Despised Icon
Photo: Century Media

Despised Icon are often ascribed the "deathcore" tag by people who, well, are driven by some strange desire to erroneously label metal bands. But Alexandre Erian — who, along with Steve Marois, comprises the Montreal metallers' two-pronged vocal affront — doesn't really give a rat's ass what anyone thinks the band sounds like.

"We've been doing what we do for five years now, and all of a sudden, that word 'deathcore' pops up, and people are calling us deathcore, calling other bands deathcore, and, I mean, I guess it's all right — it's just music," explained Erian, the former drummer for Canadian death-metal outfit Neuraxis. "But we don't want to be associated with this trend. We've been doing this a long time, and we don't feel like we're hopping on any bandwagon at all. And we're probably going to keep playing what we play, even if the trend dies down.

"I don't understand why people take labels so seriously," he continued. "I guess you could call us 'deathcore,' or 'death metal,' or 'death metalcore,' or 'death metal with metalcore influences,' or 'metalcore with death-metal influences.' I like to let the music speak for itself."

Despised Icon's third LP, The Ills of Modern Man, which was released late last month and sold more than 2,000 copies its first week on store shelves (the label shipped a mere 8,000 copies), is unquestionably some of the band's heaviest material to date. Erian said that was no accident, but it definitely evolved naturally, over several months of touring.

"You don't want to put out the same album twice, and this album came out exactly two years after our previous effort, [2005's The Healing Process,] and so we've toured quite a lot since then," he said. "We've improved as musicians, and we've toured the death-metal circuit [with the likes of Behemoth, Morbid Angel, Suffocation and Cryptopsy,] so we've added a few new influences here and there, to spice things up and make things a bit different. But overall, it's the same band — same sound. I think this record does come across as being a bit more heavy than the previous one, but it wasn't intentional. It just came out that way. So, at least now kids can say we're not selling out or anything because this album is actually more brutal."

And while some of Despised Icon's contemporaries have tempered their sounds, Erian scoffed at the suggestion his band might follow suit.

"I can't sing clean, and neither can Steve — and we don't feel like it either," he said. "We're not going to have any clean vocal parts on any of our albums anytime soon. There are a lot of generic bands out there that pretty much play the same breakdown, and I can't say we're 100 percent original either. Only a handful of bands can say that — Dillinger [Escape Plan], Meshuggah, Suffocation back in the '90s. But I do think we have something more to offer than a lot of the bands out there. I don't know, maybe it's because we're Canadian."

Although The Ills of Modern Man has been out a little less than a month, and — even though they're on tour through July 1 with the Red Chord, Through the Eyes of the Dead, All Shall Perish and See You Next Tuesday — Despised Icon are already thinking about their fourth LP, as well as a future DVD release.

"We've got loads of video footage — stuff we shot while we were recording the new CD, along with lots of shows we've filmed here and there," he said. "We'd like to possibly have one of our shows professionally filmed, but that's really far ahead.

"With this record, we wrote maybe half of it in between tours we were doing, and the other half after that Hatebreed tour we were on this past fall," he continued. "We'll probably stick to the same formula going forward. I know we all have ideas already, and we've been working on a few things here and there. We'll probably get to it after our next tour," which will also feature Job for a Cowboy and A Life Once Lost.

Erian wasn't sure when that trek would kick off or where, but hopefully the band keeps an eye on the road when it does. During Despised Icon's successful fall run with Hatebreed, the band had an unfortunate mishap with a deer. "The entire side of our trailer was covered with blood and guts, and we had to clean it off with cans of Pepsi," Erian recalled.

