It’s encouraging to see Par Olofsson finding work in the era of cheap generative artificial intelligence. In hindsight, his purple, glowing depictions of swirling kaiju gore over urban landscapes, which has now become a visual synonym for modern death metal, share a looseness and repetition of detail that is strikingly reminiscent of travel products.
It would be very easy to ask the computer to imitate it, although you’d lose the structural, communicative logic that results from putting a Swede fueled by sandwiches rather than a gasoline-powered server farm behind the brush. Icon , the third record from Switzerland’s Defaced, arrives wrapped in a characteristic Olofsson-ey work and, like the cover, is undeniably human, if a little unambitious. Defaced have resurfaced for over a decade for good reason. A record of carefully crafted death metal.
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Defaced operate in the style of bands like Abysmal Dawn or Throne of Heresy, openly embellishing their death metal with touches of black metal and melodeath and omitting flashy playing and stylized production. “The Antagonist” opens Icon at full speed, showcasing Defaced‘s strengths. After a bit of string tuning, the song’s low, tremolo theme begins, and the band alternates between that riff and a few others for the rest of the song, adding a new touch each time. A secondary melody here has several variations, first staccato, then subdued to support a solo, then broadly enhanced with a discreet pinch harmonic tag at the end, and then enhanced again with a big break after the first phrase for a little ornamentation. Guitarists Matze Schiemann and Marco Kessi don’t turn out impressive riffs, but they play very well with what they present and transition very smoothly between the variations, variations that usually give the rhythm section (drummer Massimiliano Malvassora and bassist Michael Gertsch) a little room to show off. The other Gertsch (with harsh voice Thomas) also gets some nice cut-outs, with the more melodic, black-metal-influenced “The Initiation” letting his powerful roars and hoarse caws echo over the other instruments, often multi-tracked. The Gertsches even create a little bass/barker duet before the bouncy pit riff of “Culling the Herd” kicks in.
Icon has deft pacing and organization. The mid-album duo, “Anthem of Vermin” and “Sonate,” shakes up expectations just when things seem to be getting stagnant, with the former culminating in a triumph of tremendous intensity before passing into the latter, an acoustic guitar piece that six Gothenburg residents would have been proud to record years ago. On both tracks, Defaced apply the same clever and thoughtful songwriting found throughout the album. Neither follows a predictable path, but each new idea stems from the previous one seemingly without effort or thought.
However, Icon lacks the intensity to impress. The band plays their compositions flawlessly and, on small scales, shows a playful mood and creativity that’s often missing from death metal. But somewhere in the middle of the detail – the riffs and the melodies themselves – things are a little gray. Defaced‘s last effort – the decade-old Forging the Sanctuary – suffered similarly, though it had a bit more ambition. Icon plays good death metal but plays it safe, carefully welding the riffs and rubbing the joints smooth into something very strong and very cubic.
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The more carefully I listen to Icon, the more I appreciate Defaced‘s obvious skill. It’s more than a competent record, with airtight songs that squeeze their riffs dry enough without ever becoming tiresome. But these riffs just aren’t very exciting, and this mid-paced modern death metal style really needs spectacle to excel, like the catchy choruses and wild Deathisms of Abysmal Dawn. Icon doesn’t offer listeners excitement, but there is room for plenty of satisfaction. If you like your death metal well-played and no-nonsense, Icon is your cup of tea.
Rating : 3.0/5.0
DR : 6 | Format reviewed : 192 kbps
Record label MP3 : Massacre Records
Websites : facebook.com/defacedswiss
Worldwide releases : January 30, 2026
You’ll find the source at the link below
https://www.angrymetalguy.com/defaced-icon-review/
