Assemblage 23 - Defiance (10 tracks) +Album Reviews

Amazing

SlipKnighT09 | Delran, NJ USA | 08/15/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Tom shear is a Genious. Everytime i see that all the music, lyrics, mixing, and producing are all done by this one guy it amazes me. He paints pictures with words which are brought to life by the mesmorizing music and it all comes together into one memorable masterpiece. I love his song structures/progressions and I really like his lyrics, they really impact me/cause me to reflect. This cd has a more elevated and positive mood than failure and its still just as good in my opinion. Each song takes me into another world, and at some points i can only describe how i feel listening as a spiritual experience. Each track is distinctly memorable and i lose myself in each one. I'm jus getting into the industial scene and im really liking assemblage 23."

Maps of reality

Erica Anderson | Minneapolis, MN | 12/19/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is my first Assemblage 23 cd. I really wanted "Failure" 'cause of the song "House on Fire" but I found this album and that was good enough for me. I first heard Assemblage 23 on Metropolis' recent compilation cd, and I was automatically hooked. Tom Shear's vocals are absolutely amazing and heartbreaking to listen to especially on songs like "Blindhammer" and "Opened". I love the lyrics. All the songs on this album shares the same theme of love, loss, despair and hope that I hear on albums by VNV Nation, Funker Vogt, Apoptygma Berzerk, and Icon of Coil. The only song I will have to go out on the limb and say that it didn't float my boat was the ballad "Cocoon". Personally that song was a bit too slow for me and for this type of music of EMB/synth-pop. I definitely love the more upbeat (tempo-wise) songs. Unlike VNV, Apop, Funker Vogt, and Icon of Coil, I have noticed how much more polished Assemblage 23's music is in comparison to VNV and Apop. Tom Shear's vocals doesn't have that rough edginess that VNV's Ronan Harris possesses. And the songs are slower than say Funker Vogt or Project Pitchfork. Nothing wrong with that though. I just find A23's more polished sound quite interesting when I compare Tom's music to other favorite Metropolis acts. EBM has quickly become my favorite genre considering how many cds I have bought that were signed to Metropolis Records. Assemblage 23 definitely didn't let me down."

Not another Failure

Shantell Powell | Kitchener, ON, Canada | 10/22/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"After the success of Failure (heh), Tom Shear of Assemblage 23 returns with Defiance. The album, although not particularly innovative, does good things with old-fashioned synthpop/EBM. This is the sort of music which should do well in clubs, and the listed BPMs can only help to make it DJ-friendly.The musical influences are obvious on this CD. In "Horizon," the synthesized horn section is strongly reminiscent of early Depeche Mode. Similarly, the hammering sounds in "Maps of Reality" sound right out of Depeche Mode's Construction Time Again album. In fact, it was at a Depeche Mode concert where Tom Shear was inspired to become a musician.Although Assemblage 23's influences seem to be primarily synthpop in nature, Tom Shear does claim in interviews to have been heavily into punk. I don't really hear as much of this punk background, except perhaps in the percussion of "Light," which, ironically, has a heavier sound than most of the other tracks on the album.Like most industrial and synthpop, the lyrics are mostly downbeat even while the music has an up-tempo. Songs are about loss, failure, mental disorder, and, in "Lullaby," defiance. Some of the tracks seem personally-directed. When I read the lyrics of "Maps of Reality," I can't help but think of Tom Shear's messy experiences with Gashed Records (his last label).Although the lyrics thematically don't differ from many other EBM bands, there is a bonus. The writing is clever, and the metaphors incisive. Whereas bands like Project Pitchfork and Front Line Assembly rely on cliched and doom-laden Dr. Seuss-style rhyming couplets, Assemblage 23's poetry at least makes use of a more challenging vocabulary."

Not quite up to Tom's usual standards

Bert Rinderle | L.A., CA United States | 10/29/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Tom Shear's Assemblage 23 project is lauded for crossing boundaries between industrial and synthpop, using elements of both but belonging exclusively to neither. What also sets A23 apart from the typical are the personal and emotionally charged lyrics. With Defiance, Tom Shear has produced another engaging and interesting work, but it lacks the polish and inspiration of his past recordings.Much was made of A23's previous album, Failure, and for good reason: Tom had lost his father to suicide, and the entire album was soaked with sorrowful longing and stricken questions, creating a powerful, personal connection with the listener. Unfortunately, this connection is all but absent on Defiance, save for a few precious moments. "Drive" is a masterfully constructed dancefloor track that sports some of Shear's best sequencing work to date, and the lyrics accurately portray not only anguish and confusion, but how they can be dealt with in a positive manner. Tom explores the topic of legacy on "Document" - both his own and the listener's - and leaves an honest and deep impression, not to mention a killer synth hook. Finally, "Lullaby" is, quite frankly, one of Tom's best songs. The synths are marvelous, the words and message profound, and Tom's vocal delivery is one of his best to date.These songs are the album's definite high points, and while there are certainly better-than-average songs - "Fallen Down" and "Maps of Reality" in particular - most of the rest of the album just isn't quite as cohesive as past A23 works. It's a little disappointing from a listener's standpoint, especially since the new studio tracks on the post-Failure remix import collection Addendum pointed towards Tom taking another step even beyond the monument that was Failure: "Let Me Be Your Armor" and "Breath of Ghosts" from that collection are still A23's best songs by far, and nothing on Defiance comes close to either.Fans of intelligent synthpop will find a lot to like on Defiance, and the songs are by-the-numbers electro dance numbers that will fill the dancefloors, but if you were hoping for Failure Pt. II, this isn't it by a long shot. Pick up Addendum if you haven't already, and the import single for "Document" - get your A23 fix that way. Defiance is, overall, simply average work for Tom Shear, and while that's still above and beyond most EBM released these days, you're left with the impression that he could have done much better."

Red, smoldering, healing, emotional EBM

Beau | St. Louis, MO USA | 01/10/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The previous album, Failure, was a devastatingly powerful pit of harsh but beautiful angst. The following album, Storm, was a cool, uplifting piece of synthpop mastery. This album is the link between the two- and a wonderful link it is.

This is probably the slowest A23 album, and it doesn't just dive in. It slowly slips into deep lyrics, smooth hooks, and powerful beats. In fact, the slower nature of some of these songs provides a throbbing resonance of emotion. But if you like powerful EBM beats, don't worry- there are plenty of muscle car tracks on here as well. Check out "Drive."

I get the impression that this album is viewed as being one of Tom Shear's weaker ones, but i think it is an essential piece of evolution. Tom Shear's voice has seemed to expand to an even greater melodic range on here, with wonderful results. It further feeds the fire under this album, and this CD smokes.

The final track, "Lullaby", could be the most beautiful piece of electronic music that i have ever heard. Didn't think an EBM "Ballad" was possible? Listen to this song. It is a breathtaking end to a wonderful album."

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	Assemblage 23 Defiance Genres: Dance & Electronic, Alternative Rock, Pop, Rock Track Listings (10) - Disc #1 Opened Drive Blindhammer Cocoon Document Fallen Down Horizon Light Maps of Reality Lullaby
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