Montreal-based Despised Icon bring precision and fury to their hyper-technical deathcore. Uniquely contrasting dual vocalists and flawless blastbeat drumming were two defining elements that made the band stand out on albums like 2009's excellent Day of Mourning.

The band formed in January of 2002, and by year's end had already released its first album, Consumed by Your Poison, through local Galy Records. They suffered a few setbacks due to lineup changes the following year, but rebounded by early 2004 with a retooled formation comprised of dual vocalists Steve Marois and Alexandre Erian, guitarists Yannick St-Amand and Eric Jarrin, bassist Sebastien Piche, and drummer Alex Pelletier. Their next recording was a self-financed EP entitled Syndicated Murderers, which, along with their hardworking tour schedule, helped get them signed to Century Media Records for the early 2005 release of their second proper full-length, The Healing Process. 2007's Ills of Modern Man peaked at number 28 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart on the strength of the single "In the Arms of Perdition," while 2009's Day of Mourning garnered positive reactions via the blistering title track and the similarly hard-hitting "MVP. The following year saw the group cease operations, citing the toll that being in a hard-touring band had taken on their personal lives, and the need to focus on their families. In early 2014, Despised Icon made an announcement via their Facebook page that they would reunite for some shows later that spring. More performances followed in 2015, and in April of the following year, they announced that they had inked a deal with Nuclear Blast and would be heading back into the studio. The resulting Beast was released in July of 2016. In June of 2019, the band took to the road on a lengthy tour of the U.S. to celebrate the ten-year anniversary of Day of Mourning. Before the end of the year, they released their sixth studio full-length, the intense and brooding Purgatory. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia, Rovi