Brutiful_ViXn
Reign In Metal
Zodiac :  Metal Reputation : 88
Join date : 2012-01-05
Location : Vacationing in Hell
 | |  Def-Con-One - II (2014) Album Review | |
Def-Con-One - II (2014)
Scarlet Records Running Time 46:05
Score: 9.5/10
If over the last fifteen months, you've read either of my previous Def-Con-One Album/EP reviews, my live review or indeed the interview I did with drummer Antton Lant then you'll know I'm a huge fan of this Newcastle based battering ram of a band and I'm starting to run out of good things to say about them. That's bad for me but good for them! They are certainly not hanging around releasing new material and after what feels like mere minutes since the release of EP 'Brute Force And Ignorance' have now returned with sophomore album 'II'.
Debut album 'Warface' blew my head off with its ferocious groove and was easily one of my top ten albums of 2012 but if, like me, you thought that was going to be difficult to surpass then I'm stoked to be able to tell you that 'II' delivers a punch to the testicles so brutal it'll feel like they've been hit by a knuckle duster laced with 10 inch nails! However, Def-Con-One have managed this with more melody, more groove and more variety in tempo. They have called it a "Natural Progression" but If this how much progress has been made in eighteen months then only the Devil himself knows where they'll be in five years!
Def-Con-One sound like no-one else, they are completely unique. Rhythm is king in this band. Johnny Hunter' s guitar and Steve Miller's bass work so well together providing riffs that feel like you've been riddled with bullets. This is all brought together by Antton's thunderous drumming. He doesn't just keep the beat, he uses his kit as a full instrument and only the Pantera trio of Dimebag (R.I.P.), Vinnie and Rex have given me a similar feeling when listening. If you are a young metal drummer and want to study proper double bass drumming then Antton is your man! Once again though, the star of the show has to be vocalist Davey Meikle who improves with every release. His screams are that of a demented demon but damn, can the man sing when the song requires it. I suppose, oddly enough, the nearest comparison would be Phil Anselmo. Don't for one second think that Def-Con-One are Pantera clones though, I just mean that they are that good!
Do I have favourite songs? Well, like the first album there are absolutely no duds here but special mention has to go to opener 'H8 Ball', 'Scarred For Life', the wonderfully titled 'Skinhead Shaped Dent' and the two more 'ballad' driven tracks 'Die Again' and the incredible 'Soul Possessed', which akin to the debut's 'Feeling Cold' prove that there is such a depth of talent within the Def-Con-One ranks. Production is once again stunning and I'm loving the continued 'variation on a theme' cover art. Guys you've done it again but even better. Carry on like this and I'll be worshipping the ground you walk on!
http://def-con-one.tripod.com/
https://www.facebook.com/defcononehq
http://www.reverbnation.com/defconone
http://www.scarletrecords.it/
Review written exclusively for Brutiful Entertainment by Rick Tilley
www.facebook.com/richard.tilley.351
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