sitemap

search the site here

1. Scars
2. Commander of Hate
3. Crushing the World
4. All the eights
5. …of the End
6. Bruised Machines
7. God of Flies
8. Clenched
9. Creed of Sin
10. The Cause and Solution

DESPITE: "Clenched"                                        

Recorded with equipment from the sixties and the seventies, no sampled or trigged drums, no computer editing, no over-produced polished sound. Only raw music performed for real. Recorded at  Svenska Grammofonstudion .

Uncompromising, destructive metal.

            When a band releases album #2, some people have certain expectations, especially when the band has been seen live. I live across the pond and unfortunately, Despite have yet to cross over so I can view them first hand. When I optioned to review this CD, I didn’t know they were even recording another one. I liked their first album a lot and I was fortunate enough to interview Alex, their singer, soon afterwards. Which, I should say, is a very nice person and I’ll always have good things to say about him. You, the reader, can read that interview here, at gryphonmetal.ch. I didn’t know what to expect from this album. Was it going to be like their last album or something completely different?

            After more than a few listens I can honestly say that it isn’t bad at all. Some bands just completely flop on their second attempt at a record. Despite, for the most part have remained heavy, however I will have to say that it is very different from their previous effort. Especially with, “...of the End.” The whole track is an eerie piano interlude between track 4 and track 6. It’s unique because I truly didn’t expect that out of this band which is half-hardcore half-melodic death-metal. Speaking of track 4 and 6, Out of the whole album, “All the Eights” and “Bruised Machines” sound the most like they could have been on “In Your Despite.” Uncompromising, destructive metal with some of the harshest vocals this side of metal, which sums up the album as a whole.  

            Which leads to some of my criticisms, “In Your Despite” had a lot of catchy songs where “Clenched” does not. Some metallers do not care if there are nor not, but for me, who likes to work out while listening to metal, I had a hard time finding a song where I could say, “holy crap, listen to this!” I could be wrong where some of these tracks sound fantastic live. “Clenched,” is also different from it’s predecessor where it sounds darker and heavier but nothing it grabbing me. The track, “Clenched” kind of does this, but I think if it were mixed differently it would have turned out better. Not that there anything wrong with the way the album was mixed down, I just feel that with this song, if it were mixed differently, could have been the shining star on the whole album.

            Overall, I would say, see this band live. As for buying the album, I would say it’s worth it. It would be great to drive to but not that great to work out to, And if you’re reading this without hearing their first album, “In Your Despite”, I would say definitely get that.

7/10

written  by Matthew Haumschild  

Matthew Haumschild is a staff writer/editor for gryphonmetal.ch since 2002

He is based out of Minneapolis Minnesota USA he can be reached at matthaumschild@yahoo.com and  on facebook.com  

08.05.2011

© gryphonmetal.ch   2001-2011  Niederrohrdorf - Switzerland