British rap metal newcomers Defaced offer up an intriguing sound that toes the line between nu-metal and metalcore and they describe as “dark, aggressive and intense.”
Defaced is the brainchild of one-man-band Curtis Hammond, who writes, performs and produces everything himself from the music to the video, art and audio. Curtis grew up in mid-Wales but now lives in West Somerset, somewhere between Bristol and Glastonbury. He started Defaced as a studio-only project but, after eight years of growth and various chapters, he’s finally bringing it to life with the release of his first single.
On the sound he’s crafted over that time, Curtis tells us: “Defaced was once described as Hatebreed fronted by Zack De La Rocha from Rage Against The Machine. I’d say that’s pretty accurate.”
Said debut single is Reignite, which was released earlier this month. It opens up with a big rolling riff that’s joined by drums before kicking into life. Cool harmonic guitars jump in, teeing up an opening verse that starts with engaging vocals and gradually intensifies. A second verse sees engaging vocals supported by stabbing guitars then heavier vocals “I’m back motherfucker, I’m back motherfucker, I bet you wish I’d drowned, I’m back motherfucker, I’m back motherfucker, No you can’t keep me down.”
Rapped vocals then lead into a big chorus with screamed vocals supported by a cool keyboard riff. The edgy mix of rapped vocals building to a heavier chorus continues, and a second chorus ends with heavy guitars and big screamed vocals. And a big chunky riff and heavy screams bring this intense track to a close.
On the track, Curtis explained: “The first track is very self-reflective of the last year or two of my life, before bringing defaced back I took a hiatus from music as a whole due to mental health reasons, Reignite is that story, it’s about rising from the ashes of the past to reinvent yourself bigger and better than ever. It’s about getting back up no matter how many times you get knocked down.
“The sound of the track is full-on and intense and encapsulates the pent-up aggression and frustration that has come from my life whilst going through this experience. I hope that it can inspire others to pick themselves up no matter how dark and bleak life sometimes may seem and hopefully show those that listen that life can get better.” Check out Reignite in the video here:
The Defaced sound draws on Curtis’ eclectic music taste, with key influences including the likes of Linkin Park, The Prodigy, SiM, Stray From The Path and Incubus.
And on what inspires him to write music, Curtis explains: “Without music, and making music, I wouldn’t be alive right now. It’s as simple and blunt as that. It’s saved my life and continues to every single day. It’s therapy for me. Therefore, I’ll always do it, and I’ll always write from the heart about my life and my experiences and try and use that to inspire and help others.”
There’s more to come from Defaced, with Curtis teasing us with the statement “WE ARE THE FACELESS.”
You can follow Defaced on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitch, and check out their music on Spotify, Bandcamp, Apple Music and YouTube.
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