Despite Exile – Disperse (2015)

Hailing from Italy, today we have Deathcore battalion Despite Exile and their latest EP titled “Disperse”. Usually not a fan of the genre, when a band commands of attention it means that the have unique elements to make them stand out from the rest. Delivering five tracks and two interludes, the band crushes the competition with a perfect balance of melody and aggression that only a handful of bands can master. While not as crushing as The Black Dahlia Murder, this band does not lag behind with excellent moshing passages and solid melodic head banging moments.

Leading the charge with the melodic “Act I – Gaze of Leviathan”, we instantly got a certain Soilwork vibe from the first few minutes of the track. This playful and very melodic piece brilliantly weaves back and forth from all out brutality to excellent momentum-building sections. Seamleasly bleeding into “Act II – Panoptic Servant”, the band changes the pace to crushing a more typical Deathcore with funky tempo changes thanks to some killer drum patterns.

Changing the mood via an interlude atmospheric track, “Act III 0 Transcendental Observer” punishes the listener with brutal growls and machine gun-like drumming. The riffing is quite involved, brilliantly carrying this song between melodic passages and aggressive sections. Our favorite track in this release is the sinister and totally devastating “Act IV – Herald of Blindness”, a very brutal piece that will leave people at a live show with injuries from moshing.

Slowly closing out the album with the melodic “Act V – Dissipating Martyr”, Despite Exile has managed to impress us with just five songs. The band’s sheer brutality perfectly blends with their melodic soundscapes and creates a very appealing style. If you like modern Melodic Death Metal or bands like The Black Dahlia Murder, this is a band you need to keep an eye (and an ear) out for.

Label: LifeForce Records

Release: November 27th, 2015

Genre: Deathcore

Country: Italy