2013 - Relapse Records
I didn't really jump on the Revocation bandwagon until their last full-length, Chaos of Forms. After hitting their back catalog and enjoying last year's Teratogenesis I came to the conclusion that Revocation has to be one of the most consistent bands today. The short version of this review states that Revocation will continue that same thought. While many bands use the "self-titled" album as an opportunity to re-establish a band, Revocation firmly stands as a testament to the core sound of the band and what they stand for.
Just in case you haven't heard of Revocation, a short description would be that of retro-thrash coupled with technical death metal. David Davidson's masterful guitar work is also a key component of the band's established sound, churning out meaty riffs and shredding solos like it was going out of style. David's vocals mainly stick in the harsh realm, with mid-range rasps with the occasional roars and pseudo-sung vocals sprinkled throughout. They aren't nothing particularly outstanding, but they fit the music well and leave plenty of room for the real stars to shine: the guitars. The ending of "Invidious" will undoubtedly be one of the most crushing and whiplash-inducing riffs you hear this year. Meanwhile, the ability to create memorable riffs without diluting their aggression is practically unmatched. "Numbing Agent" and "Fracked" practically bore their way into your ears and just won't let go. Honestly, there is at least one to two riffs in each song that will fight for space to be played on repeat in your brain for days. Then the soloing throughout (some favorites would be "Entombed by Wealth" and "Fracked") is extraordinary and will certainly put a smile on any metal lover's face.
While you can make a pretty good assumption about what you are going to hear on Revocation, that's not to say that the band doesn't throw in a few curve balls for good measure. The haunting atmosphere that set's up the record is one of the first "intros" I've enjoyed in quite some time, opening up directly into one of my favorite riffs. The acoustic break towards the finale of "Archfiend" offers the listener a moment to catch their breath before wrapping things up. Also, the banjo on display during "Invidious" can only be described as awesome. Some will note that the technicality usually present on a Revocation release is streamlined a bit here, but when you can compose songs so well that the instrumental track ("Spastic") is more interesting than many other bands entire catalog, I don't think there will be too many that have a problem with it.
If you have somehow missed out on the band until now, Revocation is the perfect place to start. While it doesn't change much from previous efforts, it certainly takes what they've done and presents it in a manner that shows them at the top of their game. Revocation has been generating a ton of buzz as of late, and it's nice to see it going to such a deserving band. This is the type of album that both older and younger metalheads can genuinely enjoy as well as pull in some newcomers to the scene.
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