In a time of endless sub-genre classifications, Act Of Defiance's highly anticipated debut offering simply delivers 100% in-your-face, uncompromising heavy metal. The scathing debut, Birth And The Burial, is set for an August 21st release via Metal Blade Records and pre-order bundle packages are now available at this location.

The group has debuted the new track, "Refrain And Re-Fracture”, streaming below.

Shawn Drover (drums) states: "“Refrain And Re-Fracture” is a great example of using musical dynamics in a heavy metal song. All of us in Act Of Defiance have always been fans of cool acoustic/classical song intros before the metal assault kicks in, so when Chris presented this song to me I immediately loved the tune. Henry Derek really did a great job here as well by using his range a bit more as a singer, going from brutal singing to injecting some more melodic phrasing within the song as well, but still sounding very powerful. 'Refrain and Re-Fracture' is just another great example of showing that Birth and The Burial is certainly not a one dimensional heavy metal record."

Broderick further adds: "“Refrain And Re-Fracture”'s creation started off with the classical guitar of all instruments. I wanted a moody beginning into a heavy verse with each instrument entering and slowly, building the tension until the transition to the verse. At this point, a tempo change was needed for something more fast paced and aggressive with heavy vocals (Henry definitely delivered on that!!!). For the chorus I definitely was looking for as much melody as possible but still heavy in nature. The bridge to the solo and the solo has a much more modern feel to them, utilizing polyrhythms to create groove and an open canvas for my solo. As for the solo, hell, I just hope people like what I did! Overall I feel this song does a great job of showing how diverse Act Of Defiance can be while still staying firmly rooted in metal!"

With a hefty resumé that chronicles time spent riffing and shredding in Jag Panzer, Nevermore, and a seven-year stint in Megadeth, Chris Broderick’s pedigree speaks for itself. Furthermore, joined by powerhouse drummer - and fellow Megadeth alumnus and former Eidolon drummer - Shawn Drover, bassist Matt Bachand (Shadows Fall) and vocalist Henry Derek (ex-Scar The Martyr), the band are a truly formidable metallic behemoth. Birth And The Burial is ten tracks of armor-plated, state of the art heaviness.

Drover states: "“Throwback” is not your average speed/thrash metal tune. The song is also pretty progressive at times with a lot of stopping and starting going into the bridge and they are all at different times, so we really had to memorize the count. I was really impressed with the way Chris wanted to write a little bit out of the box, shall we say. Chris also wrote all of the lyrics for the song, which were also impressive to me. They are certainly dark in the subject matter, as they should be to fit the aggressiveness of the song. Quite a nice fit if you ask me. Making the video in LA for “Throwback” with Corey was the easiest and most focused video shoot I have ever been a part of. The concept was very 'old school metal' In nature with just smoke, lights, the band and METAL! What a concept. We all shared the common vision of just being a metal band captured on film and Corey got it right away. Corey and his entire crew were a sheer joy to work with."

 

 

Broderick further adds: "“Throwback” came about through the influence of great thrash players such as Kerry King (Slayer) and Rob Cavestany (Death Angel). They gave me the inspiration to write a tear your head off, insanely fast rhythm. From there it progressed as I wrote, into a song that doesn't only have elements of thrash but everything in between with elements of progressive, and groove. I never expected “Throwback” to be the first release off the CD, as it's not commercial, doesn't follow a typical verse, chorus, solo scheme, and is almost six minutes long. However, when you hear the fire, emotion and brutality of the song, it becomes very clear that it was a contender to show people what Act Of Defiance is really about. It was awesome working with Corey Soria on the music video. He had the same vision as us and understood immediately what the song was trying to say and how it should look. Along with the insight he had, there was a tireless work ethic, doing different angles, pans and trying new ideas as he conceives them is an art in itself. When we looked at the first edit, my jaw dropped and then he came back with more that included post editing FX that added to the mood. From the camera angles, to the lighting and editing this video far surpassed what I hoped for."

Birth And The Burial tracklisting:

“Throwback”
“Legion Of Lies”
“Thy Lord Belial”
“Refrain And Re-Fracture”
“Dead Stare”
“Disastrophe (A New Reality)”
“Poison Dream”
“Obey The Fallen”
“Crimson Psalm”
“Birth And The Burial”

"Throwback" video: