This is not my first encounter with Act of Defiance. It’s not even my first review of one of their albums. The review was, however, lost during a faulty backup of the site. I remember it as very good musically and this has similar qualities. This second album – Old Scars New Wounds – doesn’t sound as much Megadeth as the debut though. It’s not strange at all that this came across in the sound since two of the members are ex-members of Megadeth.
But never mind that now. Old Scars New Wounds is the second album of this band and it’s a fine album. I like the riffs and I partially like the vocals. I have a hard time with distorted vocals. It’s really not my cup of tea, But on the other hand, there’s also clean vocals and some mild growling. I have nothing against that but for me, Act of Defiance is more about the guitars than the vocals. It’s fast riffs and scales with some slower and heavier parts of course.
There are not many memorable parts though. It’s good and I like it a lot but the qualities needed to make the last jump from good to great just isn’t there.
