DEFEATER "Travels" (Topshelf) Review by Jordan A. Baker
Boston's DEFEATER have several pretty cool things going for them: (1) the band includes Jay Maas, whose Getaway Recordings studio is a focal point for up-and-coming hardcore music; (2) they are buddies with bands like VERSE and HAVE HEART, and VERSE's Sean Murphy makes a guest appearance on Travels; and (3) the group was smart to change their name to the somewhat banal DEFEATER away from the somewhat repugnant SLUTS. Travels is the group's first full-length release and falls into the realm of ambitious, viciously swift hardcore that inescapably brings to mind GIVE UP THE GHOST and MODERN LIFE IS WAR (especially in the vocals), but manages to loosen the stranglehold of those connotations. What separates DEFEATER from the pack is the band's dual-guitar attack that grabs a hold of you from both sides and sublimely suggests that the musicianship is seasoned beyond the middle of the bell curve. "Blessed Burden" and "Everything Went Quiet," set the tone for Travels with breakneck tempos and compelling shifts in momentum, and chilled-down talking parts. "Nameless Streets," is peppered with tension and details the story of lives hardened by addiction, while "Forgiver Forgetter," is a percussive showing of jarring force, and "The City By Dawn, " is nothing short of epic. DEFEATER keep up the aggression from their as Travels rides into the sunset after a white-hot 32 minutes. These guys may be a product of contemporary musical tastes, but their awesome show of talent makes them a true diamond in the rough.
