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Defiance

Nothing Lasts Forever
2003
Punk Core

Defiance - Nothing Lasts Forever (Cover Artwork)

Review by: JanelleJ
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Published on October 24th 2003

Is it possible that Defiance’s second album is even more visceral, scathing, and angry than their classic 1995 debut 'No Future No Hope'? Well, listening to Punk Core’s reissue of this 2000 beauty and examining the biting, socio-politically aware lyrics, definitely is grounds for this surmise.

To wit, “Nowhere”, the opening track on 'Nothing Lasts Forever', is simply brutal, featuring the gloriously treasonous lines, “Poverty and suffering is brought on by your fucking country/A country I won’t support/A flag I fucking hate/A nation I despise, so fly your flag/And I’ll fucking burn it.” Oh my. And from here on in, it’s just one scorching anthem after another. No doubt these guys have some of the most incendiary messages around. And that’s to say nothing about the equally riotous music, which is sheer, raving, urgent streetpunk bliss. Defiance put a great emphasis on the bludgeoning, heavy rhythm section - just listen to those drums on “Nothing Worth Dying For”…I rest my case. Meanwhile, the exceedingly furious, incensed vocals aid in supplementing the messages that are so central to Defiance’s continued relevance. And the pessimistic, downright contemptuous lyrics are inevitable – how can the band be upbeat when they’re singing about all the injustices we face everyday, exposing social ills that seemingly will never cease?

The only two departures from the norm (subject-wise, not musically) are “You Don’t Know”, which is an attack on poseurs within the punk scene, and the one real positive offering, “Cheers”. Oh and they also cover Motorhead/Girlschool’s “Emergency”.

In any event, a real sense of hopelessness, similar to that found on “No Future No Hope”, the title track from their debut LP, is prevalent on a number of tracks like “Dead and Gone”, as they shout, “What will fucking change?/Nothing at all” while musing that when they’re dead and gone, “No matter what I’ve said and done/Everything will be the same/So why should I care, why does it matter?” This same feeling is mirrored in “Don’t Want It”, which features lines like, “I don’t give a fuck if it all comes crumbling down/I have no faith or allegiance in your fucking system.”

Yet then there are songs like “It’s Never Gonna Change”, which despite the disenchanted title, conveys the idea that there is a way to better our lives and to end the fact that for many people happiness in life only comes from “complete and blind acceptance,” but only if we unite and fight for the same cause – freedom from oppression and to see the system “fall to its knees.” Thus, this song acts like a rallying cry for all of us who feel the same way and want to precipitate change once and for all. Likewise, the phenomenal, foreboding finale, the title track, is along the same lines, warning that our corrupt system where the few in power “set the rules and control the laws” that “only benefits their rights and privileges” while they “exploit the poor” will eventually come to an end, because as these Portland, Oregon punks know, “nothing lasts forever”…

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Posted by chelle on 2005-05-06 12:51:54
My Score:

i love this cd.....i give them a 10

Posted by Greenvandal on 2003-10-29 20:55:51
My Score:

Most are fashion bullshit. Just saying fuck this fuck that cuz its punk fucking rock.

Im not saying all bands are like that, not by a longshot! (you reviewed Subhumans BSD, so you obviously got one right there)

but shit like this definetly is.

Posted by BSD on 2003-10-28 20:12:48
My Score:

Everyone complains about bands being anti-establishment and not backing it up... But I know of more bands who do know their shit than ones that don't...

Posted by Greenvandal on 2003-10-28 08:51:55
My Score:

Hahaha, the dude below hit the lyrical subject right on the fucking head. There are two types of songs I am most sick off and they are...

1. killing girlfriend songs

AND

2. Senseless and baseless Punk RaWk anti-establishment lyrics.

I mean...TRY to put some effort into the subject if its so fucking important to you.

Posted by Anonymous on Monday, October 27, 2003 at 9:57 PM (EST)
My Score:

Ahh... Defiance...
Since i've live in portland i've seen them, ugh.. How many times? Probably two or three? Wheni moved here i loved them. The 'no future, no hope' album is(still is!) fucking stellar... but the last time i paid to see them they got on stage too drunk to play, and finally the guy who was putting on the show just made them get off the stage. It was pretty sad. Politics are important, but if you're such scene royalty that you get on stage so pissed (or so HIGH) that you can't play three effin' chords then who cares? Defiance? well, they're anarcho-punk stylings are a young punk's game, and they've gotten to old and self-important to play it. whatever.
-paully

Posted by Anonymous on Monday, October 27, 2003 at 7:53 PM (EST)
My Score:

You know who writes better political lyrics than that? Fucking anybody.

Posted by funkisdead on 2003-10-27 12:08:03
My Score:

janelle and bsd, you should still sumbit things here. it adds character to the site, and people get the choice of trying something new.
i'd much rather read about this than fucking something corporate or whatever. maybe i'd rather COMMENT on something corporate, but thats a different story.

Posted by Greenvandal on 2003-10-27 09:18:49
My Score:

The thought riot debut is DECENT...if only it was the same 2 songs played over and over again...bleh.

You write well, its just...I dunno, you never find any flaws in anything. Ever.

