Alex Pelletier Talks About Despised Icon Breaking Up

SDM: Alex, we have heard about the decision of Despised Icon to call it the end for the band, after the current bookings.  How long has this been on the minds of the guys in the band?

Alexgrind: Hi Ian.  Well, it came to a point where certain members of the band had trouble doing several tours, due to raising a child, important work at their job, buying a house, all of which takes a lot of time aside from music, so we decided to make it clear that the band would finish this year; some of us will stop playing music, and some will continue.

SDM: There are some Euro dates, but will there be any US dates before the band is finished?

Alexgrind: Well, all the tours that have been announced will be done, and maybe the final tour will be in Australia and Japan; the US is pending.

SDM: Is there any talk of side projects between any of the members?

Alexgrind: I don’t think that the members of Despised Icon will start another band in that style, but there’s the chance that certain members will play music together in a different style of music.  In my case, I have some compositions completed on the side to do the same genre of music, but it will take me time to find the people to play this genre in Montreal.

SDM: You said that you would be finished with extreme drumming, but are becoming more technical, precise and faster.  What do you plan on doing next?

Alexgrind: No, I will continue extreme music, surely till the end of my days, physically.  I already have some projects on the map of extremely fast music more like my old group Deuterium.

Technically on the drums, I’ve discovered new techniques to go faster and to strain less; for example, handwork for ultra-rapid grind and blast beats which I didn’t do before.  On the feet, I have a new very fast technique that is not double strokes, it’s another that I’m working on that is extremely fast with less effort.

SDM: What would you like to say to all the fans of Despised Icon?

Alexgrind: Tell yourselves that the band will die at a strong point and not at a weak point, musically, and the future depends on those who continue this genre of music, and of course on those who support it as you, the fans, have done so well — YEAH!  Thanks for the interview, Ian, and GRIND FOREVER.