and Beretz aren’t active musicians anymore as far as I know). Anyways, Insurrection Icon is their fourth album. I haven’t heard The End of Beginning (2006), Era of Substitution (2012) or Morbid Spiritual Illness (2015) and my adventure with this ensemble is just beginning right now while I’m writing these words.

Full-length contains eleven compositions, which take almost 45 minutes. As their inspirations guys number four Polish well-known worldwide bands that are, regardless of what who thinks about them, legends of scene in my country. Anyhow, even if our brothers from Croatia name the most controversial (mostly because of nonmusical activities of the leader) of them on the first place its influences aren’t very dominating in my opinion. Everyone knows what band I’m talking about, so the name is here unnecessary, doesn’t it? To be honest I can’t imagine that someone didn’t heard them! Personally I prefer their older times [demos, Sventevith (Storming Near Baltic)], by the way.

Guys name their creativity Death/Black Metal, but I guess it has even more to do with this much extreme kind of Black. This is about way of drumming, some riffs and Tomo’s vocalizations. His growling, even if this is absolutely any screech, connotes more with mentioned sub-genre of Metal. Well, common atmosphere is rather Black then Death, I think. It doesn’t mean that people who like Death Metal a little more will not find something for them, of course. Kris plays really variable, as well as Piper beats, and fascination of Death Metal style of playing is also clear. We have here some dose of sick melody, solos and so on. Tempo is mostly middle one, but speed-ups take place even often.

Well, we haven’t here any album of the decade or even year. Actually I always and I still don’t give a shit about such competitions arranged by some so called professional magazines. However, Insurrection Icon is good piece of Metal, moreover, played with mind and imagination.