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DEFCON (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Label: RETROSPECT
• ASIN: B000PWNP8M
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #516,712 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

DEFCON WERE CHICAGO'S PREMIER MELODIC HARD ROCK / AOR / HAIR METAL ACT IN THE LATE 80s AND EARLY 90s AND THEY WERE KIND ENOUGH TO ALLOW RETROSPECT RECORDS TO RELEASE ALL 4 OF THEIR DEMOS ONTO ONE CD. YOU WILL BE BLOWN AWAY BY THE SHEER QUALITY OF THESE SONGS , POWERFUL VOCALS , SEARING AXEWORK , HUGE HOOKS AND JUST ENOUGH KEYBOARDS TO KEEP ALL THE AOR FANS HAPPY. SOME OF THE SONGS WERE PRODUCED BY RUDY SARZO. RETROSPECT RECORDS CONTINUES TO RELEASE SOME OF THE BEST OBSCURE ARTISTS IN THE WORLD BUT THEY'VE REALLY OUTDONE THEMSELVES THIS TIME!! I COULD COMPARE THESE GUYS TO A NUMBER OF 80s BANDS like Whitesnake , Rock Boulevard , King Kobra , Unruly Child , Signal , XYZ , Warrant , Skid Row , Blue Murder and Hurricane.... BUT I'LL LET YOU LISTEN TO THIS MASTERPIECE FOR YOURSELVES... - YEAR: 2006

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Mega-melodic American hard rock/AOR of the late'80s finally released!!, December 18, 2011

By 

Nikiforos V. Skoumas (Athens Greece, Cambridge UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Same (Audio CD)

Released by "Retrospect Records" are the demo recordings of American melodic hard rock band "Defcon". Active during the late'80s-early `90s, "Defcon" played mega-melodic hard rock in the vain of "Icon" and "King Korba". Extensive melodic guitar lines, perfectly sustained vocals, huge rhythm section and flamboyant keyboard harmonies are the craft of "Defcon"s songs.

The line up features lead singer Mark Matthews, guitarist Tony Artino, drummer Nick LePar and keyboardist Shawn Zavodney. It has to be addressed that "Defcon" is easily amongst the best releases of the particular label; even though classified as demo recordings, the production is consistently satisfactory while the multiple musical layers utilized make for an enjoyable-and at times overwhelming-listening experience.

Realistically, songs like "Time Waits", "What you're hungry for", "Open your heart" and "Slippin' away" are the cream of `80s melodic hard rock/AOR, never forgetting the unsurpassable "Into the night", possibly the album's strongest moment. If you enjoy technical, extra melodic `80s rock then "Defcon" is a satisfaction-guaranteed option. Fans of "Icon", "King Kobra", "Lionsheart" and "Vinnie Vincent's Invasion" should definitely make the most of "Defcon".

4.0 out of 5 stars Vintage melodic hard rock collection, July 16, 2010

By 

Justin Gaines (Northern Virginia) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Same (Audio CD)

Defcon was an American hard rock band that should have really taken off in the late 90's, but for whatever reason never found success. After nearly 15 years, we finally get to hear their music on CD with the self-titled collection from Retrospect Records.

Defcon's sound is probably best described as hair metal, but there's a definite melodic polish to these songs that the average lipstick and spandex Sunset Strip band lacked. The closest points of comparison are probably Hurricane, Von Groove, King Kobra and maybe Winger. There are great melodies, tons of hooks, just enough keyboards and a very strong, if slightly raspy vocal performance by Mark Matthews.

The Defcon collection contains a dozen demo recordings from 1990-1991, plus a pair of vintage live tracks. The live tracks let you really hear the band's energy, and sound very similar to those early Guns n' Roses live songs, which you don't really hear on the studio songs. The sound quality of these songs is really good. The band was involved in the release, so they had the original masters to work from when remastering the songs. Also, the liner notes are much nicer than the average Retrospect reissue, with heavier paper stock, clearer print and some vintage photos.

Serious collectors of 80's era melodic rock will definitely want to check Defcon out. It's always good to discover a previously overlooked band, especially when the quality of the reissue is as nice as this release.