Despise

In the Metal world, it’s not uncommon to see bands celebrated for sounding exactly like this or that classic album by this or that classic group. “This sounds EXACTLY like early CELTIC FROST” or “This sounds EXACTLY like mid-period IRON MAIDEN”. Nothing wrong with this, but what’s way more uncommon is to find a band who not only seems have a genuine grasp of the underlying mechanisms/ideas that make a true classic album, but who’re also able to channel this knowledge into music of their own. The Athenian Thrash Metal act DESPISE belongs to this minority group.

Originally formed Athens during late 1986, DESPISE spent the following two years in a period of continuous member rotation – the only constant being founding guitarist Makis Dedes – a veteran of the Greek underground scene who’d also played with Hardcore Punk acts like Χαμένα Ιδανικά and ABOLISH AUTHORITY (former EX-HUMANS) as well as figuring as the producer for Ανάσα Στάχτη’s classic self-titled debut LP in 1994. During the period 1986-88, DESPISE refrained from playing live due to the unstable lineup situation, but did make an early appearance on the iconic “Greece Attacks” 2LP compilation with the track “Spewn out from Hell” in 1989 with original vocalist Makis “Mike Bloodshed” Kasapis (RIP), which was voted as the best song of the compilation in a poll published in the Greek Metal Hammer magazine.

Finally, in 1989 DESPISE stabilized into a classic power trio consisting of Makis Dedes (vocals, guitars), Maria Vassilakis (bass) and Johnny (drums). This lineup would prove strong enough to last until 2004. The newly established three-piece went on to perform celebrated gigs – featuring upcoming demo material – in the local area, with concerts at AN Club and an opening spot for D.R.I. at Rodon in 1990. Parallel to their concert appearances, DESPISE began working studiously on the completion on their debut demo, determined to do it 100% DIY, including everything from composition, production and eventual distribution.

The personal sacrifices with countless hours spent on preparing and eventually completing the demo would prove fruitful, indeed. Presented in an exquisite fold-out j-card and with factory-printed cassette, a quick glance at the “product” reveals that nothing has been left to chance with the release of “State of Brutality” (1993). Of course, this includes the music as well. Stylewise, DESPISE adheres to the classic US Thrash Metal sound, with SLAYER as the main point of reference. In fact, the four tracks included on the demo sounds almost EXACTLY like a union between SLAYER’S classic triumvirate “Hell Awaits” (1985), “Reign in Hell” (1986) and “South of Heaven” (1988). This could be regarded as a feat in itself, but what truly propels DESPISE to the higher echelons is not their capacity to mimic the external appearance (“sound”) of SLAYER, but rather their incredibly rare compositional abilities – all executed with the kind of furiousness that should leave even the most skeptical listener convinced. As was the case with SLAYER during their heydays, the songs may seem straightforward at first glance, but is developed in accordance to minutiae motivic development and instrumental precision that emblazon the music with a character all of its own. Alas, dismissing DESPISE as a late-coming carbon copy (hopelessly passé in the wake of Death Metal in the early 1990s) would be a grand mistake.

“State of Brutality” was received with unanimously positive response from the global Metal underground and the demo soon sold out. The band was approached by several record labels to sign an album deal (Active Records, Noise, Roadrunner, Caroline, etc.), but nothing seemed to have come out of it. In the meantime, DESPISE kept working on new material. The supposed inadequacy of domestic studios for the production of Thrash Metal however forced the band into doing the production labor themselves. Thus, during 1996-98 initiated the pre-production process independently and eventually recorded material for their upcoming debut album between 1998-2000 with Makis Dedes as producer.

For some reason, these songs appear to have eventually been released separately. First as a four-track promotional release entitled “Promo 2002” (2002), followed by the “Indefinite Force LP Demo” (2006) – the latter including five new songs plus the entire “State of Brutality” demo, making it a composite and relatively cheap way of introduction to the band. As for the new material, it follows roughly in the vein of “State of Brutality” – SLAYER-esque but with a twist of its own – but with a more modern touch à la 1990s SLAYER. Although released as late as 2006, “Indefinite Force” still featured the classic lineup of Makis (vocals, guitars), Maria (bass) and Johnny (drums).

As for the future, DESPISE is allegedly working actively, with Makis and Maria still constituting the core of the band. However, following the departure of Johnny behind the drum kit in 2004, the band is searching for suitable and permanent musicians to complete the lineup (2nd guitarist and drummer). The most recent available material was published around 2008-09 on the band’s Myspace site, featuring the temporary use of programmed drums.

In addition to their early appearance on “Greece Attacks”, DESPISE has been featured on a handful of compilation tapes/CDs, such as the Canadian “Underground Symphonies” series and the cult Death/Black/Thrash tape “Never to Rise Again” (1995).

Compilation appearances:
* Greece Attacks [2LP, Comp, Gatefold: FM, 1989]
* Darkest Occult Comp. No 1 [Cass, Comp: Self-released, 1994]
* Never to Rise Again [Cass, Comp, Numbered: Self-released, 1995]
* Underground Symphonies Volume II [CD, Comp: New World Symphony, 1995]