Defects’ Tony Maue: The 10 songs that changed my life

Defects are having a very good year, having released their Modern Error debut album and hit Download hard. Now the Brit metal squadron are getting ready to head out on a UK headline tour.

To get to know singer Tony Maue a bit better, we delved into the songs that have soundtracked his life. Unsurprisingly there’s a bunch of heavy in there, as well as some curveballs. Most importantly, in the event that you get invited to the man’s funeral, make sure you’re wearing some dancing shoes…

“This is probably one of the heaviest songs in existence even now. If it weren’t for Fear Factory, I don’t think you would have got the kind of heaviness that followed afterwards. They really set the bar back in the ’90s. I remember hearing this and referencing the words at school, not really knowing what they meant, like ‘suffer bastard’, and being told off!

“I can blame my dad for that one, but without him showing me this song, I don’t think that I would have got into metal the same way. This song was just a statement. I remember hearing Soul Of A New Machine on vinyl and being like, ‘What the fuck is this?’ And Dino Cazares really changed the game as a guitar player. He influenced me as a guitarist, I loved the fast, rhythmic patterns. It gives space for the vocals to breathe.”

“This is on the album All The Right Reasons, and that album was a very pinnacle moment for me. I’d do a lot of covers at school, and this song got me through some hard times, because at that point I was going through a lot of difficult stuff at home. It was one of those songs I would always play at school, or on the way to school, riding my bike.

“The whole album is great. This song in particular is a ballad-y one, but I don’t think it’s as cheesy as some of the more famous ones. I think that’s why that album cuts through the rest of them – it was a bit experimental, but there’s some heavier tracks on there, too. Side Of A Bullet was about Dimebag Darrell getting shot, which is something you wouldn’t expect to come from Nickelback. If you ever get a chance, have a little deep dive on it, because it’s got some really good tunes on there.”

“I remember my dad went round the corner and got this magazine with a DVD of music videos on it. Maybe it was even a cassette! Anyway, it had this on it, Spit It Out by Slipknot, and I think Korn as well. The first time I heard the chorus to this song, I was just glued to it, and I could not stop singing it. At that point, I couldn’t really sing, so I was just a kid yelling the chorus.

“But that song changed the game for me and that band. Without it, I don’t think I’d have got so into music. I’d listened to Fear Factory before, but with Linkin Park, it was more accessible. They were one of the first bands that really tried to bridge the gap. Some people loved it, and some people really hated it, but for me as a kid, it was a perfect balance. After that, they became the band that I would listen to all the time. It helped me learn to sing and scream.”

“It’s a bit of a random one, but it hit all the right notes at the time. And it’s still got that nostalgia. Even now, it takes you back to some good points in your life. I do look back at that relationship and think, ‘You didn’t even know what love was.’ It lasted, like, two months, but that two months felt like 10 years.

“I remember it was everywhere, this song. I think that’s where the nostalgia comes from – you couldn’t get away from it. I didn’t really get annoyed by it, maybe because I was younger, but now I look back at it, it’s one of the tracks of your life.”

“Alex Baker on Kerrang! Radio gave us a shot and put it on his show. I remember him saying we were really heavy, and that he was digging the chorus. Hearing your own stuff back on the radio is insane. You never get used to that. I always suffer from imposter syndrome, so I kind of feel awkward when I’m hearing my own stuff, because sometimes I feel like I don’t deserve it. But I remember why I do it, and I remember why I’m here. I love music, and I appreciate anyone who gives us an opportunity. So, yeah, it’s such an overwhelming feeling. I love it.”

“This was quite a difficult one, because I think that does change as you get older. At the minute it’s a new song, by a band called Never Easy who got big on TikTok and Instagram. This song sounds a bit like Deftones, but it’s a very trancey track, and it can put you in that feeling of euphoria, where you feel comfortable. You can just relax your mind to it, and it’s a feel-good track. I get lost in it.

“I love songs that can make you go inside yourself, where you factory reset all your thoughts. This song has a nice wall of sound. There’s not many lyrics going on, but it’s a very trancey, rocky track. And one thing I like about it is it’s got an old-school recording feel. It feels like an analogue recording, and I do prefer that. Like I say, it’s great for relaxing your mind.”

“When I was writing it, I thought the verses were going well, but I felt like the chorus always kind of bordered on cheesy. I’d definitely go back and fix that. This song is actually the reason why I went back and rewrote Broken Bloodlines again. So, I’m sort of glad, because without having it, I wouldn’t rethink choruses.

“The thing is, you get people who are like, ‘That’s my favourite song.’ So then I’ve got to turn around and go, ‘I’m so happy for you, man. I love that you love it.’ But, really, no, I’m not a fan of my own chorus!”

“It’s got everything you’d want in a song live. There’s a sing-along chorus, there’s really groovy verses, and that breakdown always goes down really well live. And the more people that know it, the more people move and you just see an eruption. It’s like Mount Vesuvius has erupted in the pit, and everyone’s just going, going full blast. That’s always a good moment in the set.”

“I’m not going to pinpoint, I don’t think that’s fair, but I’ll say songs that don’t have a good meaning behind them. If you’re just writing for the sake of writing, like a pop song, it’s just at face value, ‘Oh, it’s just a cool melody,’ that doesn’t do it for me. The reason why I loved Linkin Park growing up, and I loved Nickelback growing up, was because the subject matter was actually worth delving into. You’d learn the lyrics, take those lyrics and put them in a format that works with your life. So, for me, it’s got to be meaningful. It’s about expression. I need music as a therapy.”

“As I go into the crematorium: ‘Burn, baby burn!’ If you have a sad time at your funeral, you’re doing it wrong. The whole point is to celebrate life, right? So make it funny and make it a nice day for people, even though it’s going to be miserable. I get it, but you want to uplift them somehow. Obviously life is quite serious, but in that moment, I’d rather not take it too seriously. Be happy with the life that you had, and try to make people who were there be happy with the life that you celebrated with them. It should be a chance for people who knew you to celebrate and have a good day with loved ones. I think this would help with that at the end.”

Defects tour the UK from October 29.

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• Linkin Park Share Never-Before-Seen Footage From The Making Of One Step Closer
• Every song on Linkin Park’s Hybrid Theory ranked from worst to best