Dispraised are back with another eight tracks of punk rock fury and in your face lyrics
Every now and then a new album manages to capture the sound and feeling of times past but brings them full circle making them relevant again. Dispraised has done that for me on this release. Raw, confrontational in attitude with fast rhythms and pounding drums to keep the songs moving along supported the sneering, shouted lyrics. Starting back in 2017 as a cross-continent effort between Donovan de Necker (Old-Timers) and Tom Mong in Idaho, US, Dispraised has released a few singles and 4 full length albums since the band formed with Same God, Modern World announcing their debut in 2020. From my perspective, I was a fan of Donovan’s previous band the Old-Timers and got to know him via the internet sharing a common bond around music and cars, with both of us eventually doing reviews for the Metal Resource. Actually it’s hard to believe how long we’ve chatted, now that I think about it, and also that this is the first time I’ve reviewed Dispraised. I do have to say that this album has a more mature, fully formed sound than previous albums I’ve heard and it’s really good, while clocking in at 21 minutes in true punk rock style. Donovan’s raging guitars work well with Tom’s gritty, rough vocals.
“Earth Beneath the Wire” started out like previous songs from Dispraised, but then the guitars went into a melodic hardcore mode providing a backdrop that smoothed out Tom’s vocals a bit, which was unexpected and the song really works well.
“Ashes of Oath” is the longest song on the album and starts out with a dark, ominous riff before settling into nice chugging rhythm for the verse sections. The shout and reply chorus with the different vocal styles works really well and the variations in the guitar parts throughout the song lend some complexity that is amplified by the strong bass work. Tom’s vocals show a bit of restraint throughout the song and album for that matter, yet still border on strained to a point where one can visualize the conviction behind the words.
There is a bit of a formula to some of the songs here with “Silicon Messiah” and “Rot Alive” both starting out similar to the opening track with fast, rumbling noise and chaos that settles into a fast groove with vocals shouted over the top, but then you get songs like “Eyes in the Sky” and “Chains of Comfort” which break that pattern and yet still carry through with driving rhythms and passionate vocal delivery, even bringing in some rhythmic spoken word interludes in “Chains of Comfort”. I have to give a shout out to the bass work on the album as there are some great bass lines scattered throughout the songs on the album, which brings a bit of a novel element.
To my ears, Dispraised has managed to find a maturity in their sound over their releases, but manage to do so without compromise. This is old school hardcore punk brought into modern times, complete with the aggression and conviction one would expect.
Rating: 8/10
Written by John Jackson
Tracklist
1.Earth Beneath the Wire 01:45
2.Ashes of Oath 04:22
3.Silicon Messiah 02:34
4.Rot Alive 02:48
5.Eyes in the Sky 02:20
6.Forevermore 01:48
7.Enemy to All 01:42
8.Chains of Comfort 03:48
Record Label: Thumper Punk Records
Band Members
Donovan de Necker – bass, guitars
Tom Mong – vocals
Justin Ram – drums
Weblinks
Bandcamp: https://dispraised.bandcamp.com/album/dispraised-2026
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dispraised/