Fast-rising metal act Defects drop a brand-new track, ‘Heresy’ described as “an unrelenting exorcism of the soul, which rages at false promises”.
The band has spent the start of the summer tearing across the European festival circuit. Debuting the song at Slam Dunk (UK) to a phenomenal response before releasing it on Mystic Festival (Poland), Rock Im Park/Rock Am Ring (Germany), Rock for the People (Czech Republic) and Krakow (Poland) in support of the Northlane.
“It has been incredible. It’s brought a new level of energy to our live sets and really gets the crowd jumping. It feels more polished, more evolved than anything from the first album,” said singer Tony Maue.
‘Heresy’ is the first track since last year’s breakthrough debut, the incredibly personal Modern Error. 2024 saw them take the stage at Download (UK) and Graspop (Belgium), as well as perform alongside Of Mice and Men, Orbit Culture, and Funeral For A Friend, in addition to already having shared the stage with Bullet For My Valentine and In Flames.
Talking about the new song, Maue went on to say, “’Heresy’ is a brutal confrontation with blind faith and false hope—a soaring anthem for anyone fed up with being lied to. It doesn’t hold back, warning of the silence that follows empty promises and the chaos that comes from unquestioned belief. Every lyric is a cry for accountability and justice.”
The band are never afraid to delve into the most personal depths of their emotions. Talking about the band’s evolution, Maue added, “Following on from Modern Error, our sound has taken a big leap forward. We didn’t cut any corners—every detail was considered. We set out to do something new while staying true to the core of what makes this band special and why people connected with us in the first place. Writing this time was a challenge. We pushed ourselves to go places we hadn’t before, rewriting countless demos until we had something that felt like the best version of ourselves. I think people will feel that.”
Defects will spend the rest of the summer lighting up the festival stages across Europe; Jera On Air (The Netherlands), Impericon Festival (Germany), Rockharz (Germany), Summer Breeze Open Air (Germany), Parkpop (Belgium) and supporting metalcore titans Trivium for three shows across Germany, Belgium and The Netherlands. Sharing the stage with Trivium will be a particularly poignant moment as the singer smiled, “This is a real full-circle moment for all of us. We grew up listening to them and took a lot of influence from their music. This is what we live for—moments like this.”
“The response to Modern Error was unreal,” Maue reflected. We were writing those songs during lockdown, mostly for ourselves. So, to see people get tattoos, scream the words back at us, and say the music helped them through hard times… That’s something we’ll never get over. We love our fans deeply and appreciate every bit of support. That connection fuels us. We want to show them why they should stick around for this next chapter. The new material has pushed us creatively and emotionally—it’s bigger, smarter, and more intense. Still raw and emotional, like the first record, but with more depth and intention. All killer, no filler.”
As Defects enter a new chapter, the deep personal connection with fans has grown. Comfortable in their own skin, they remain committed to the messages they convey, and now the music has taken a leap forward, with its sights firmly set on the biggest stages.
