DESPISED ICON - Purgatory
November 26, 2019, 4 years ago
(Nuclear Blast)
Despised Icon is a band very much of its time, the group one of the most active and successful during ‘00s deathcore’s heyday between, roughly, 2004 and 2009. That said, Despised Icon has seen success in this decade as well after re-forming in 2014 (the band had split up in 2010) with 2016’s Beast being generally well-received and subsequent tours occurring with the likes of Carnifex, Rings of Saturn, and Archspire.
Latest album Purgatory, Despised Icon’s sixth, is in line with the band’s general approach, meaning tech-death riffs and breakdowns, and Purgatory also sees some interesting groove on “Vies D’Anges” and impressive speed on “Light Speed”. Elsewhere, “Snake In The Grass” might be one of the group’s most varied tracks, the song beginning with a massive, greasy bass line and then alternating between mid-tempo slither and blasts, while “Unbreakable” channels ‘90s classic death metal at moments and “Dead Weight” ends Purgatory with a completely unexpected burst of old-school dark melodic death. “Slow Burning” is a strong track, as well.
So, yes, if you’re a Despised Icon fan, you’ll find much to like on Purgatory, the album another solid entry in the group’s metal to the (death)core catalogue.
