Defocus – In the Eye of Death We Are All the Same (Review)

Defocus are a German metalcore band and this is their debut album.

The songs on In the Eye of Death We Are All the Same focus on heavy grooves and crushing rhythms, but are not purely restricted to these. Unusually for a band of this sort, Defocus actually know how to play fast when the need arises.

Alongside the sometimes quite brutal heaviness exist moments of atmospheric respite and melodic splendour. These are augmented and complemented by a good use of ambient melodies, which frequently sit behind the aggressive barrage of the rest of the music with depth-enhancing presence.

The vocals are primarily harsh and blunt, but the band’s songwriting also allows for some clean moments to be used too. As such, the clean singing is used sparingly, and manages to mostly avoid the usual cliché pitfalls that bands of this type usually fall foul of.

In the Eye of Death We Are All the Same is solid and enjoyable, and strikes a good balance between instant appeal heaviness and longer lasting emotive melody. The overall impression is of a band that are taking a dark and melancholic approach to metalcore, yet one that’s imbued with violent energy and festooned with heavy guitars. Yes, Defocus love their massively heavy guitars, and I can’t say I blame them.

If bands like Alpha Wolf hit that spot for you, then make sure you check out what Defocus are up to.