This album has a different vocalist, and the vocal style may be kind of weird at first, but it will grow on you. The musical structure is similar to the band’s country natives Gorguts and Cryptopsy, using the technical structure for their songs. With addicting songs like “Compel to Copulate”, “Grade A-One” and “Poissonnariat”, it’s sure to please the ears.

Also, we have 2 re-recorded versions of “Compel to Copulate” and “Poisonnariat”, which feature the band’s current vocalist. Personally, I enjoy the first versions better, but you can see once you listen to this.

This album is just let me tell you absolutely insane. Everything about CBYP will definately please even the toughest ears on a human being, even though I like THP better, but this album is still a treat. The two vocalists at that time Marie-Helene Landry and Steve Marois both use such different styles including cookie monster death growls, deep inhaling whistling like sounds, hardcore shouts, etc. They both grab the listener right by the throat and tear it in half. The drumming by Alexandre Erian (who played drums at the time, and would later replace Landry on vocals) is just flat out vicious and awesome. The guitar riffs are just massive and very technical too, and there’s also some heavy bass work too.

Every song on here is worth listening to including “Compelled to Copulate”, “Poissonnariat”, “Grade A-One”, “Absolu”, “Fasionable”, and “Interfere in Your Days”. We also have a couple of 2006 re-recorded versions of “Poissonnariat” and “Compelled to Copulate” featuring the band’s two current vocalists Steve Marois and Alexandre Erian as well.

Overall, this will definately please any fan of death metal, hardcore, grindcore, or just extreme heavy music in general. If you’re a fan of Despised Icon, then by all means go for this album. Also be sure to check out their brand new album “The Ills of Modern Man as well.

The Healing Process is Despised Icon’s sophomore release, their debut being Consumed By Your Poison. They also released an EP and a split release thereafter before signing to Century Media for The Healing Process. In many ways, the material presented on this disc harks back to their earlier work, except that it has stronger sonics and musical precision. The songs are quite short, all under four minutes except one. The band loses no time to make their point: they start out with a relentless slab of agression underscored by mighty double bass drums and unbreakable bass grooves. On top of that, there is Jarrin and St-Amand’s crushing guitar riffery to back the duel vocals of Alexandre Erian and Steve Marois. The singing is right up there with the likes of Dying Fetus, especially during the growled parts, but the band also sticks to their more metalcore-inspired screaming style. One song where this combination works perfectly is the brutally heavy “Bulletproof Scales”, alternating between blood-curdling screams and deep, throat-ripping growls, and giving way to intricate riff and lead work along with rumbling bass and drum battery. Almost like a Dillinger Escape Plan song, it segues into “Silver Plated Advocate”. Replete with lightning fast drums, mind-bending chord progressions, and rapid-fire riffery, the song briefly slows down at the end for a sludgy outro. Thus, the character of the album is introduced.

Confident they’ve made a strong impression, the band follow up their material with slightly more interesting compositions, “Immaculate” being one of them. Though the overdone screaming and heavy metalcore intro may turn some off, the band plows through great breaks and muted riffs only to put forth a nice acoustic section and some spoken clean vocals during the middle. However, to make up for it, they finish the song off with their heaviest playing yet. The cool grooves and primal rhythm work of “Warm Blooded” and the almost grindcore drive of “Retina” form the backbone of the album before the six-piece opts for a few more technical numbers like “The Sunset Will Never Charm Us”, full of choppy riffs; and “Harvesting the Deceased”, noteworthy for its stunning sweeping and picking.

It would be unfair to lump Despised Icon into the metalcore category based on their short songs fueled by slightly technical riffs and aggressive vocals, but they would certainly impress a good many of the genre’s fans not to mention listeners of Strapping Young Lad, Dying Fetus, and Dillinger Escape Plan. That said, Despised Icon doesn’t quite sound like any of them. They have their own thing going for sure.

The production is excellent. The album was mixed by Dagenais (Kataklysm) and mastered by Alan Douches (Dillinger Escape Plan).

How often must we hear “a bludgeoning mix of extreme metal, grind, and hardcore”? The description itself is bound to attract a plethora of listeners who want others to think they are “cool” because they are hip to the modern “metal” jive.

But on to the music:

There’s really nothing that stands out on this album. All of the riffs are basically ripped from watever popular band is playing whatever style they are trying to imitate. Example: When they play death metal riffs, it reeks of Suffocation; when they play “hardcore” riffs, it sounds like something a lazy ripoff of the Warriors would play; and when they play tech/grind riffs, well… they rip off Ion Dissonance. Starting to see the picture? It’s not a 8r00tal mix of grind, hardcore, and extreme metal; it’s just a cut-and-paste carbon copy of every band Despised Icon wishes they could be.

LAME