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On Nov. 17, “Lost Ground,” Defeater’s second album, hit shelves. The Massachusetts- and New Hampshire-based hardcore band has done it again, writing an amazing album. Their first CD “Travels” had good reviews, praised for its raw screaming and catchy instrumentals. Defeater is known for their hard drums, slower guitar parts/solos and their vocals, done by Derek Archambault.
Their second CD is unique. The album consists of six songs that tell a story of the same man they sang about on “Travels.” The man, called a prophet in the song “Prophet In Plain Clothes,” is a homeless man who decides to go to war. During the war, he fights and returns home to find soldiers returning from war aren’t treated as equal citizens in this world. The last two songs are about how inequalities affect good people.
The song titles fit the storyline Defeater is trying to portray. The first song on the E.P. is “The Red, White and Blues,” where the lyrics describe how the character’s father went to war and how he is enlisting. As the songs go along, the story progresses, mixed with lengthy instrumentals. “The Bite And The Sting” is particularly interesting as it depicts the warfare in the story. Archambault sings, “I’ve spent days in this trench in the snow / Just my gun by my side / it’s cold and wet and you’re all alone … we ain’t seen a German for days / we just tired as slugs / and it feels like I am wasting away / so I drink from my flask to stay warm.”
The flask mentioned in lyrics is a reference from the first song, “The Red, White and Blues,” where the character’s mother gave him his father’s flask before going to war.
The lyrics are as complex as the story line. Intricate and verbose, the words are screamed for extra emphasis. The rawness of the tracks provide audio imagery for the listener.
Defeater, though defined as a hardcore band, is much more than that. They are musically talented, and it shows on every album they have put out. Their breakdowns, or where they would normally be placed, are epic guitar and drum duos instead of stereotypical ‘chugs.’ Defeater is not your typical, tough-guy hardcore band, but moshers shouldn’t fret — there are thrash-like two-step parts scattered throughout.
Listeners want to get to the next track so they can finish the story. Defeater has received a great amount of praise for “Travels” and “Lost Ground” should do just as well.
Defeater could be compared to early As Cities Burn and fellow Massachusetts bands Shipwreck A.D. and Have Heart. They are as great a band to see live as they are to listen to. Definitely for fans of meaningful, powerful hardcore.
Grade: A-
