DESPISED ICON + CARNIFEX

Established in 2002, Montreal deathcore pioneers Despised Icon return with their seventh full-length album, Shadow Work. The album marks a significant chapter for a band whose core lineup has remained largely unchanged since its inception, allowing them to stay grounded in the sound and spirit they helped define.

Lyrically, Shadow Work explores themes of resilience and inner healing, drawing inspiration from thepsychological process of confronting and integrating one’s darker aspects. It’s a deeply introspective record that reflects both personal growth and the turbulence of the world around us. Their first new music in six years, the album stands as Despised Icon’s most fine-tuned and dynamic effort to date, balancing relentless speed, crushing grooves, and morbid melodies, while remaining true to their signature blend of extreme death metal and hardcore grit.

Produced by the band’s own Alex Erian and Eric Jarrin, Shadow Work was mixed and mastered by Christian Donaldson (Cryptopsy, Shadow of Intent, Signs of the Swarm), with artwork by Eliran Kantor(Hatebreed, Thy Art Is Murder, Cavalera).Featuring guest vocals by Matthew Honeycutt (Kublai Khan TX), Scott Ian Lewis (Carnifex) and Tom Barber(Chelsea Grin, Darko US), Shadow Work will be released on October 31, 2025, via Nuclear Blast Records.

Grind forever,

Carnifex:

Nourished by nightmares and the throbbing pulse of pragmatic terror, CARNIFEX have returned with their ninth full-length studio album, Necromanteum, out this fall via Nuclear Blast Records.
The cover artwork glows with an emerald and lavender fog; a ghostly energy erupting from the depths of a cemetery. Designed by renowned comic book artist E.M. Gist, this gateway represents the questions we ask about what lies on the other side of reality.
Decades ago, wealthy intellectuals began installing psychomanteum in their homes; a secret room completely filled with mirrors, or a single mirror, and in complete darkness, in order to speak to the dead in other dimensions, and gain their knowledge. It was often used as a healing tool to help dissolve grief, or considered a form of prophecy. Necromanteum presents the concept: what if you could use that kind of room to speak with death, itself? What secrets of the world could you uncover from a direct conversation with the grim reaper? Not a monster, but a fellow intellect.
The title track ‘Necromanteum’ broaches these existential topics - for example, what if it is only a one-way trip? No matter how sure we think we are, no one can really know the truth. As is to be expected with classic death metal and deathcore, the sound of Necromanteum and the overall musical themes are decidedly riff-driven.
There’s no shortage of new blood on this record both in the sense of remaining steadily progressive, but also now with the fresh inclusion of guitarist and song-writer Neal Tiemann as a full-time member. 
After existing as a band for over 18 years, CARNIFEX continue to experiment with fresh song arrangements, and adding a unique sense of atmosphere to their inherently deathcore foundation. When it came time to record, these orchestrations were brought to life by film score composer Spencer Creaghan. 
CARNIFEX fans who love to see the band live will not be disappointed as there are plenty of exciting tour plans set for the rest of 2023 into 2024, with new track ‘Torn In Two’ already creating buzz from the band’s last trek on the road.