Deathcore is quite the controversial bit of subject matter amongst metalheads and hardcore kids nowadays. Too metal to be considered hardcore, yet too hardcore-influenced and breakdown-oriented to be considered “true death metal” by the more elitist in the metal crowd. To me, it’s kind of like the red-headed stepchild of the heavy music community. It’s got it’s flaws, and a lot of the time you may not wanna admit you like it or associate with it, but in the end it’s still family, or in this case, a subgenre of music that despite being so polarizing is important to the modern music climate. Just like any other style of music, there’s the good bands and the bad bands, although in this instance, I would say far more bad ones than good. However there are some gems, and one of these is Despised Icon. The Montreal-based six piece is back with their fourth full-length, “Day of Mourning,” and it’s hands down their best album yet.
One of the things that’s always made Despised Icon stand out from other deathcore bands is that their breakdowns come across more as actual parts of a song than simple mosh riffs to get the kids going crazy in a live setting. The polyrhythmic intensity they often employ is far from original nowadays but they do the off-meter thing a whole lot better than most other deathcore and metalcore bands. The fact that the band crafts actual songs instead of parts strewn together that only serve to break up the monotomy of constant breakdownage is definitely a plus, and their breakdowns are often the most interesting part of the songs.
One thing that is very apparent about “Day of Mourning” is it sounds more like a real death metal album to me than a metalcore one. Tracks like “Diva of Disgust” and “Les Temps Changent” exemplify this, with the former even having a bit of speedier black metal influence towards the end. Maybe the addition of new guitarist Ben Landreville has something to do with it, but the band has definitely crafted a deathcore album that falls more into the “death” catogory than the “core.” Despite this, breakdowns still definitely abound, so if fighting invisible ninjas is your thing fret not - the mosh is definitely here.
Another standout about the band that truly shines on this album is the performance of drummer Alexandre Pelletier. Next to Flo Mounier of Cryptopsy, he might be the best Canadian metal skinsman out there currently. His blast beats are varied and intense, and his knack for polyrhythms and interesting fills are truly what makes this band, and this album in particular, stand out.
In addition to the aforementioned tracks, the title track/first single “Day of Mourning,” and “MVP” are standouts, and the bouncy mid-tempo sections and hard-as-hell-but-dare-I-say-catchy main breakdown of “All for Nothing” makes that possibly the best track on the album.
If you like deathcore, this album is definitely for you. If you don’t like deathcore, I’d still highly recommend it as Despised Icon’s songwriting ability and musical proficiency truly makes them stand head and shoulders above their peers.
