The Despised

DESPISED, THE:
One Punch: 7”
Hotlanta’s own Despised recorded a three-song souvenir of their last tour in the Land of the Rising Sun as well as including three new tracks on the flip of fiery hardcore bliss for even the most discriminating, looking-down-the-nose fuck. Judging from the gatefold on this single, it looks as though the Japanese have really seemed to take a shine to these guys, now only if they could only get a States/ West Coast tour happening (what the fuck, Shayne?). I’ve done nothing but give these Georgians major thumbs up since I’ve caught their first few singles some ten years ago, and I’ll continue to do nothing BUT. This isn’t that pull-up-your-goddamned-sagging-pants, nü-metal, craptacular OzFest “hardcore.” And it sure as shit ain’t that mesh-trucker-cap-pulled-to-the-side-of-your-head-with-an-H2O-hoodie-on-in-90-degree-heat “hardcore,” either. No, FUCK alla that. This is “get in, or get the fuck out” hardcore. The real deal. This is The Despised. –Designated Dale (VIP)
- Razorcake Issue #43

Breakneck, no-mercy hardcore punk lives on in the form of The Despised. The Atlanta-based tattoholics' latest outburst is One Punch, a six-song 7" EP on red/black splatter vinyl. Divided into a studio side and live side, the three new songs on the former (including the title track) sound like a pack of wildbeests, rats and rednecks being frantically and fiercely torn limb-from-limb by chainsaws, meat-grinders and ice-pics. The trio of live cuts, recorded on the band's tour of Japan last summer, are even louder, uglier and meaner. If that sounds like beautiful music to you, then check 'em at the TreeHouse in Norcross Feb. 2 (with Neon Christ) and/or the Star Bar Feb 23. What, no Eddie's Attic gigs? - Stomp and Stammer v13 No. 4 Feb 2008

THE DESPISED - "One Punch" EP
Holy crap! THE DESPISED, well-respected hardcore punk veterans from Atlanta, Georgia have a scraming new EP for you! THE DESPISED saga reaches way back to the mid-'90s when the Atlanta scene exploded with excellend skinhead and punk bands! It only takes a couple of pitchers of beer shard by some battle-scarred skin-heads and the conversation turns to the ANTI-HEROES, ADOLPH AND THE PISS ARTISTS, TERMINUS CITY, Frank and 45 Revolutions Record Shop, and all the skins, punks, their friends, and their families. On side one of the One Punch EP, THE DESPISED offers three pile-driving metallic KO studio cuts: "Holy Man," "Meth-Head to the Madness" and "One Punch." Every song is a keeper! The DESPISED has been down in the thrash trenches so fucking long they are starting to resemble the topography! THE DESPISED kicks butt! Side two of this EP was recorded live on tour--June 8th, 2007 at Huck Finn, Nagoya, Japan. The sound is not as crisp as the studio material (surprised?). The people who were at the show would keep this treasure close to their hearts! For a thorough discography of these ten years of work by these hardcore warriors, purchase the brand new DESPISED Give Me 10% CD. This 1006-to-present compilation covers several different EPs and much more. Buy THE DESPISED One Punch EP for the excellent studio side and the handsome glossy gatefold packaging littered with photos! Buy THE DESPISED EP as a sign of respect for these grizzled survivors! (BR) - Maximum Rock'n'Roll Issue 296 Jan 2008

DESPISED: Punk It's Not For Rich Kids Anymore (Visual Impact-cd)
A very last minute purchase and almost no space left, so here we go: Atlanta, GA most pissed off bastards knock you down again with 14 ripping old school hardcore blasts the way it was meant to be. Straight ahead, killer riffing, smashing drums and energy, lots of energy. Great cd, super gigs, cool guys. Get it! (www.despisedatlanta.com) - High Heels Slut #10 (Belgium)

The Despised, from Atlanta, formed way back in the mid-90?fs and released a few 7??s before calling it a day in 2000, but they regrouped in 2005 and this is their first full-length release: ?gPunk, It?fs Not For Rich Kid$ Anymore!?h Expect 14 tracks of generally short, fast, aggressive punk rock that?fs heavier and more hardcore-oriented than you?fd likely expect. It?fs sometimes humorous, sometimes socio-political, always bitter ?en?f pissed. While they don?ft particularly sound like any of their individual influences, you?fll hear bits and pieces of Poison Idea, The Exploited, and that kind of thing going on - but, as evidenced by their unexpected cover of ?gJust Can?ft Hate Enough?h by Sheer Terror, there?fs definitely a wider range of influences at work. To my ears, the gruff vocal delivery and fast-paced lyrical arrangements bear the most in common with straight up, pissed off punk; while the driving power chord rhythms have a heavy, hardcore sort of attack built around more of a punk rock sense of energy - accented by plenty of noisy lead breaks and hints at overt metal riffing on rare occasion. And the recording?fs thick as fuck, with an absolutely mammoth fuzzed out bass tone, so despite some borderline unbalanced ruggedness from time to time there?fs a pretty damn solid punch happening there as well. Not too shabby! - - Aversiononline.com Feb 2007

THE DESPISED - "Give Me Back My 10%" CD
The DESPISED are from Atlanta, Georgia; this CD is a retrospective of their previously released records, Music to Drivey, Give Me Back My 10%, and Scourge of the South. The band has a sound that combines street punk and speed metal on some of the songs, and driving hard-core like POISON IDEA on others. The songs are fast and heavy, and just make you want to circle pit and punch people in the face. Hating hippies and feeling distanced from the rest of soceity seems to be what these boys from Georgia are all about and if you have a problem with it than you're just a hippy bastard anyway. Most notable about this CD though is the live stage banter placed in between tracks. (PL)
(VIP, PO Box 5824, Atlanta, GA 31107, www.despisedatlanta.com)
- Maximum Rock'n'Roll Issue 296 Jan 2008