Kansas outfit Deflecting Ghosts are back with the superb scorched-earth anthem, ‘Broken’, that balances vulnerability with brute force. This isn’t just a rock track- it’s a gut-punching self-confrontation, one that pairs emotional weight with instrumentation that hits like a landslide.
The first thing that catches your attention is the voice. Frontman Luke Fitzgerald channels the aching depth of Eddie Vedder but pushes it through a harder lens. His vocals aren’t just melodic; they carry scars. Each line sounds like it’s being sung from the edge of a collapse, yet still reaching upward.
The guitars often take centre stage- delicate, then massive and unrelenting. The riffs in ‘Broken’ are dense and blistering, riding a fine line between control and chaos. There’s a clarity to the tone that nods to early 2000s heavy rock, but it’s roughed up with a gritty edge. The lead parts slice through the mix like a warning siren, while the low-end rhythm churns beneath, propelling the track with taut, relentless momentum.
You can feel the years behind this song. Not just in the production, but in the songwriting itself. ‘Broken’ isn’t about surface-level angst; it’s about the quiet unravelling of someone who’s finally facing themselves. It doesn’t sugarcoat the pain or offer quick closure. It lives in that uncomfortable place between breaking point and breakthrough.
Despite its heaviness, the song is fiercely alive. It thrums with a livewire energy meant for crowded rooms and raised fists. Rhema’s bass lines ground the chaos with a steady force, adding a punch to the low-end that’s impossible to ignore, while Austin’s drumming walks the line between control and chaos- tight, urgent, and ready to blow the roof off.
‘Broken’ is Deflecting Ghosts’ first full-band release, and it already sounds established. It’s a reminder that heavy music doesn’t have to choose between weight and meaning- that the loudest moments can also be the most honest.
If this is what they’re leading with, then whatever’s coming next is worth turning the volume all the way up.