''Beyond Recognition'' is the third full-length album (and final until 2009's ''

The Prophecy ''The Prophecy'' is a 1995 American fantasy thriller film starring Christopher Walken, Elias Koteas, Virginia Madsen, Eric Stoltz, and Viggo Mortensen. It was written and directed by Gregory Widen in his feature directorial debut, and is the fi ...

'') by American

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...

band Defiance, released in 1992 on Roadrunner Records. It was a bit of a departure from the band's previous work. It can be best described as " progressive thrash metal", featuring more complex song structures,

odd time signatures The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note value ...

, numerous

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (ma ...

and tempo changes, technical

riffs A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or accompan ...

and drumming, and even clean sections that often evoked

jazz fusion Jazz fusion (also known as fusion and progressive jazz) is a music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, amplifiers, and key ...

. This newer, more distinctive style earned the band their biggest critical success to date, and many fans hail it as their finest work. Despite this, the album did not sell as well as their previous works due to a shifting musical landscape and as a result, poor advertisement for the album. It has been out of print for many years, though many thrash fans consider it to be a lost gem of the genre. During the recording of ''Beyond Recognition'', vocalist Steev Esquivel temporarily left the band due to lack of focus due to drug addiction. He came back later when the band was not satisfied with their replacement vocalist. All of the tracks on the album still had Esquivel on lead vocals. Former Heathen vocalist Dave White makes a guest appearance on "Inside looking Out", doing a vocal harmony with Esquivel during the chorus line.

Ed Repka Edward J. Repka (born October 22, 1960) is an American graphic artist, best known for creating album covers for metal bands as well as shirt designs, including those featuring Megadeth's mascot Vic Rattlehead. Repka's portfolio also includes Dar ...

also did the cover art.

Track listing

#Killing Floor (03:45) #Step Back (05:01) #Perfect Nothing (05:38) #No Compromise (04:14) #Dead Silence (04:10) #Inside Looking Out (05:19) #The Chosen (04:16) #Powertrip (04:22) #Promised Afterlife (4:50)

Lineup

*Steev Esquivel – lead vocals *

Doug Harrington Douglas McMackin Harrington (October 1, 1966 – November 14, 2006) was an American heavy metal guitarist. He was best known for being one of the lead guitarists for the thrash metal band Defiance throughout their entire recording career. Bi ...

– guitars *Jim Adams – guitars *Mike Kaufmann – bass *Matt Vander Ende – drums *Dave White – backing vocals on "Inside Looking Out"

References

1992 albums Defiance (band) albums Roadrunner Records albums Albums with cover art by Ed Repka {{1990s-thrash-metal-album-stub