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Despite: In Your Despite (EP)

Metalcore

Rating: 2.0/5.0

Tractor Productions/Black Label
www.despite.se
www.myspace.com/despitegbg
Review: Craig Hartranft,  08.02.2009

Not that we Americans have a corner on the modern genre of metalcore, but this style is becoming increasingly prevalent around the globe. The dilemma is that nobody, whether in America or elsewhere, is doing anything different or novel with this ubiquitous style. Metalcore bands are a dime a dozen these days. Sweden's Despite and their debut recording, In Your Despite adds nothing to this vast puddle of mediocre mud.

Certainly, Despite has all the proper metal/hardcore elements: screamo undecipherable dirty vocals, heavily riffed based compositions, a lead guitarist who could no more play a lead solo than put his elbow to his ear, and a dash of keyboards to mystify the faithful. Vocalist Alex Losback offers little more than a warmed over Jamey Jasta imitation, but sounds more like a man getting a prostate exam with a spiked glove. Of course, no metalcore album is complete without the obligatory song whose principal characteristic is how many times you can drop the F-bomb (No F*cking Way). This is hardly new for hardcore or metalcore. Yet, In Your Despite is intense, thrashy, and slightly interesting on Rise Above (where, I think, Timmy Leng attempts a solo; but who can tell over all noise.)

Despite's In Your Despite offers nothing new to the crowded field of metalcore except maybe that they hail from Sweden rather than America. In Your Despite is lots of thrashy riffing with even more harsh screamo dirty vocals. Been there, done that. Even if you are a fan of the genre, you should still probably take a pass on Despite.

Despite's In Your Despite offers nothing new to the crowded field of metalcore except maybe that they hail from Sweden rather than America. In Your Despite is lots of thrashy riffing with even more harsh screamo dirty vocals. Been there, done that.

Alphabetical Index

Formed in 1999 by singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Erik Martensson, Sweden's Eclipse is well into their third decade of making music. In the recent past, their recordings and reputation have ... [ Read More ]