By Jason Cominetto, Special to The Chronicle
Deathcore, a subgenre of metal has been known for simple songs and bands that sound the same. Then there is Despised Icon. A forefather of deathcore, Despised Icon is arguably the most talented band in the scene, and has consistently churned out crushing albums since 2002. Their 2009 release, “Day of Mourning,” shows the band at their best, and features some of the most talented musicianship (particularly on Drummer Alex Pelletier’s part) in the scene. That being said, when the band announced their plans to break up and go on one final farewell tour earlier this year, it was obvious that this show was not to be missed.
Despised Icon played at Club Europa, on September 11. Misery Index, Revocation, the Judas Syndrome and Everything’s Ruined opened for them.
Revocation plays a mix of thrash metal and technical death metal, with ridiculous guitar solos and impeccably placed double bass assault included. Their music translated well to a live atmosphere and they brought a lot of energy. Watch out for these guys, they’re going to be big.
Next up was Misery Index, who plays straight up death metal with hints of grindcore. Their actual performance was not as good as Revocation, but whoever did their sound mixing did an incredibly good job. The guitars sounded extremely heavy, the bass was audible and the drums were crushing, but not overwhelming.
Finally it was Despised Icon’s turn to take the stage. They were met with heavy applause, and what started as a small pit opened up into a frenzy of crazed fans. The band played a considerably long set, just roughly under an hour and a half, and ended with arguably their most adrenaline-pumping masterpiece, “MVP.” If there was ever a way to leave the music scene, this was it; full of energy and never willing to hold back from putting on a great show.
As Despised Icon left the stage, the crowd began to chant “Please don’t go.” While I love Despised Icon’s music just as much as everyone else, I didn’t want to stay. With these founders leaving the scene, hopefully many of the other less-talented bands that share a similar sound will follow suit, and Deathcore can finally die.