Void Terra Firma

Void Terra Firma was Defiance's second album and first with new singer Steev Esquivel (subsequently of Skinlab), and its music represented the typical features of second-wave Bay Area thrash: an obsession with overt technicality (often taking precedence over fluid songwriting and good hooks) and a thicker, crunchier guitar sound which gave discreet notice of the then on-the-rise death metal aesthetic. In other words, they weren't doing anything original enough to really break out of the pack, but within the thrash genre's strict confines, Defiance were tackling both trends more capably than most. It's safe to say that the sheer, nimble musicianship displayed on standouts like the title track, "Skitz-Illusions," and "Last Resort (Welcome to Poverty)" left even worthy contemporaries such as Forbidden and Death Angel in the proverbial dust, and the seemingly telepathic connection between the rhythm and lead work of guitarists Doug Harrington and Jim Adams still sounds barely possible -- literally phenomenal. And perhaps even more commendable is the way newcomer Esquivel rises to the challenge of his cohorts' absurd instrumental abilities. As well as displaying above average lyric-writing abilities (albeit about typical metal subjects like death, doom, and destruction), he delivers them in an authoritative, part-growled, part-shrieked, part-melodious style whose only possible negative is deriving rather blatantly from the style of Testament's Chuck Billy. Who really cares, though? Other than that, an entertainingly thrashed-over cover of Iron Maiden's "Killers" and a micro-flirtation with acoustic guitars in the intro to "Checkmate" are the only minor surprises on hand here, qualifying Void Terra Firma as mandatory listening only for serious thrash enthusiasts. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia