Review by Saxy S for Act of Defiance - Old Scars, New Wounds (2017)

Act of Defiance is the side project of Shawn Drover and Chris Broderick after leaving Megadeth. They were around during the Endgame to Super Collider era of the band. Perhaps beginning with Megadeth as the point of reference was a bad place to start because I already have a storied history of disliking that band. So when the downtuned guitars and harsh vocals of Henry Derek open up Old Scars, New Wounds I was certainly intrigued. For starters, it didn't sound like Megadeth, which is already a big green flag in my book! That optimism quickly faded as Act of Defiance reveal all that they learned in songwriting from Dave Mustaine as Old Scars, New Wounds becomes a bore to listen to. This record loses momentum in record time as they begin copying riffs as early as "Lullaby of Vengeance"; not to mention that many of the albums slower tunes like "The Talisman" sound like they borrowed a riff straight out of the In Flames songbook.  

This album has awkward aspirations of being something more than just a bog standard mid 2010s thrash metal album. The vocals are varied between clean and harsh, the riffing goes through a variety of styles, there is guitar soloing galore and a basic understanding of key center fatigue. The issue is that most of it is performed with the most careless attitude. Henry Derek's vocals are so monotonous and most of the time, the cleans sound atrocious over the soundscape. Every riff sounds borrowed from another more popular trend, and the low end of the album is utterly neutered by Broderick's guitar playing. The riffing, soloing and drum work is pretty good so if you're just looking for some good old fashioned shredding to indulge in, you'll likely have a solid enough time with Old Scars, New Wounds. But even for a project that is so linked to Megadeth, I expected a lot more. 

Best Songs: Molten Core, Reborn, Broken Dialect