Following up from their 2021 debut album In The Eye of Death We Are All the Same, Defocus are back with another huge serving of metal. The German metalcore quartet keep metalcore at the centre of there is a place for me on earth, while experimenting with new sounds that take the sound far from their debut record.
Coming in at just over 30 minutes, the album features 10 explosive tracks that will have you hooked from start to finish. While they are the same band with the same ethos , they push themselves into new territories on there is a place for me on earth often dipping into other genres and leaning into electronics.
The first half of the album is full-throttle metal. Not once giving you a second to breathe you’re hit from every angle as soon as ‘let the bond be my grave’ starts the album. ‘biased’ introduces sounds that will become more familiar as the album goes on with electronic elements creeping in and giving the band its new sound.
What comes next is a series of intense riffs and huge breakdowns. ‘watch me bleed’ is about as metal as you can get. Potentially the best track on the album, it has everything you could want including a bass driven breakdown.
‘consumed by you’ reintroduces the electronics and they’re here to stay from this point. Combing electronics with metal does not always work but Defocus have found the perfect balance between the two on this album. With them leaning further into the electronic tones there’s a hint of an industrial sound bordering on metalcore Rammstein.
Towards the end of the album is where things begin to get really experimental. ‘don’t let it hurt me’ starts with synths, before kicking into life. When the riffs do hit in this one – they go hard. The huge guitars that fill the album, take ‘don’t let it hurt me’ to another level drifting in out of loud of quiet sections with the synth being a constant in the background.
‘hybrid anthem’ and ‘…to not feel anything’ stand out from anything else on the album, or in fact anything from Defocus’ catalogue. ‘hybrid anthem’ is almost a hip-hop track which features a metal chorus. Feeling very Judgement Night-esque the band do something completely different but it works. Followed by ‘…to not feel anything’ you might expect a return to basics but that’s not the case. With an element of 90s trance the track borders on a dance song before a huge scream is unleashed and the track takes a complete turn.
From the first second to the last, Defocus push themselves to the limits on there is a place for me on earth. Barely letting you stop to catch your breath, the band blasts through tracks that sees them forge a new sound and direction. While it’s metalcore at its heart, there is a place for me on earth offers is more complex than just metalcore and leaves you wanting even more.
Stream/purchase there is a place for me on earth HERE
