ALBUM REVIEW: Shadow Work – Despised Icon
DESPISED ICON have done pretty well for themselves since reforming in 2014. The OG heroes of deathcore were frequently overlooked during their initial run, but they paved the way for bands like WHITECHAPEL and they’ve received more flowers since returning. Shadow Work is their third full-length since the reunion and is another reliably impressive slice of macho pit work. It’s also likely to raise a few eyebrows; it has a slightly different vibe to most of their contemporaries.
How so? Well, because Shadow Work is more ‘core than death metal. It’s still a raw and brutal piece of music and casual listeners won’t notice anything amiss, but deathcore enthusiasts will. Shadow Work is rooted in hardcore and has a sprinkling of death over the top. It’s subtly different to most modern deathcore, and old school purists will lap it up.
It also wastes no time before exploding to life with the propulsive title track. DESPISED ICON have never been ones for gimmicks, and this is pure, unfiltered extreme metal. There’s not a trace of symphonics, just monstrously heavy, thumping pit-carnage. Over My Dead Body follows, a call-and-response slammer that’s clearly been written for audience participation and it rules. It’s a no-nonsense headbanger, made for stage diving and it doesn’t reinvent the wheel so much as pick it up and hurl it into your unprotected face.
Elsewhere, DESPISED ICON stick to their established template, veering between full-throated thrashers and stomping, mid-paced pit churners. Obsessive Compulsive Disaster is an antagonistic number, full of breakdowns and gang chants, while In Memoriam features a rare clean vocal. Don’t expect a radio-friendly chorus desperate for airtime though, it’s more sinister than catchy. The sub-two-minute ContreCoeur is DESPISED ICON doing metallicized punk, and Corpse Pose is just bad ass. It’s a full-throttle reminder that at its heart, deathcore is thoroughly unpleasant music and it’s so vicious, it might even make a few YouTube reaction bros close their channels.
It’s all predictable and deeply unsurprising but there’s a certain appeal to that. DESPISED ICON have never tried to please anyone, they’re up front about who they are and if you’re not a deathcore fan, don’t bother. This won’t even try to convince you to like it. There isn’t a single hook to latch onto, the focus is on duelling vocals from two preposterously macho singers, chunky breakdowns, and drums that are so fast, we’re not convinced they’re human.
The climactic Fallen Ones rounds things off. Admittedly, it’s not the strongest cut on here, but it’s still hard as nails and has a wickedly morose atmosphere. Shadow Work could really have done with one more track as this has more of a penultimate song vibe, but that’s our only complaint. This is a welcome addition to their discography; it’s punchy, violent, and unbelievably self-assured. DESPISED ICON aren’t the deathcore band you’d hire to impress your normie friends, but they are the ones you’d turn to when you need to get things done.
Rating: 8/10
Shadow Work is out now via Nuclear Blast Records.
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