DEFYANCEAmaranthine

Here is a band that you probably have never heard of, and that's Defyance. Their self produced album "Amaranthine" is one of those hard rocking albums that has gone almost totally unnoticed, and its a shame too. I first discovered them on one of my scrolls through indie lists in an attempt to discover something new. Beside Defyance it was written "Crimson Glory-like", and that got my attention. Sometime later, I finally managed to get a copy of "Amaranthine" on the first listen... I was a bit shocked. Crimson Glory like? Of course I was thinking about "Transcendence" and their early stuff, but upon further listen, it does sound like a bit like that band, only from "Strange and Beautiful", especially because of the (over?) use of clanky acoustic guitar. Dont let that scare you off though, because there is some quality material on this release. This sounds more like hard rock to me than more progressive. Their vocalist on this release, sounds good on some tracks but on others you get the feeling he could have given it a bit more effort. His voice has a very 'rock' spin to it and at times his vocal 'breaking screech' sounds a tad like Mark Slaughter. The guitar is dead on, moody with a straightforward raw 80s metal gallop feel, at times sounding almost neo classical, and on other areas, its rough and aggressive, moving from one spectrum to the other, and often is the major mood setter for these tracks. Bass and drums never really reach out and grab me, but they keep the tunes within their boundaries.

Highlights include the opening track, "Without Your Love", a big mid paced 80s hard rockin tune, packed with a strong overall melody and a catchy chorus. "Sieze the Day" is a screechier tune that has a touch of Obsession written on it. "Freedom Forever" starts out with nice electric guitar, and switches between an acoustic slower paced track, before breaking out into galloping guitars and sky high vocals, this one sounds closer to Crimson Glory in their self titled days, with that raw and free progressive feel captured in the beginning days when progressive metal was just taking flight. "Your Love Lies" is another mid paced 80s flavoured tune, the verses are quite nice, with intertwining guitar work. The drum sound is a bit flat on this one though, and the singer just doesn't quite cut it on this track, but still nice. "Running Free" begins slow and relaxing, with a haunting overall feel, vocals, acoustic guitar alike, which sets a moody atmosphere. The slinking electric that twists around, gives the song the extra punch it needs, and saves it from mediocrity. Surprisingly enough, the song kicks up right after the halfway point and truly 'runs free', at a galloping frantic pace, before winding down softly.

Now for two songs I can lay praise on quite heavily. "Where Are You Now", has all the makings of a great power ballad. A gentle chorus with vocals supported heavily by piano, and touching and very well written lyrics. Its only drawback is that it stays along the same lines all the way through and never really breaks out into true power ballad mode. Ahh but there is still my runaway favorite on the disc that must be mentioned. This song is worth the price of the album alone. "Coming Home" is a *great* power ballad, the lyrics are just phenomenal, and driven home effectively by the song. Some might call it sappy but the lyrics of the song really hit me hard. "Coming Home" picks up pace from time to time, and builds up to the emotionally charged chorus. Very, very nice. The guitar solo takes a bit to build up to, but it fits perfectly with the song once you get there.