Despised Icon were always a wrecking ball on a flyer in the early 2000's. If their logo was on a bill, there's just nothing that would you keep away from missing it. But with their first debut falling on deaf ears, The Healing Process' introduction of pig squeals into the deathcore space, and the two conquering but forgettable releases that followed, it's surprising to see the band make a resurgence to the scene.
Beast is by all means a Despised Icon record. Obviously, much has happened in the metal community in the years that followed their first handful of releases, and Alex has enjoyed much deserved catapulted success with Obey The Brave, but there's not really anything that separates the band from the rest of the fodder loitering the modern metal scene. Each song on the record sounds like it could've ended up anywhere else in the second half of their catalogue, and it's actually quite tough to make it through a complete listen without it feeling like a chore.
In fact, the dual vocal approach and the gutturals in 2016 don't really cut the snuff. While the drums have always been monstrous and the licks always as lavish as a sportscar, there's just not enough here to make this come back as interesting as what other nostalgia acts have done in the past couple years. Beast can actually be completely overlooked and not damage the overall perception of the band's accomplishments and even die hard fans can keep their hands away and be just fine.
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