Music
Press
“Heavy without sacrificing songwriting focus, Defused is charged with energy and shot through with melody and groove.” - A&R Select - A&R Select
Manic drums & on-the-edge guitar! - indie-music.com
These are high energy, radio friendly rock tracks with a hard edge. These songs show a high level of musicianship from beginning to end. The bass lines pounding strong, the guitars ringing out, the drums holding steady, and the vocals laying melody all over the music. The vocalist being diverse, gets the screaming when needed, and the rough rock vocal, and the smooth melodic vocals as well. And he pulls it all off with ease. THUNDERBOLTS FOR JUPITER itself is a very diverse album. The extra electro percussion and effects add much depth to the disc. The mix is very well done, and the production is pro quality all around. DEFUSED nails the hard rock, and progression driven ballads with style and experience. Great band for the genre. We need more rock bands with diversity like this.
- Joe Conte
Quote: "This New York band has given rock fans a collection of songs that will not only have you reaching for your wallet but perhaps even buying a second copy to give to anyone who thinks rock begins and ends with Pete Wentz."
By Danny Brown
Don't let the name put you off – Defused is not an 80s thrash metal band. On the contrary, although these four New Yorkers certainly like their guitars loud and the drums fighting with the bass for supremacy, Defused remind us what good, honest rock is all about on their debut Thunderbolts For Jupiter.
Born as a project between the two Angilletta brothers Bobby (drums) and Mike (guitars), Defused soon became a four piece with the introduction of vocalist Jay G.S. and bassist Tim Harkenreader. And what a foursome it is.
With a sound that mixes in the best of Nickelback, Foo Fighters and The Used, the debut album Thunderbolts For Jupiter is a confident shock to the system. With guitar that sears you to the bone, this is 40 minutes' worth of out and out rock and gentler tunes, and the perfect antidote to the "emo rock" so popular today.
Opening track proper (there's a sixteen second intro first) "In A Way" sets Defused's stall out from the start. Almost Queensryche in its chord structure, it eases its way from a mid-tempo verse into the heavier sound that encapsulates the whole Defused experience, yet still retains an air of melody throughout. Vocalist Jay comes over like the younger brother of Dave Grohl and has an air about his singing that you can imagine him controlling the crowd in a live setting.
This continues on "Bottle Of Smoke," an almost animalistic snarl of a song that just demands you to punch your fist in the air. Even when Defused slows things down on "Just A Memory," which brings to mind once-popular British rock band Thunder, there's still a hint of menace with the spoken "ashes to ashes, dust to dust" intro. This isn't a band for fans of "rock" bands like Fall Out Boy.
Yet Defused show they're more than just hired rock hands with the instrumental that is "Fly," an acoustic, almost psychedelic instrumental that breaks things up nicely before the ears are assaulted again with the likes of the raucous "Personal Hell" and the powerhouse that is "Filth Yourself." Yet it's an assault that you'll never press charges for.
With Thunderbolts For Jupiter, this New York band has given rock fans a collection of songs that will not only have you reaching for your wallet but perhaps even buying a second copy to give to anyone who thinks rock begins and ends with Pete Wentz.
Danny Brown - Indie-Music.com - Indie-Music.com
Discography
Thunderbolts For Jupiter (2007)
Photos
Bio
Defused
Want a little hard rock for breakfast? How about lunch? Dinner, perhaps? A midnight snack? You'd better have that kind of desire, because once you've heard Defused, you won't be able to get enough. This high-energy alt-rock act will get under your skin with the first song you hear and from there you'll be wanting to jam to Defused's music morning, noon and night.
Ascend
Music is ascension, says Defused. It is a place where everything coalesces. It is the manifestation of metaphysical truth in evidence before your very ears. “Music makes us feel a complete blend of both positive and negative emotions felt and expressed by most humans.” It's the entire spectrum of human feeling intensified to a bright pulse of aural waves. At least in the right hands it is. And you better believe no hands are more right than those of Defused's talented musicians.
Fun and Purposeful
For Defused, there are two important criteria that must be met for a song. “The first and foremost rule of our band is: If it's not fun, it's not worth it.” If the band isn't getting the vibe running through its veins, then the audience isn't likely to feel the hook either. It's got to resonate in the party center of the brain – or why bother? “The second idea is more personal and deep. And that is: We feel that music is our purpose in life. It's something we must do.” If there is destiny, it is music. Defused feels no greater passion than the heartbeat felt in the name of rock. “It's as if rock-n-roll is our religion, our calling. Music creates a lot of good in the world ... Music is a way of life.”
After Leaving, Before Arrival
That huge stretch before beginning and end is the whole point for Defused. “What inspires Defused is the journey.” Finding the fire in life and just taking life as it comes – well, that's the spirit of rock-n-roll. And the spirit of rock is alive and well in the music of Defused. It's all about “where we've been, where we're going and where we are now.”
The Artist at Work
Prior to putting together the lineup for Defused – along with his brother – Bobby A gained impressive experience as a professional drummer, gigging with a number of bands, some of whom shared the stage with Shinedown, Sebastian Bach and Mudvayne. Bobby A was also featured on ESPN's “Cold Pizza” program. The group's first self-produced album, “Thunderbolts for Jupiter,” hit the streets early this year. Recording will commence on the next album this fall. Ultimately, the members of this band believe the key to greatness is brotherhood. “The great bands were founded by the connection and blood bond of brotherhood. Bobby and Mike Angilleta share that driving force and connection in Defused. Together with the talents of Jay G.S. and Tim Harkenreader, the brothers plan to take Defused to the summit of rock-n-roll greatness.” Defused is currently working with A&R Select, the leading A&R firm in Hollywood, CA.
Review
“Heavy without sacrificing songwriting focus, Defused is charged with energy and shot through with melody and groove.” - A&R Select
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