It's nice when a band doesn't take a small taste of success for granted. Some bands gain some popularity early than rest on their laurels. After the success of 2005's The Healing Process, Despised Icon could have very easily fallen into that trap. Instead they did the exact opposite. They come back strong with The Ills of Modern Man, which takes another step forward for the band. "In The Arms of Perdition" kicks things off in fine pummeling fashion and shows you where the band is headed here. Mixing elements of Death Metal and Grindcore, the band also shows off their technical abilities with a lot of good guitar work, interesting breakdowns and perfectly placed time changes. The songwriting on the album is one of its strong points. The songs are very well structured and really coerce the listener to get into the music. One minute there's a full on blast beat assault, leading into a breakdown of slower skull pounding heaviness. The breakdowns aren't just window dressing for the sake of throwing them in; they are well written and really add to the intensity of the songs. The band also makes use of some higher pitch shifted vocals at key points throughout the album. They are used sparingly enough where they are a nice touch, rather than overdone to the point of annoyance. Other killer tracks include "Quarantine" and "Sheltered Reminiscence"; although there really isn't anything to complain about here.
Some new bands doing this type of hybrid metal make albums that are monotonous and almost tedious to get through. Despised Icon managed to make a solid album and keep it fresh throughout. Extreme metal fans in general will enjoy the album, while fans of this newer school of hybrid metal will love The Ills of Modern Man.
TRACK LISTING
1) In the Arms of Perdition
2) Furtive Monologue
3) Quarantine
4) The Ills of Modern Man
5) A Fractured Hand
6) Sheltered Reminiscence
7) Nameless
8) Tears of the Blameless
9) Oval Shaped Incisions
10) Fainted Blue Ornaments
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