Defiance - Void Terra Firma review
| Band: | Defiance |
| Album: | Void Terra Firma |
| Style: | Thrash metal |
| Release date: | 1990 |
| Guest review by: | Mattybu |
01. Void Terra Firma
02. Deception Of Faith
03. Questions
04. Skitz-Illusions
05. Slayground
06. Killers [Iron Maiden cover]
07. Steamroller
08. Checkmate
09. Buried Or Burned
10. Last Resort (Welcome To Povert)
Bonus tracks:
11. Violent Remedy
12. Skitz-Illusions
13. Checkmate
14. Deception Of Faith
15. Checkmate
16. Lockjaw
17. The Fault
Metallica. Exodus. Slayer. Defiance... Wait, who? Well, you could say Defiance is one of a lot of thrash bands who formed in the 80's, and for one reason or another, never really got that much recognition. Void Terra Firma is their 1990 release and is overshadowed by many of the greater thrash releases; and hey, it's not Rust in Peace or Seasons in the Abyss. But it is a fairly solid release.
Most of what you'll find on Void Terra Firma isn't outside the realm of typical late 80's/early 90's era thrash. You've got your fast riffs (although for the most part this album is sort of mid-paced), some of the staple drum beats, your solo-age; nothing here is really unexpected. Maybe this is part of the reason why Defiance never really made it big, it's hard to find much in here that elevates it from being just another release from the golden era of thrash. That being said, if you're someone who just can't get enough of that golden era, you'll probably have a pretty good time with this one. I found it fairly easy to get caught up in this one and find myself headbanging along.
There are definitely problems though - the most obvious being the production. The copy I own is the reissue with 7 (pointless) bonus tracks, which is remastered, and it even sounds bad. The guitar can get really scratchy at times, and instead of having much power behind them, the kick drums have a weak flapping sound. This reduces the punch of the music, and even at the best of times, the production annoyed me. The other problem, which is less noticeable, was the vocals on this album. They seemed inconsistent and sometimes uncontrolled. A comparison can be drawn with Chuck Billy of Testament, whose vocals on early Testament albums are way better than these.
The performance otherwise was quite good though. You can't fault the drummer for the bad production and he plays well. Some nice shredding on guitar is shown throughout the album, and tracks like "Void Terra Firma", "Questions", and "Steamroller" had some work on them I really enjoyed.
One last thing I'll point out is that I really appreciated that this album was solid from start to finish. A problem many releases can have is starting off strong and tapering off the further you go, but all around good songwriting, a well placed cover of "Killers", and consistency keeps this one alive the whole album through.
So, in the end, is this a must-have? It really depends. If you're a thrash/Defiance fanatic or just like going back to the good old times, you'll probably find some enjoyment from this. Other than that it's just a fairly good album, not groundbreaking or astounding, but from start to finish pretty fun. I just couldn't strongly recommend this considering the amount of bands back then who did thrash better.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 7 |
| Songwriting: | 8 |
| Originality: | 7 |
| Production: | 5 |
Written by Mattybu | 10.12.2011
Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
Comments
Comments: 15
Visited by: 39 users
| Milena gloom cookie Staff Posts: 4603  |
Not a thrash fan by any means, but I always like to hear a Maiden cover 
---- 7.0 means the album is good
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| Mattybu Posts: 2589  |
Written by Milena on 10.12.2011 at 17:52 Yeah, they did a decent job with it too 
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Staff Posts: 21306  |
Written by Milena on 10.12.2011 at 17:52 Even if it's Cradle of Filth? -_-
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071  |
Written by Troy Killjoy on 10.12.2011 at 19:57 That one is brilliant and even surpasses the original 
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996 
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Staff Posts: 21306 |
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 10.12.2011 at 20:00 You are the strangest person I've ever met online.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071 |
Written by Troy Killjoy on 10.12.2011 at 20:01 Okay it doesn't surpass the orignal but is really great nonetheless. A lot better than 99% of all covers out there where they try to sound exactly the same as the original. For me a cover has to sound like it could be a band's own and CoF succeed at that. Tbh most people around like the CoF cover
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996
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| Milena gloom cookie Staff Posts: 4603 |
Written by Troy Killjoy on 10.12.2011 at 19:57 I don't really have an opinion on Cradle of Filth, haven't listened to any of their albums. However, I do not like that cover a lot... it's a perfect song by itself, only the awesome bands succeed in changing perfect songs to make them equally/more likeable. So they probably aren't one of those bands.
---- 7.0 means the album is good
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| Huntteri Posts: 116  |
Nice to see someone who appreciates Defiance  Defiance was one of the first thrash bands I ever listened and even though Beyond Recognition is my favorite album by them (and one of my all-time thrash-favorites) I still enjoy the raw energy this album has
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| Slayer666 Posts: 2466  |
Written by Troy Killjoy on 10.12.2011 at 19:57 Some would say the cover beats the shit out of the pretty meek, tame original.
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| Mattybu Posts: 2589 |
Written by Huntteri on 11.12.2011 at 12:25 That's what I found too, this album just hits me with straight energy at times and I find myself thrashin' and smashin'... But production and vocal inconsistency can just kill it sometimes. Also I want Beyond Recognition so bad. Also all this discussion about the Iron Maiden cover which is everyone talking about? Cause Hallowed Be Thy Name NEEDS Bruce and the song Fear of the Dark sucks in the first place 
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| Huntteri Posts: 116 |
Written by Mattybu on 11.12.2011 at 18:58 I happen to own a re-release version of Beyond Recognition but that's not all, I also on a vinyl version of it It cost me 13?,best 13? I've ever spent
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| Mattybu Posts: 2589 |
Written by Huntteri on 11.12.2011 at 21:15 I'll probably pick up the re-releases of that one and Product of Society at some point. And that's awesome that you have a vinyl of it nothing better than spinnin' one of your favourite albums on the record player!
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| strade Posts: 677  |
Written by Mattybu on 11.12.2011 at 18:58 FInally someone who thinks that besides me! I hear all the time about how classic "Fear of the Dark" is and it always dumbfounds me. Well, guess what? That song (and album) is garbage.
---- My lo-fi synth project: http://luciddreamer.bandcamp.com
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| Huntteri Posts: 116 |
Written by Mattybu on 11.12.2011 at 21:19 Yeah I also own the other albums (Product,Void terra firma and Prophecy) so yeah I'm a huge Defiance fan  Did you know that they are making new material with the new line-up? At least I am very excited to hear what they can do with that new singer!
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| Mattybu Posts: 2589 |
Written by Huntteri on 12.12.2011 at 13:12 I figured from Prophecy that they were making new stuff. Which is damn cool. I didn't discover this band very long ago, but I really like them. And @strade32, I know man, listening to that album it starts with BQOBD which is like a semi decent song, then it gets garbagey fast.
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