Spartans! What is your profession?!? MOSHING! As soon as the first notes were struck by Despised Icon the first slamdancers appeared and kept going until the very last note some songs later. Their brutal deathcore is a real treat to my ears, the combination of ultra fast grind parts, brutal death metal riffs, heavy breakdowns and even heavier breakdowns works like a charm, especially live. The two vocalists prove to be a formidable force when prowling the stage, throwing their aggressive screams and grunts at the audience. Again a nice show from a band that knows how to groove and bash. [DemonDust]

 

With Cephalic Carnage the hardcore slamdancers moved to the back, not knowing how to respond to something which sounds so absurdly brutal, technical and varied. I, too had a question in mind during this entire show. It remained unanswered. After seeing several shows, I still wonder how it is possible that a band which consists of such huge stoners can play such fast complicated grindcore/death that tight. For instance: how many other bands sell beautiful handmade glass smoking pipes with their band name on it? I also still wonder why they prefer to smoke pot through an apple, but just as with Cephalic’s music you mustn’t think inside the box. Maybe it’s even better not to think at all. Fact is that Cephalic is even hard to digest for the most extreme metal fans, and a young band like Despised Icon will probably supersede their popularity in some time. Cephalic will probably get the real appreciation of the mass after a couple of decades, just as with many other big artists. [Sledgehammer Messiah]