DEFECTO - Echoes of Isolation

DEFECTO

Album: Echoes of Isolation

Genre: Progmetal

Release Date: October 31st, 2025

Country: Denmark

Label: Frontiers Records

Danish Progmetal powerhouse DEFECTO are one of those bands I had the pleasure to discover at an early state of their career, as they already caught me with their vigorous debut, and their music has been with me since then. Whether following their studio work – not to forget about the different projects of frontman Nicklas Sonne like Theory, Aries Descendant and solo - or enjoying their mind blowing live shows, some wonderful memories have been made along the way.

Taking a look back, their first album, “Excluded”, (2016) was an expressive Metal masterpiece with very personal songs about struggling and loneliness. The follow-up in 2017, “Nemesis”, brought more cinematic elements into their music, which became even more with “Duality” (2020). While the background orchestration got a bit dominant at some point, their remarkable elements like mighty vocals and excellent guitar work were still there.

So with album No 4 showing up on the horizon, I was excited to hear how they’ll sound in 2025, and here we go! “Echoes of Isolation” will be out on October 31st, exploring the haunting landscape of mental illness and psychological struggles - from PTSD, schizophrenia, and anxiety to other hidden battles that so many people may carry inside.

Opener “The Unraveling” sets a dark, cinematic atmosphere, seamlessly taking us into “Eternal Descent” with a fat riff and the whole band firing on all cylinders. The main rhythm is perfect for a ride on the highway, while the vocals deliver a strong melody, spiced up with some virtuoso instrumental interludes. Next up is “Sacred Alignment”, which chorus clearly has stadium sing-along character. Then Nicklas’ growls hit again, and the guitar duo comes up with one of those furious solo parts that I absolutely adore.

Talking about bangers, don’t miss out on “Eclipsed by the Void”! This epic perfectly shows what Defecto are capable of, playing complex, yet accessible songs with a great variety and high headbanging factor. Crank it up, and hear for yourself :-)

The following “Heart on Fire” is the only song that feels a bit misplaced musically, scratching hard on the line of getting too cheesy, but fortunately there’s no “fire – desire” rhyme ;-) However it is well done, even has some earworm characteristic, but might work better in a different context, not so much on this album for me.

After this little detour, they’re back on track with the mighty "Quantum Abyss", which got a marvelous piano intro, the Symphony X like "Through Cloak and Bones", and a vigorously "Shattered Reality". Last but not least the title track, which opens in a balladic vein, but wow! does this song grow over nearly 10 minutes with the whole band going all in for a last time, delivering a worthy, great finale.

After a bunch of listens, I’d say DEFECTO share their most mature release to date, throwing everything in that I love about this band. The "Echoes of Isolation" are loud, wild, and touching, encouraging not to hide when going through different kinds of internal struggles. For me it's impressive to hear how much they've grown as musicians (also vocal-wise) and song-writers over the years, which shines even brighter thanks to the again fat yet detailed sound. The overall pace on the album is high, yet always focussed on melody and groove, and with a great dynamic within the songs. Compared to their previous record, there's less background orchestration, but more Rock’n Roll – and they absolutely nail it. Can't wait to hear the songs live next year - it's gonna be a blast :-)

Written by Katha

Line-Up:

Nicklas Sonne - Vocals, Guitar
Frederik Møller - Guitar
Thomas Bartholin - Bass

Track-List:

1.    The Unraveling
2.    Eternal Descent
3.    Sacred Alignment
4.    Eclipsed By The Void
5.    Heart On Fire
6.    Quantum Abyss
7.    Through Cloak And Bones
8.    Shattered Reality
9.    Echoes Of Isolation