Almost 4 years after Montreal deathcore legends Despised Icon officially disbanded, there was an announcement last February that they would return for a few select dates during 2014. With no Canadian dates initially released, the anticipation of a hometown show was high amongst their dedicated fans. And so, tonight, a completely sold out Club Soda sees 900 fans packed in to witness a show most of us presumed would never happen.
To make the occasion all the more significant, Despised Icon have brought along three more Montreal bands to get the night underway. First up are Of Temples, a five-piece playing technical deathcore which manages to still incorporate a sense of melody beneath the disjointed and aggressive rhythms.
Vocalist Andrew Arsenault has an impressive range to his voice and his bandmates back him up magnificently. They seem to connect more with the younger fans in the room but it’s a great start to the evening and they receive a deservedly enthusiastic response.
More than a decade into their story, Ion Dissonance bring a more defined and complex musicality to proceedings and are obviously fairly familiar to much of the audience.
Their sound, featuring dual 8-string guitars, has elements of Meshuggah’s technicality and frontman Kevin McCaughey’s vocals are full of passion and bite. Some songs seem to come and go without really going anywhere but, for the most part, Ion Dissonance are extremely impressive both musically and in their ability to get the crowd even more worked up before the headliners.
Beneath The Massacre succeed in bringing the intensity to a whole new level as their furious death metal proves why they’re held in such high regard, especially in their home town. For their only show of 2014 they play as if their lives depend on it, Elliot Desgagnés’ guttural vocals perfectly complementing his band’s pounding aural assault. Their set is all too short, with the immense Comforting Prejudice being a particularly immense highlight.
As ten o’ clock rolls around and the lights dim, the cheers welcoming Despised Icon to the stage are those saved for a band who’ve finally been welcomed into the hearts of metal fans worldwide. Opening with Furtive Monologue from their now classic Ills Of Modern Man album, it’s quickly apparent that they’ve lost none of their ferocity or musicianship. Drummer Alex Pelletier has to be one of the most impressive players in the world of extreme music, attacking his kit with a speed and intensity like I’ve never witnessed before.
The band is somewhat unique in its use of dual lead vocalists; Obey The Brave frontman Alex Erian looks after the mid-range, more hardcore vocals while Steve Marois uses his deep, growling vocals and pig squeals to brig the death metal element to their sound. It could sound disjointed but it works brilliantly. Both vocalists look like they’re having the time of their lives on stage too, interacting with the seething mass of bodies before them and encouraging circle pits and a wall of death like metal ringmasters.
They play, for the most part, in almost total darkness, a smattering of moody backlight the only illumination on stage. There’s no fancy stage set either. No video screens like those seen at some shows, just a simple wall of amps and a backdrop featuring the Despised Icon logo. Tonight it’s obviously all about the music and that is exactly as it should be. Tracks like In the Arms of Perdition remind everyone what makes this band so special and, with one final blast through fan favourite MVP, they leave everyone wanting more.
Whether we get more Despised Icon in 2015 remains to be seen. They’ve mentioned nothing beyond these few shows and have claimed to have no plans to record new material. Tonight, 900 happy customers at Club Soda would be more than a little disappointed if this was the closing chapter in the story of a band who obviously have plenty left to offer.
Setlist:
Furtive Monologue
A Fractured Hand
Day of Mourning
Sheltered Reminiscence
Compelled to Copulate
Silver Plated Advocate
All for Nothing
The Sunset Will Never Charm Us
Retina
Warm Blooded
In the Arms of Perdition
Les Temps Changent
MVP
Review & photos – Steve Gerrard
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