DefRage Reload is a rock band from Estonia with a long history and an even longer road behind them (think 2007). Over the years, the band has gone by different names — Illumenium, California Condor, and originally, DefRage. But throughout every name change, one thing has remained constant: their independence, their intensity, and their refusal to follow trends. Before the pandemic, DefRage was one of Europe’s most active live bands, playing up to 150 concerts a year, touring non-stop across Germany, Austria, Scandinavia, France and beyond. They were known for powerful performances and a relentless schedule. But things changed in 2020.
When COVID shut down venues, and later the war in Ukraine began, the band took a stand. In 2022, they made a public decision: They would not perform live until peace returns to Ukraine. And they’ve kept their word.
The album was sold for 10 euro’s by an Estonian guy at Pinkpop and before I knew I got it in my hands and was asked to review it. A strange way to get some attention, for sure as there is not much info on the sleeve. But hey, here we go:
The album starts with Dream Made of Stone and has a stoner rock sound. The vocals might be sounding better without the echo effect on it, but I’m not sure about that (but why not try it). The guitar sound is good and some parts of the music gets pretty close to Kyuss. It’s actually not bad at all if you listen to it a few times, so count it in as a slow grower.
Gringo sounds a bit heavier (more screaming, heavier guitar sound, even rambling and on fire). I adore the weeping sound in some specific parts of the song.
WALL (feat. Vera Ellam) has a bit of melancholia in it. Vera Ellam is a very mysterious guest as I didn’t find anything about her online. Fact is that this song has a more floating/dreaming kinda sound.
The album starts with Dream Made of Stone and has a stoner rock sound. The vocals might be sounding better without the echo effect on it, but I’m not sure about that (but why not try it). The guitar sound is good and some parts of the music gets pretty close to Kyuss. It’s actually not bad at all if you listen to it a few times, so count it in as a slow grower.
Gringo sounds a bit heavier (more screaming, heavier guitar sound, even rambling and on fire). I adore the weeping sound in some specific parts of the song.
WALL (feat. Vera Ellam) has a bit of melancholia in it. Vera Ellam is a very mysterious guest as I didn’t find anything about her online. Fact is that this song has a more floating/dreaming kinda sound.
Fray (Immortal/ 10 Minutes) rages on for like 10 minutes with a lot of echo on the vocals, stoner rock and metal influences, all as if the world was on fire and the band was performing it somewhere in the heat.
Icarus XIII seems to mix English with Estonian. I hear a good bass guitar and a strange mix between hip hop and metal. Not sure about the right vibe of this song. I miss a soul inside the song, a spirit and a direction.
Dissident rocks a bit, but the more I listen to the song the harder it gets to understand the song and dive deep in it. The song has some metal parts too. The more I listen to it, the more it sounds as if one guy created the song on his own.
Real Club starts with a dark poppy sound and lot’s of echoes on the vocals. I even hear some instruments that might be here on this album for the first time (accordion and acoustic guitar).
We Never Die XIII sounds like using an old song and putting another song on top of it, sounding a bit like Limp Bizkit.
My Last Cocaine has a nice guitar sound, but the vocals sound a bit like still under influence, just like the person who recorded them. It feels a bit too much like home made with cheap materials.
I Careious has a bit of a commercial rock sound, until the vocal outburst. I start to feel more and more that the mixing was not done properly. The song has some potential, but doesn’t reach it’s high.
Young When 69 sounds like a love song with a nice pallet of acoustic guitar and a floating (Like The Cure on the Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me album). It’s a bit strange to hear tis one after the previous 10 song and so far it’s the best one on the album.
Requiem sounds a bit chaotic, has some potential but needs better studio mixing.
Coca Message XIII sounds like mixing a hip hop minded commercial with some stoner rock. It’s a strange mix and the hip hop minded vocals are on top mixed too much towards the background whilst the guitars sound like shredding at some point.
Revelation Three goes back to a more dream minded set, with an 80’s New Wave touch, some gothic minded slices. But once again: a better mix would have taken the song to a higher level.
Trash is a slow one in the beginning and builds up to a high, but without a real explosion.
Gringo XIII is once again a strange mix hip hop with cheap metal sounds as if somebody was recording a song but the radio was playing also some hip hop sound, so both got mixed into the same song. At least that is what I think of it.
Towards Endless 8 tries to end with a blast. After 17 songs I feel more like this was a test. Unsure about what’s real and what’s unreal. I might be completely wrong, but the internet doesn’t deliver much info about this “band”.
It’s the first time that I think that an album has been created by AI, as on top I can’t find much info about this band. Since I found out that the last Tartu rock fest was a fake one I have a feeling I have to double check sometimes but n this case it’s really hard to find any actual info. So to say: is it real or fake? No clue. Let us know if you find out …
