Review: Defeat – 'Seek Help'

DEFEAT 

'Seek Help' 

STATIC DISTORTION RECORDS 

Defeat have their roots back in the early 90s electro-industrial act Seek Help, out of the ashes of which Defeat formed. But as with a lot of promising acts, real life commitments soon got in the way and the project was put on ice until 2011. Cue a couple of EPs and a deal with Static Distortion Records and the duo's full-length début is finally ready to see the light of day.

The band's early 90s roots are still very much at the front of this album. Simple and rhythmic it recalls the likes of Nitzer Ebb, Front 242 and Front Line Assembly in particular. But it doesn’t feel outdated, or even particularly “retro”. The production instead feels very clean and modern, which enhances the rhythm orientated sound quite nicely for some serious dancefloor potential.

Songs such as 'Fear', 'Revenge', 'Wish You were Dead' and 'Scars' all have that nice old school flavour to them, and a nice slow pace that makes them both easy to sit and listen to, as well as get up and move to. But after twenty years of songwriting you'd expect this kind of quality wouldn't you?

It's not 100% perfection though. There are a couple of rough patches here and there, and sometimes the vocals don't quite seem to sit right in the mix. But these are pretty minor observations. On the whole it's an accessible and danceable album with plenty of club and live potential.

This is a good starting point for the duo, and they'd be wise to follow this up sooner rather than later. But they shouldn't be afraid to mix things up a little. Their particular formula is very effective. But it does begin to feel a little safe over the course of eleven tracks. But it is still a solid foundation and it will be interesting to see how they continue to build Defeat as a project.

Posted in: defeat,music,seek help