Despyre – “Irritation” [EP] [Album Review]

Despyre’s sound is a relatively simple one. This is straight-up heavy metal from the same school as the likes of Disturbed and Five Finger Death Punch, but it would be unfair to say it is exactly the same as those. Across five tracks of solid metal built around chunky riffs, Despyre’s catchy sound will likely stick with you for a while.

“Blue Sky” opens with a heavy riff that could have been taken from a Rammstein record. Indeed, there are elements of industrial metal here, but this isn’t straight industrial metal. “Irritation”, for example, is faster, heavier and full of screams and classic metal wails. This song sounds like something you’d expect in a SOiL recording, but sadly without Ryan McCombs’ dulcet tones. This isn’t to say that the vocals are poor, however. On the contrary, the vocal delivery is rather good throughout, with croons, screams, and wails aplenty. Despyre’s sound covers quite a wide array of metal’s subgenres.

“Voodoo Fix” is the heaviest track on the EP. Its central chugging riff and awesome use of the bass guitar make for a great listen. Indeed, “Voodoo Fix” and the ever-so-catchy “Blue Sky” represent the best of the EP – both are sounds that the band should look to develop and take on into the future. Despyre’s simple sound is one that should do fine with a whole variety of metalheads. There’s nothing particularly mind-blowing here, but everything is delivered with an energy and passion that ensures you should have a good time with Irritation no matter your metal preferences. It’s a fun EP.

Irritation Track Listing:

01. Blue Sky
02. Lies
03. Irritation
04. Voodoo Fix
05. Black

Run Time: 21:30
Release Date: October 13, 2017

Check out the teaser video for the Irritation EP