The rest of the week's metal news:

Ex-Nine Inch Nails drummer Danny Lohner has remixed Daath's "Dead on the Dance Floor" for release July 10 as part of a yet-untitled digital EP. The track integrates the band's feral riffs with Lohner's electronic beats and samples. "At some point in our lives, each member of Daath has spent their time with Nine Inch Nails music," guitarist Eyal Levi said in a press release. "They are a huge part of our musical upbringing and collaborating with one of their main minds is an honor that we are very excited about." ... Apocalyptica have gotta be pissed. Two classically trained female harp players, who go by the name Harptallica, have released their self-produced debut of Metallica covers, Harptallica - A Tribute, on iTunes. The musicians, Ashley Toman and Patricia Kline, both have Masters of Music degrees from Rochester, New York's Eastman School of Music. A tour is forthcoming. ...

Through the Eyes of the Dead will release their new album, Malice, August 21. The follow-up to 2005's Bloodlust will mark the debut of singer Nate Johnson (ex-Premonitions of War, Deadwater Drowning), who replaced Anthony Gunnels in March after Gunnels lost interest in the band. The disc was produced by Erik Rutan (Goatwhore, Cannibal Corpse) and includes "Failure in the Flesh," which is currently streaming on the band's MySpace page. ... Seattle band Himsa have finished recording their yet-untitled fourth album, which they've been hammering away at in the studio with producer Steve Carter (Cradle of Filth, Aiden) since mid-April. Vocals were later produced by Devin Townsend (Lamb of God, Darkest Hour), and Tue Madsen (Kataklysm, Mnemic) is currently mixing the album. ...

Australia surf-thrash band Alchemist have finished recording their new full-length, Tripsis, which is scheduled for U.S. release in September. In a statement, singer/guitarist Adam Agius called the disc, "The most consistently heavy album since Spiritech, with all the Alchemist trademarks — psychedelic, atmospheric, packed with crushing riffs, intertwined guitar, melodies and groove. Tripsis is also the fastest album delivered by Alchemist, with a few songs taking the surf-thrash sound to new heights." Tracks include "Wrapped in Guilt," "Degenerative Breeding" and "Grasp the Air." ... Grindcore band Leng Tch'e have replaced guitarist Geert Devenster with ex-Aborted axeman Peter Goemaere. Devenster quit the group last month because his "priorities in life" changed and he "wasn't having fun anymore." ...

Bay Area thrash band Dekapitator will release their debut, The Storm Before the Calm, July 24. Two tracks, "Toxic Sanctuary" and "Run With the Pack," can be previewed on the band's MySpace page. ... We'd love to hear the story behind this band's name: Arsonists Get the Girls. They'll release their second disc, The Game of Life, August 14. Produced by Zach Ohren of Castle Ultimate, the disc features 12 dizzying tracks, including "Shoeshine for Neptune." ... The new album by Swedish metal legends Entombed, Serpent Saints - The Ten Amendments, is scheduled to drop July 31. It will be the band's first studio album since 2004's Inferno. Expect a U.S. tour in late fall or early winter 2008.

• Despised Icon
• Himsa
• Dekapitator
• Nine Inch Nails
• Daath

Daath
Photo: Roadrunner Records

Daath guitarist Eyal Levi is issuing a stern warning to those planning to attend this year's free Ozzfest, which his six-piece death-metal outfit will be playing with the likes of Ozzy, Hatebreed, Lordi and Lamb of God: "No one better f--- with us."

You see, Levi supports the old maxim that the best defense is a strong offense, and after the kind of tour the band shared this winter with Goatwhore, the Acacia Strain and Job for a Cowboy — the theme of which, he said, was "staying alive" — Daath are in dire need of a strong offense. Not that they're proponents of rampant acts of violence — it's more about protection, Levi explained.

"I don't like getting into fights — it's not what I'm into," he said. "But that last tour was so crazy, as far as violence goes, I just figure we've got to be ready. ... After this last tour ... I mean, there were fights every single night. One night, there were nine fights — nine f---ing bloody fights."

During one gig, Levi said, an audience member tried to attack frontman Sean Farber after he drenched the crowd with water.

