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With all my love for Italy and its history, culture, food and nature, the country is hardly anyone's go-to source for metalcore and heavy music in general. Oldschool legends like Lacuna Coil or Rhapsody of Fire have been boldly waving their flag for decades, but outside of their circle you will really have to dig deeper into personal favourites (Disarmonia Mundi, anyone?) and unsung heroes to represent the local scene. However, much like everywhere else across Europe, there appears to be a new wave of Italian metal bands, with Dead Like Juliet easily their brightest and loudest leaders that have just dropped their brilliant latest album Stand Defiant, that really raises the bar for their compatriots and contemporaries.
Hailing from the picturesque sub-tyrolean area between Italy and Austria, Dead Like Juliet have been an active band for several years with their debut LP Stranger Shores (2018) putting them on the map with an intense blend of hardcore and modern metalcore, as well as super energetic live shows. Five years later, the band returns with a self-released sophomore album that exudes maturity and determination, and easily makes them one of the most exciting rising acts in Europe. If there were ever any doubts about their place within the international metal scene, promo singles like 'Rise Up!' and 'Godkiller', as well as their huge recent tour with Aviana, InVisions and Earth Caller, should easily silence them.
To fully understand Stand Defiant, you need to consider the wider socio-political picture and global events that have shaken our world on one side, as well as the recent change in power in Italy on another. Without wanting to turn this into a political page, you will need to do your research to really dive into Dead Like Juliet and what fuels their rage and anxiety. Lyricially, Stand Defiant is brutally honest and serve as the wake-up call we all need, perfectly backed by its restless instrumentals and a dominant feeling of defiance and hope.
Dead Like Juliet can be defined as a hardcore outfit with major metalcore influences, or a metalcore one with deep hardcore roots, or one of those few precious acts that remember where the "core" in metalcore really comes from. Unlike many other modern bands whose post-2020 albums sound predictable, scripted and polished, Stand Defiant has character and soul, with something meaningful and powerful to say and just the right way to deliver it. The album might have dropped alongside huge new releases from the likes of Currents, The Devil Wears Prada and Unearth, but it stands boldly on its own and should not be missed.
Its obvious musical, lyrical and technical qualities aside, and ignoring for a second the fact that Dead Like Juliet are completely independent, Stand Defiant is also very concise and balanced, hitting just the perfect lenght and order. From the ralying opening 'Backs Against The Wall', to the raging conclusion in 'Doomed', the album goes just over half an hour and delivers 10 instant modern metal classics. Between the already mentioned songs, the envigorating promo singles 'Your Song' and 'Let Me Die For You', the powerful Gloria Steinem tribute in 'Lioness', the emotional 'Facing Death' and 'Falling Together', the hopeful 'Light In The Dark', the album simply doesn't show a single moment of hesitation or weakness.
All in all, I am struggling to find a way to give Dead Like Juliet the praise and respect they so deserve. Their second offering might not be album of the year, push genre boundaries or redefine modern standards, but it isn't trying to do that, and its brilliance lies precisely within its simplicity and convention. Stand Defiant is an example of authentic, raw and honest release, finding the golden mean between heavy and melodic, light and dark, hope and despair, and acting as the perfect reflection of our troubled and twisted modern world.
Dead Like Juliet - 'Stand Defiant'
Country: Italy / Austria
Released: 5 May 2023
Label: Self-release
Tracklisting:
1. 'Backs Against The Wall'
2. 'Your Song'
3. 'Let Me Die For You'
4. 'Lioness'
5. 'Godkiller'
6. 'Facing Death'
7. 'Falling Together'
8. 'Light In The Dark'
9. 'Rise Up!'
10. 'Doomed'
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