2025, Nuclear Blast
There is something in the water in Canada. Perennially the underdog in the larger global metal scene, Canada nonetheless churns out world class metal bands. Somewhere, amongst the frozen tundra (it’s cold here okay?) and probably mingling with Sasquatch, there will be a new band to rise from the ranks of flannel, Beaver Tails, and frozen tree sap, to continue this trend. In the meantime and in between time, the old workhorses will continue to work, their blades never dull and always fired up. In 2025, DESPISED ICON has returned once again to show all comers who wears the crown.
It seems that once again we are collectively in an age where album covers matter again – likely due in no small part to the sheer amount of AI slop clogging up our collective everything – and man alive, Shadow Work no exception. The visual itself is distressing to behold, Eliran Kantor once again creating a visceral, beautiful, and ultimately haunting opening salvo before the listener even presses play. Spend some time in quiet reflection of this image and its many implications before beginning this work – you’ll be glad you did.
Shadow Work represents the sum of a few parts, most notably and relatably, the unmitigated march of time. We are not who we were 20 years ago, and nor should we be. How then, to balance age and wisdom (well, let’s just start with age) along with responsibilities, kids, mortgages, and the general adulting required of us? Important too, how does one remain relevant into middle age and beyond? Am I still cool? Has anyone figured out what to do with the existential angst? Tea is not helping. DESPISED ICON are here to let you know you are not alone, and you are relevant But, you have to do the work.
“Shadow Work” kicks in the door straight away, wasting no time in establishing, or rather re-establishing, the fact that DESPISED ICON are absolute kings of modern deathcore. Forget about whatever the tastemakers of the internet are trying to peddle – this is O.G. shit, straight from the heart. I mean, remember Myspace and haircuts? This band is cooler than all of that.
Lead off single “Over My Dead Body” is so uncompromising that one would be forgiven for just stopping right there, and hitting repeat. Hot behind, “Death of an Artist” delivers a knockout blow. DESPISED ICON know their strengths and play them excellently but make no mistake – this is not simply an exercise in ham fisted bludgeoning. Lyrically, Shadow Work finds the band delivering some of its strongest material ever, never mind within the current heavy music climate as a whole. And that is not a slight to the new bands (nu bands?) coming up either – only a statement that the masters are here to teach, so you best learn.
“Corpse Pose” might just be one of my favorite DESPISED ICON songs, and being a fan since the band’s inception, that is saying something. Everything clicks here – the riffs are monstrous, the mosh parts not at all ironic, the vocals are set to decimate, the drums ping and ting as they ought to, the whole things creating a miasmic maelstrom of malevolence. It’s beautiful, and, much like the Yoga position it is named for, quite relaxing. Cathartic, even. A true standout.
The band also flirts with Black Metal here and there, “The Apparition” being the clearest example. In addition, keyboards make an appearance, and once again the mood is created and curated by the band. There is nothing overwrought here – but the urgency is enough to induce a small panic attack.
DESPISED ICON albums are, mercifully, short. None have eclipsed 40 minutes. The body can only take so much and also, given this iteration of deathcore, about 35 or so minutes is the perfect amount of time to get your point across. So too, with Shadow Work. It is a manifest, a renewed mission statement, and a truly timeless entry into a catalogue of music with no clear misses.
4.0 Out Of 5.0