The Defiants

Filled with big guitar riffs, soaring solos, epic-scale drum sounds, and a super-sized portion of swagger, the Defiants are a band whose music recalls the glory days of the hair metal era. Stylistically, the Defiants bear a certain resemblance to East Coast glam metal stars Danger Danger, which should come as no surprise, since three of the four musicians are Danger Danger veterans. The group made their debut with their self-titled 2016 album for Frontiers Records, while 2019's Zokusho added a bit more polish to their approach. The Defiants are no strangers to the hard rock scene. Formed in 2015 by vocalist Paul Laine, bassist/guitarist/keyboardist Bruno Ravel, and guitarist Rob Marcello -- all former bandmates in hair metal band Danger Danger -- the Defiants brought the big arena rock sound of the '80s and early '90s into the aughts. The trio formed the new project at the urging of the head of the European hard rock label Frontiers Records, a Danger Danger fan who wanted to hear new music in their tradition. Bringing in Van Romaine on drums, the Defiants recorded their self-titled debut, which was also produced by Ravel. Released in April 2016 on Frontiers, The Defiants contained melodic hard rock anthems full of guitar solos and singalongs reminiscent of the stadium-packing '80s style popularized by bands like Journey, Bon Jovi, and their own previous band, Danger Danger. After touring behind the debut album, the Defiants headed back to the studio to cut their follow-up, 2019's Zokusho, which introduced drummer Steve West, replacing Van Romaine. ~ Neil Z. Yeung & Mark Deming