22 tracks, 60 minutes of pure German melodic metal with lush orchestration and vocal harmonies that roll thru the songs like that huge snowball did in Willow.
Sticking by their “unity” ideology, light-hearted melodic tendencies, and overall fun/energetic vibe, their records have been getting better and better.
Part of the crime is how bad some of the material here is – Alice not afraid to suck the tailpipe of trend like a mangy mutt misguidedly after a sugar fix.
A mixture of Goth rock and black metal vocals, occasional doomy plods, interspersed with wind-swept mountain views and staggering ballerina keyboard tinkles.
The production is inspiring and combative, guitars and drums bashing it out for supremacy, while the band figures out how to be rockers straddling old hair.
From the Theologian-affiliated label that brought us Excruciating Terror, Grief, and other horrors, Despise You carve their niche with a bent, rusty knife.