"I guess some dude didn't like it, and he told us to stop — in the middle of a song, mind you," the guitarist recalled. "First of all, we're not going to stop. Secondly, how do you expect a band to hear that? So he charged the stage and spit in Sean's face. Sean saw him rushing towards the stage and hit him in the face with his microphone. After the show, the dude jumped our merch guy because he thought it was Sean. So let's just say I'm going to be ready next time."

Daath — which translates to "knowledge" in Hebrew — released their Roadrunner Records debut, The Hinderers, March 20. The Atlanta act's material is heavily influenced by Da'at and Kabbalah, although the band does not identify a direct religious affiliation in its music. Daath explore esoteric themes associated with the Qabalistic Tree of Life and Death — a mystical-belief system that describes imbalances in areas of the brain — and use it as a framework for psychological exploration, Levi said.

"We've been into this kind of stuff as long as we've been working together, which is since I was 12 years old," he explained. "We always kind of had a fascination with the occult, and when we were putting this project together, we were researching names and themes and one that really stuck out to us was the Tree of Life and Death life concept. We feel it maps out the human mind very precisely, and we use it as a roadmap to explore the negative sides of the human mind."

The Hinderers was produced by Daath along with Testament guitarist James Murphy, who also makes a guest appearance on the LP. The album marks the first time most metalheads will have heard them, which doesn't worry Levi.

"I'm not losing sleep over it," he said. "I lost enough sleep while we were making it. It is a bit of a departure for Roadrunner these days, and I know that we have a slightly different sound, so I'm just curious to see what happens. I am ready for whatever. We always envision the worst-case scenario, as well as the best-case scenario, so we're ready for anything. I think we have some pretty catchy music, and I think that people will dig it. We're a grower kind of band — people will need to listen to us 50 times before they get what's going on, since there are so many layers to our music."

But Levi also says the time couldn't be better for an album like The Hinderers to hit the metal scene. "I think we're the first really extreme band to be on [Roadrunner's] U.S. roster in 10 years — with the exception of two bands that were already established: Cradle of Filth and Opeth," he said. "A band like us, a startup band, it's a new thing for the label. Maybe it's an experiment. Maybe they want to see if this style of music can do what it did in the early '90s. It kind of already is, when you see bands like Lamb of God on ['Late Night With Conan O'Brien'], and Slayer's out there winning a Grammy. The time for this style of music has come back around. We're just going to have to wait and see what happens."

The rest of the week's metal news:

Behemoth have been added to the bill for this summer's Ozzfest, which will also feature Nile, In This Moment, the Showdown and others. Ozzfest kicks off July 12 in Seattle, with dates scheduled through August 30 in West Palm Beach, Florida. ... Bury Your Dead have enlisted former I Killed the Prom Queen frontman Michael Crafter as their new singer; Crafter replaces Mat Bruso, who left the band late last year. He'll be making his live debut with the band on the upcoming Don't Call It a Comeback Tour — with support acts Suicide Silence, Stick to Your Guns and Since the Flood — which launches April 20 in Rochester, New York. ... Through the Eyes of the Dead have recruited singer Nate Johnson to replace former frontman Anthony Gunnels. Johnson will soon enter Mana Recording Studio in St. Petersburg, Florida, with producer Erik Rutan to track vocals for the band's forthcoming LP, Malice, which should be in stores late this summer. ...

A May 22 release date has been set for Strapping Young Lad frontman Devin Townsend's latest solo effort, Ziltoid the Omniscient. The album, recorded entirely by Townsend, follows the story of Ziltoid, a four-dimensional, coffee-loving alien who comes to Earth to prove he's the universe's finest guitar player — which he hopes will land him lots of honeys. ... Hell Within will release their second album, Shadows of Vanity, May 15. The Massachusetts band recorded with producer John Ellis (Godsmack, American Hi-Fi) and mixed with Mark Lewis of Audio Hammer Studios. The disc will mark the debut for new drummer Derek Jay, who replaced Brian "Bubba" Joyce late last year. Hell Within were formerly called Twytch and released an EP and album under that name before switching their moniker in time for 2005's Asylum of the Human Predator. ...

