Beast / CD

Montreal-based deathcore act DESPISED ICON will release its Nuclear Blast debut, "Beast", on July 22. The album was produced and engineered by former guitarist Yannick St-Amand (BENEATH THE MASSACRE, NEURAXIS) and mixed/mastered by Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, EXODUS, NEVERMORE). Artwork was created by Alexandre Goulet.

"It's been seven years since our last record and our batteries are fully recharged," comments the band. "The O.G. lineup is back and the new shit hits hard. You'll hear sounds of our older slammin' death metal days blended with the speed and technicality of our latest records. Cheers to everyone that has stood by us after all these years. Can't wait to unleash the 'Beast'!"

For many extreme music fans, it may be hard to remember a time before DESPISED ICON, given the massive influence they've subsequently had on the genre. But when the group formed back in 2002 and released "Consumed By Your Poison" the same year, there was little intersection between the sounds of classic death metal and the brute force of hardcore. But DESPISED ICON were among the first to fully embrace the signatures of the traditional death metal formula combined with a relentless embrace of breakdowns, part of an emerging new sound.

Now DESPISED ICON have returned with their upcoming album titled "Beast". The genre-defining band is fully reawakened, poised to recapture the crown with the monstrous and merciless might of their potent expression. Featuring the men responsible for most of the band's now-classic death metal catalog, "Beast" is a vicious commentary on the state of the world and the state of music itself.