Vice Squad – Defiant / 2006 SOS / 14 Tracks / http://www.lastrockers.com / http://www.sosrecords.us / Reviewed 04 October 2006

Vice Squad has been around a long time, so it is nice to see them create a new album and come out withy something that at least brief approximates their previous work. The only thing that one can immediately hear about Vice Squad during their opening track “Voice of the People” is that the distortion sounds much too cheap for a band that otherwise has a solid recording and production throughout the rest of the disc. This is the same sort of things that happens during “Britain is Still Burning”.

There is a poppiness to their songs on “Defiant” that is directly opposed to the added layer of fuzz that is present. The fuzz just does not seem real, but rather feels like an afterthought. If the album was recorded in a slightly less impressive way, this different in qualities would not be as stark and as glaring as it is on this disc. “Don’t Let The Bastards Grind You Down” is perfects the best track on the disc, but it is also the song that is closest thing that Vice Squad have to being on the Josie and the Pussycats soundtrack. The band’s sound has changed a lot since the band first came out all those years ago, and while it is not a bad thing (the songs on “Defiant” are all catchy), individuals that liked tracks and albums like “No Cause For Concern” may just be scratching their heads at the end of this CD.

The first time on “Defiant” that Vice Squad start to regain a bit of their previous sound has to come during “Ordinary, Decent”. In this track, the grittiness of the vocals comes back, and matches well with the down and dirty (but not unnecessarily distorted) guitar lines laid down. The most interesting thing is that the follow-up track to “Ordinary, Decent” is a much slower, much more deliberate song. This is highlighted more by the distinctness of the two styles that follow one another. Vice Sqwuad is able to create track after track that has something for listeners; there is still an edge present with the band that cannopt be removed no matter how precariously close to pop that Vice Squad gets. Here’s to hoping that Vice Squad has another 20 or so years left in their bodies, as their style of music is still catchy and the band still has something to say.

Top Tracks: Spitfire, Defiant

Rating: 6.5/10

[JMcQ]