Lots of things delay black-metal albums from getting in the hands of fans. Sometimes it's too much partying, other times it's federal shipping laws. But once in a while, product just gets lost in the mail. That's what happened to Full Moon Productions band Velvet Cacoon, whose double-CD Dextronaut was misplaced by the U.S. Postal Service. The label sent out 200 copies of the record, which disappeared for over a month before someone in Alabama contacted the company after purchasing all of the discs in a USPS lost-goods auction. "We were able to recover them after a lot of stress and bitterness," said a statement from Full Moon. ...

West Virginia modern-thrash band Byzantine are in the studio working on their third album, Oblivion Beckons, which is tentatively scheduled for release late this summer. The disc will be mixed by Drew Mazurek at High View Studios and mastered by Alan Douches at West Side Music. "The record is coming along really well," bassist Skip Cromer said in a statement. "The sound is really good. We tried some redneck experiments to get some slamming tones and they ended up working. The majority of the songs definitely fall into the thrash vein of things." Byzantine will release their "Salvation" DVD on April 17. The disc, which is nearly four hours long, features a six-song live set, including the otherwise-unavailable "Cradle Song," as well as behind-the-scenes footage, interviews, the video for "Jeremiad," tutorials and bootleg concert footage. ...

Los Angeles extreme-metal band Abysmal Dawn have officially hired new bassist Mike Cosio (ex-Excretion, Grave Desecration) following a monthlong trial period and are now hard at work on their next album. "Our only scheduled performance at the moment is the recently added Emperor reunion show on June 3 at the Key Club in [West] Hollywood [California]," the band wrote on its Web site. "We feel very privileged to be supporting such a legendary entity and hope you will come out and show your support for some black/death-metal art." Abysmal Dawn's debut, From Ashes, came out in 2006. ... All That Remains. are shuffling through footage for their first DVD, which should be out later this year. "It looks amazing. I can't wait until we get this thing together for you guys," singer Phil Labonte said in a post on the band's Web site. "I think we'll see some more stuff once we get back from Europe, so I'll give you another update then." All That Remains return to the U.S. May 2 for six dates with Bullet for My Valentine. ...

Bay Area thrash band Dekapitator have signed to Relapse and are currently working on their second full-length, The Storm Before the Calm, which is due this summer. Tracks include "Earthscorcher," "Screams From the Holocaust," "Toxic Sanctuary" and "Run With the Pack"; the latter two can be previewed at MySpace.com/Dekapitator. "We're highly psyched about unleashing The Storm Before the Calm through Relapse," singer/guitarist Matt Hellfiend said in a statement. "We're looking forward to thrashing as much as we can this year, so bring your denim and your beer and let's f---in' rage." Dekapitator's debut, We Will Destroy ... You Will Obey, came out in 1999 and was produced by ex-Death and Obituary guitarist James Murphy. ...

Chicago hardcore-metal band Yakuza have entered the studio to record their third album, Transmutations, which is tentatively scheduled for release this fall. "We had jazz percussionists Michael Zerang and Hamid Drake come in for a few songs," frontman Bruce Lamont said. "It was a serious honor. I can't even tell you how happy we are with the results." The album is being produced by Sanford Parker, who has worked with Pelican, Minsk and Rwake. "He brought the sonic continuity we have been striving for since day one," Lamont said. ... In May, God Forbid will take part in the Monsters of Mayhem 2 tour along with Hatebreed, Evergreen Terrace, the Acacia Strain and After the Burial. The tour will be God Forbid's last to support their latest album, IV: Constitution of Treason. Dates run from May 18 in Rochester, New York, through May 26 in Orlando, Florida.

• Daath
• Behemoth
• Yakuza
• Bury Your Dead
• Strapping Young Lad