ACT OF DEFIANCE Feat. Ex-MEGADETH Members: 'Old Scars, New Wounds' Album Due In September

August 8, 2017

ACT OF DEFIANCE will release its sophomore album, "Old Scars, New Wounds", on September 29 via Metal Blade Records.

The official video for the disc's opening track, "M.I.A.", can be seen below. The clip was directed by Robert Graves.

ACT OF DEFIANCE is the group featuring former MEGADETH members Shawn Drover (drums) and Chris Broderick (guitar),alongside ex-SCAR THE MARTYR singer Henry Derek Bonner and SHADOWS FALL's Matt Bachand (bass).

The follow-up to 2015's "Birth And The Burial" was mixed by Dave Otero, who has previously worked with CEPHALIC CARNAGE and CATTLE DECAPITATION, among others. The cover artwork was created by Travis Smith (KING DIAMOND, OPETH, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD).

On "Old Scars, New Wounds", ACT OF DEFIANCE has upped the ante. Each of the eleven new tracks sound fresh and urgent while wielding a timeless quality that will connect powerfully with metal fans new and old — and there aren't many contemporary bands who can make such a claim.

Naturally blending a plethora of metallic styles and never recycling ideas, "Old Scars, New Wounds" is an even more dynamic and diverse collection than its predecessor, which was written solely by Broderick and Drover prior to recruiting Bachand and Derek. With a fully seasoned, tour-hardened band in place, there was room for everyone to bring something to the table this time around, and their varying styles helped shape the record.

The title — plucked from the blistering track "Conspiracy Of The Gods" — stands as a metaphor for life in general, and the breadth of lyrical matter covered is as broad as the styles of heavy music found on the record. "Another Killing Spree" looks at hardcore drug use, while "Lullaby Of Vengeance" is an angry song about singing angry lyrics, and "Overexposure" is an anthem dedicated to not selling out. There is also some very topical material, most notably on "Mis-Information Age" and "Broken Dialect".

"'Mis-Information Age' is very applicable in today's social climate, where we can no longer blindly trust the source of facts that determine our view," Broderick explains. "It asserts that we should be skeptical, making sure we have the truth and not someone's propaganda, while 'Broken Dialect' conveys the idea that people can no longer hold a conversation with each other where their views differ, instead turning to sources that only support the view they want to hold on to."

With every track featuring a blistering solo from Broderick, fans of his shredding can rest assured that the guitarist has not held back — though that was not his initial intention. "I actually wanted to tone it down a bit technically in terms of my solos, but the opposite happened! This was because I inadvertently ended up creating a few new techniques to use in my trick bag and saw their potential, so I worked really hard on the execution so they could make the record."

"Old Scars, New Wounds" track listing:

01. M.I.A.
02. Molten Core
03. Overexposure
04. The Talisman
05. Lullaby Of Vengeance
06. Circle Of Ashes
07. Reborn
08. Conspiracy Of The Gods
09. Another Killing Spree
10. Broken Dialect
11. Rise of Rebellion

Going into writing the record, the quartet had no grand plan, and spread across the continental U.S., the individual members worked separately, bouncing demos back and forth and building on each others' ideas. Like many contemporary bands, through taking advantage of available technologies they made a record that is very much a collaborative effort, despite the distances lying between the members' home bases. Recruiting Otero, they tracked the record likewise, with Broderick laying down guitars in his own Ill-Fated Studios in L.A., Derek and Broderick's vocals tracked at Red Light Studios also in L.A., with Bachand tracking his contributions at Manshark in South Hampton, Massachusetts and Drover's drums were laid down at Atlanta's Glow In The Dark Studios.

Having proven themselves on the road in support of "Birth And The Burial" both as headliners and supporting the likes of KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, HELLYEAH and HATEBREED, the band is looking ahead to the expansive touring that will accompany "Old Scars, New Wounds", and their hunger to get back in front of crowds has not abated in the slightest.

Find more on Megadeth
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).