Part-Time Perfection
Despised Icon
Purgatory
After a highly successful return in 2016 with fifth studio album Beast, Despised Icon have proven they are here to stay through tight live shows and an incredible record that came after years of inactivity. They may not be a full-time act anymore, but the band are sending a clear message, through their incredibly well-written new album, Purgatory, that the bands leading the deathcore scene should step their game up.
It’s wild to think a band could come out with their strongest record years after they had their moment, but Despised Icon have done it. The title track fits neatly into their sound, while having one of their most punishing breakdowns ever. Most of the album focuses on grindcore-styled blasts, allowing the breakdowns and groove sections to pop off better than before. The album isn’t entirely speed-driven though, as “Snake in the Grass” brings some beatdown riffs that fit well within the origins of deathcore. Despised Icon have always had the advantage of dual vocalists filling in every style of guttural vocals you could imagine. Whether it’s Alex Erian’s hardcore-styled shout or Steve Marois laying down disgusting pig squeals, their dynamic gives them the ability to flex every death metal vocal approach. The debate about the best Despised Icon album has been heated between old and new fans for many years, and Purgatory makes a case for both. The record is the most varied of their catalogue, pushing the old-school deathcore style to its absolute limit. (Nuclear Blast)
Why focus on straightforward death metal?
Erian: We’ve been a band for 17 years; Purgatory really acknowledges that. Death metal was much more present on earlier records, and definitely shines on this one, but if you’re into more technical stuff like The Ills of Modern Man or Day of Mourning, there’s stuff for that audience too.
How do you feel about deathcore, nearly 20 years since you helped start it?
When we started, we wanted to do something different. We love blast beats, but we wanted to have a couple of influences that didn’t necessarily make sense, truthfully, but we did it anyway. At some point, we realized we don’t listen to deathcore, we just happen to play it.