And I do reviews occasionaly...but I often dont have time to put the effort into typing up a review unless its something I really think people should hear me say (except that Thrice review...that was just me being first to the draw)

Can we at least agreethat the buzzcocks are way radical?

Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, October 26, 2003 at 7:30 PM (EST)
My Score:

"I'm working on my own site so I won't have to come back here to try and spread the message of hate."

Oh dude you know who to call!
Yeah this year saw 999, Subhumans, Slaughter And The Dogs, D.R.I., Threats, Skeptix, GBH, Circle Jerks, Discharge, Vibrators, Adicts, MDC (both at Viva Le Punk), Exploited...and UK Subs seems like the last thing I've been waiting for all year. It's sad in a way. But damn, can't wait!
-Janelle

Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, October 26, 2003 at 6:29 PM (EST)
My Score:

That's awesome. The Vibrators and the UK Subs BOTH bailed on my town. Money issues with all 2 of our clubs... Yeah, I hate how this site only posts one street punk or 77 reissue review at a time, and even then puts it at the bottom of the list. I'm working on my own site so I won't have to come back here to try and spread the message of hate.

-BSD

Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, October 26, 2003 at 6:19 PM (EST)
My Score:

"Okay, reviewer, one of us is going to have to review the first Discharge LP"

Ahhhh Discharge...saw em in September! Next day was Vibrators! Tuesday's UK SUBS!!!!
Anyway, you can call me by name, "Reviewer" sounds so formal, sir.
I do my reviewing of '70s/'80s punk at other sites now - where they are appreciated! - although here I've got some UK SUBS, Damned, Partisans, Sham 69, GBH.
-Janelle

Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, October 26, 2003 at 4:26 PM (EST)
My Score:

Okay, reviewer, one of us is going to have to review the first Discharge LP. Defiance is good too.

-BSD

Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, October 26, 2003 at 3:58 PM (EST)
My Score:

Thought Riot's debut IS good.

-Janelle
As for the ratings, I'm not backing down from my stance, but I'm not a fan of rating things. It gives me the old night terrors...but I won't get into that. I like writing about them, describing the music/band, not allotting stars.
In other news, Funkisdead is cool with me, though.

Posted by funkisdead on 2003-10-26 13:20:13
My Score:

i recommend you ignore the scores and read the reviews themselves. one man's plastic is another man's silver, or what have you.
maybe the internet could save you from such difficulties? its nice you actually BUY records, but the net could save you from being misled, and save us from complaints.
you should review some of these records and give them mediocre ratings, so we can all learn.
and dude, she SHOULD kick your ass... you provoked her.

Posted by Greenvandal on 2003-10-26 12:45:14
My Score:

I bet she would kick my ass. And just because its not popular doesnt make it good.

I have been pissed off at everyone who gives everything thats punk a perfect score ever since I bought the Thought Riot CD based on a review here. How painfully naive of me. None of this stuff is bad, but its far from perfect.

Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, October 26, 2003 at 11:51 AM (EST)
My Score:

you losers don't know about this awesome punk band because you're too caught up in the pop-punk and emo world. punk is so dead if no one knows who Defiance are.

Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, October 25, 2003 at 7:27 PM (EDT)
My Score:

jesus loves you janelle

Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, October 25, 2003 at 4:27 PM (EDT)
My Score:

Ahh I love you.
-Janelle

Posted by funkisdead on 2003-10-25 15:00:14
My Score:

i bet janelle could beat the living shit out of green vandal.
this score represents the number of scars we'd see on his face after the rumble.

Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, October 25, 2003 at 1:10 PM (EDT)
My Score:

Ahhhh! I forgot you can't review a record like this without (the reviewer and/or band) being bashed. How stupid of me. Oh well. Deal with it.
This score is for my friend Green Vandal's witty remark.
-Janelle

Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, October 25, 2003 at 8:16 AM (EDT)
My Score:

A perfect review for a band that talks about politics? Yeah, Janelle did it.

Will you give a perfect score to anything that says something along the lines of "fuck authourity" or do they only need to have a mohawk to make the greatest record ever?

-!Greenvandal!

Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, October 25, 2003 at 7:09 AM (EDT)
My Score:

"as I was clicking this, I thought 'I bet Janelle wrote this.' I was right."

Neat neat neat...hmm...hopefully that's a good thing.
-Janelle

Posted by TheOneTrueBill on 2003-10-24 23:15:46
My Score:

as I was clicking this, I thought "I bet Janelle wrote this." I was right.

Posted by TahoeJeff on 2003-10-24 18:44:18
My Score:

never heard these guys, but they sound like a bunch of complainers...do they offer any solutions to their gripes?

Posted by skankin_in_the_pit on 2003-10-24 16:58:41
My Score:

All I've heard from these guys is "no future no hope" and it is pretty damn good. I don't know why I haven't got their other records since I saw em' with Icons Of Filth.

Posted by ilikebandssuchasopivy on 2003-10-24 16:48:30
My Score:

judging by the lack of comments.. im not the ONLY one who does not know who these guys are.

Posted by Anonymous on Friday, October 24, 2003 at 3:34 PM (EDT)
My Score:

Fucking great street punk band from my home town of PDX. I have the original that was put out on Mindcontrol. Fucking classic album.