J-Man Deathcore may not be the first thing that comes to mind when talking about Italy, but that's exactly the style of music that Despite Exile dedicates themselves to on this debut EP. Scarlet Reverie is a six-song, 21-minute effort that demonstrates the brutal, unforgiving style of death metal-infused metalcore popularized by bands like Suicide Silence, Carnifex, or Emmure. Add in a touch of melodic-edged metalcore in the vein of Killswitch Engage, and you've got a pretty good idea of the style of music delivered by Despite Exile.

Though the band doesn't do anything particularly new in this well-trodden territory, Scarlet Reverie is a well-executed debut from a band that has clearly rehearsed before. Their compositional abilities are also substantially above-average for most modern deathcore acts (I have a major issue with the overall generic sound that bands like Emmure tend to embrace), and although Despite Exile relies a bit too heavily upon 'standard deathcore breakdowns' for my tastes, Scarlet Reverie is still a very promising debut EP.

Despite Exile's rather uninventive approach may not appeal much to folks outside of the deathcore fanbase, but anyone who enjoys the genre will probably like what these Italians have to offer. There are certainly enough displays of technical mastery, devastating breakdowns, and pummeling riffs to satisfy the vast majority of metalcore and deathcore listeners out there.