UMUR "Beyond Recognition" is the 3rd full-length studio album by US thrash metal act Defiance. The album was released through Roadracer Records in March 1992. It´s the successor to "Void Terra Firma" from 1990. There have been no lineup changes between the two albums.

Stylistically the music on "Beyond Recognition" is rooted in the Bay Area thrash metal style and there are more than a few references to especially Testament. When that is said, Defiance have in keeping with the trend at the time, incorporated quite a few groove metal riffs and rhythms and an occasional alternative edge to their music.

The instrumental musicianship is strong with some sharp riffs, solos, and drumming, and when lead vocalist Steev Esquivel keep to singing his most raw vocals (when he sounds most like Chuck Billy) things are moving along alright...but he really shouldn´t have tried his hands at singing clean vocals. It sounds a bit out of tune, and the vocal melodies aren´t particularly memorable either. It´s not a horror to listen to or anything like that, but it´s not exactly a positive either.

"Beyond Recognition" features a fairly well sounding production job, and upon conclusion it is a decent thrash/groove metal release. Compared to other contemporary releases in a similar style, it doesn´t stand out much though, and that´s probably a large part of the reason why they never reached anything but underground status and success. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Void Terra Firma" is the 2nd full-length studio album by US, Oakland, California based thrash metal act Defiance. The album was released through Roadracer Records in March 1990. Defiance were formed in 1985 and released a couple of demos before releasing their debut full-length studio album "Product of Society (1989)". There´s been one lineup change since the debut as lead vocalist Ken Elkinton has been replaced by Steev Esquivel.

Steev Esquivel makes an instant impact as he is a much more powerful and raw sounding vocalist than Ken Elkinton. At times he reminds me of Chuck Billy from Testament, although Esquivel is generally a bit more one-dimensional in his delivery. Stylistically the music on "Void Terra Firma" isn´t completely unlike the early releases by Testament either (generally a bit more raw and direct though, and not nearly as sophisticated). The band are well playing and you´ll be treated to fast-paced thrashy riffing (Some well played guitar solos too), powerful and relatively varied drumming, and the above mentioned vocals by Steev Esquivel, which suit the music well.

The material is overall well written and relatively catchy, although there´s little here, which is memorable beyond the playing time of the album. Defiance has opted to include a cover of "Killers" by Iron Maiden, and while it´s a welcome breather between their original tracks, it´s not an exceptional cover. It´s just pretty decent like the rest of the material. While the quality of the material is consistent and there aren´t many standout tracks, I´d still mention the opening title track and "Slayground" as some of the more memorable tracks. The latter because of the rhythms played on that track (great drum intro).

While the music is overall relatively effective on "Void Terra Firma" and fans of US, Bay Area thrash metal should find this a decent listen, the sound production is unfortunately a bit thin sounding. And that goes for both the drum and the rhythm guitar sounds. With a more powerful sound production the music would have had a better chance to shine. As it is now a 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is fair.

UMUR "Product of Society" is the debut full-length studio album by US thrash metal act Defiance. The album was released in February 1989 through Roadrunner Records. The "Hypothermia (1988)" demo was noticed by the label who signed Defiance on the basis of the demo. I guess Roadrunner Records had high hopes for Defiance because they brought in Jeff Waters from Annihilator to produce "Product of Society".

The music on the album is pretty standard US thrash metal. Technically well played (especially the drums), pretty well produced (the guitars could have been slightly more powerful) but not very original. The vocals by Ken Elkinton are semi-raw and delivered in the time-typical staccato "stumble over the words" style. For some unknown reason a lot of thrash metal acts in those days insisted on putting more words into their songs than they could actually sing. While the music might be pretty standard (and the song structures formulaic) and far from unique this is still some pretty kickass US thrash metal and there are several seriously head bang inducing riffs on the album. The well played and memorable guitar solos need a mention as an asset too.

Overall "Product of Society" should please the all consuming US thrash metal fan while those of us who crave a slightly more original sound won´t find the album more than just enjoyable and most likely forgotten tomorrow. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.