THE DEFIANTS – Drive (2023 Frontiers)
Like a top-fuel funnycar, Paul Laine, Bruno Ravel and Rob Marcello made a stunning comeback in 2023 with The Defiants’ new album Drive. They had a lot to live up to, after the luminous Zokusho in 2019. Could they come up with another batch of songs, just as strong? In short, yes. In long, read on.
Right from the get-go, opener “Hey Life” is a wrecking ball. Van Romaine on drums absolutely slays this song with ease. In the first few seconds, you’re hammered by Priest-y riff and blistering guitar fretwork. “Hey Life” isn’t all flash; it boasts strong melodies and an adrenalized performance by the Defiants. “Hey life! Get out of my way tonight!” blasts Paul Laine at maximum lung power. He remains one of the best in the business.
With some anthemic “woah-ohs!”, the second number “Go Big Or Go Home” does exactly what it says on the label. “Gonna rock this town like we already own it!” There’s a simple but very effective guitar riff backing this melodic stomper. Thinking about it, the difference between the Defiants and all the bands that try to do what they do with traditional melodic rock, can’t touch their songs, and a big reason is the strength of the Defiants in writing structurally sound guitar parts. Every lick, every crunch, every single note needs to be exactly where it is and how it is. “Go Big Or Go Home” is a prime example.
Now, if I were a card player, I’d gamble that “19 Summertime” would be a hard rock anthem for the sunniest of seasons. I would be correct. There are some tasty 80s keyboard highlights behind that staccato guitar part. Sounds like a vintage lost Europe song from somewhere between Out Of This World and The Final Countdown. Therefore, we can pinpoint “19 Summertime” to the summer of 1987. Then, “What Are You Waiting For” has the same teenage panache that Bon Jovi made his mint with back at the same time. It’s another awesome, good time anthem that transports you back in rock history.
“Miracle” is the first ballad, and it’s a nice one at that. It’s not a softy, but fully armed with guitars and keys. It sounds a lot like Adrenalize era Def Leppard. Things switch around on a scorcher called “Against the Grain” that has a Bon Jovi vibe via the Crush album, but way harder edged. Lots of opportunities to pump fists here. The tough chorus sounds great in the car. “Against the grain, they say left we go right, someday you gotta realize, it’s the way you gotta live your life.” Another solid track called “So Good” slows things down to a nocturnal prowl, while retaining all the anthemic melodic qualities. There’s some shimmery guitar fretwork here and a cool organ backing.
A completely different feel enters the scene on “Love Doesn’t Live Here Anymore”. A light guitar picking brings in what starts as a softer opening, until the chorus pounds the power once again. This song is a triumph of songwriting perfection. The guitar solo here is also a remarkable performance unto itself. It sounds like a hit from decades past, but also much more than just that.
Another dusky number, “Another Time, Another Place” has a driving beat and understated power. “The Night To Remember” then turns up the heat! This is the kind of song that Def Leppard should be writing today, but seems to have forgotten how. There are many highlights on this album, and they seem to be clustered at the start and end of this album! “The Night To Remember” is top notch.
Going back to the “don’t get in my way” theme of the album opener, the closer bookends it with “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Me Now”. It’s a tough little chunky number that kind of sounds like you’ve known it all your life. The guitar blitzes on this one are exemplary and serves to help close the album on a suitably dramatic note. Drive has a feeling of a journey, coming back home at the end to the place you began.
Released at the right time in history, Drive would have been a multi-platinum smash remembered in the same breath as Hysteria and Slippery When Wet. “Another Time, Another Place” indeed. Truth.
5/5 stars
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