Shadow Work
The Sound Machine Awakens
From Montréal, the band Despised Icon has long established itself as a pillar of technical deathcore, blending the ferocity of death metal with the urgency of hardcore, solidifying its legacy since its formation in 2002. After a few albums revisiting that raw DNA, they return with Shadow Work, the seventh record of their career, six years after its predecessor. Expectations were high and listening to it felt like witnessing the roar of a beast that never really slept, only closed its eyes for a moment to wake sharper than ever.
The Sound and Atmosphere of the Album
When I hit play on Shadow Work, I immediately felt the brute force that runs through all eleven tracks: dense riffs, precise blast beats, and that sense that the album isn’t here to entertain but to run you over. The production is more refined but without softening the impact, the sounds scream, and the dynamic is clear: the band knows exactly when to crawl into groove and when to explode into chaos.
The dual vocals of Alex Erian and Steve Marois remain their main weapon: that contrast between the subterranean growl and the visceral scream seems to be at its technical and emotional peak here. There’s also a buried sense of introspection, it’s not just let’s make noise, but why do we make this noise? as if the wound itself is part of the message.
Evolution and Identity
For those who’ve followed Despised Icon’s path, this album doesn’t bring a radical revolution and that’s a good thing. It reaffirms, with precision, what the band has always done best, now with maturity. I see it as a fighter stepping into the ring fully aware of its strengths, delivering each strike with intent. The calmer or more atmospheric moments, yes, there are some serve as counterpoints to the carnage, giving the listener that necessary breath to truly feel the weight when the tsunami returns.
Highlights Amid the Chaos
Some elements caught my attention amid the chaos. The opening track, 'Shadow Work', does its job immediately: no warm-up, just impact. The grooves in 'Over My Dead Body' won me over with their strength and controlled aggression, a precise discharge without excess. The production, in turn, deserves applause: it sounds cleaner, with clarity between instruments, yet retains the grit essential to the genre. And what impressed me most was the band’s honesty: they don’t give in to unnecessary ornaments, there are no grand orchestrations or artificial flourishes that distract from the primal brutality. Everything sounds direct, raw, and real.
My Personal Experience
Sitting in the dark with my headphones on, Shadow Work felt like staring into a cracked mirror where each fragment reflected a different side of aggression, rage, melancholy, resistance, or pure catharsis. At times, the guitar solos sliced through the air like blades, only to be followed by breakdowns that slammed me against the wall.
To me, the album resonates because it doesn’t try to please, it delivers exactly what you expect from a band with 20 years of experience in the extreme underground and still hungry. I didn’t feel they were testing new waters randomly, but rather exploring their own terrain more deeply. By the end of the last track, I was left with the feeling: yes, there’s still power in this, and this band still matters, something not every band from their generation can claim.
Conclusion
In short, Shadow Work is an album that exceeds expectations for fans of extreme metal, it’s brutal, cohesive, technical, and visceral. If you already appreciate the world Despised Icon moves in, this record will sound like one of their most solid moments. If you’re just curious, this might be the perfect time to dive in.
