Defaced finally releases its third album.
Known for several years as Trigger Tones, the Swiss band now led by Thomas Gertsch (vocals), Massimiliano Malvassora (drums), Marco Kessi (guitar), Matze Schiemann (guitar), and Michael Gertsch (bass) releases Icon in 2026 via Massacre Records.
The band hits hard right from the start with The Antagonist, an aggressive and catchy track that finally allows Thomas to unleash his beastly roars over his bandmates’ riffs, fearlessly daring to be intense and taking a back seat during the lead parts. There are a few more polished parts, but also some pure violence, before moving on to the melodies of Perception, which in turn accompany the real blocks of rage that serve as the rhythm section. The song is a little longer and allows itself to slow down its assaults while providing them with haunting harmonics before moving on to the menacing As My Will Prevails, which offers dark sounds, but also a devastating groove that would make a corpse headbang from start to finish. We move on to The Initiation and its jerky riffs that allow the harmonics to hypnotize us effortlessly, letting the band strike relentlessly under the vocal assault, joining the very accessible and rather surprising Forever Mine, which reveals unexpected, soaring post-metal accents. The modern touch fits in rather well with the virulent base, but it disappears and darkens again with Anthem Of Vermin, which takes over and pours out all its rage without making the leads disappear, thanks to a very motivating guitar that doesn’t hesitate to monopolize the attention, alternating with the vocalist and his disturbing growls, finally leading us to sweetness with Sonate. The musicians give us just under three minutes of relaxation thanks to a soothing clear sound, but Icon brings back the saturation with vindictive riffs that become dissonant enough to allow the vocals to take center stage and guide the movement. The Melodic Death vibe is very present on this track, which gives way to Culling The Herd and its more brutal death approach with a heavy sound and riffs that clearly call for furious moshing for two minutes and thirty seconds before moving on to Betrayer, the last composition that draws on Black/Death influences to weave unhealthy harmonics before returning to an overwhelming groove and epic leads to close the album.
For their comeback, Defaced have thought big, moving from elaborate Melodic Death to groovy Brutal Death with disconcerting naturalness. Icon is a fairly well-paced album that benefits from a modern sound while remaining true to its roots.
80/100