One could take the hyphenated route and describe the music of Revocation as tech-death-thrash-prog-metal or go the simple route and say extreme metal. “The Outer Ones” is available September 28th on Metal Blade Records. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.
Guitarist and vocalist David Davidson writes amazing riffs, amazing solos, incorporates jazz phrasings and doesn’t forget to include true stank-face groove in these songs. Drummer Ash Pearson, appearing on his second Revocation disc, proves beyond all shadow of a doubt that he is the right guy for the job. There is nothing out of place as far as the drum performance is concerned – at some points I’m wondering how some of these patterns are possible – and the drum sounds are perfect, from cymbals to double bass. Guitarist Dan Gargiulo doesn’t just double the guitars but compliments Davidson, thickens and adds to the brutality. There is left/right panning going on between the guitar tracks (see track 1 from 2:45 to 3:02; track 3 from 1:44 to 2:55). This isn’t “Hammett doing everything Hetfield does.” Bassist Brett Bamberger lays down the law of the low-end. He commands attention on tracks 2, 3, and 8.
There are TONS of riffs on “The Outer Ones” so don’t worry about Revocation making a change to their direction. The Voivod-love is strong with this CD with odd, atonal Piggy-esque chords popping up here and there. That’s always a good thing. If anything, this CD is a correction back to the heavy after having veered into a slightly more melodic, accessible direction with their previous effort “Great Is Our Sin” from 2016. I get the image of riding a skateboard down a steep hill, getting speed wobbles, but maintaining balance even though the inertia is incredible.
Some say the fury is too busy and tough to comprehend but I disagree. Yeah this is intense as hell, but it’s not off-putting. As far as the tag “tech-death” is concerned, this isn’t a crispy, digital-sounding cyber-production. The guitars are hot and crusty, not just warm and distorted. The vocals are dirty and gruff, close to guttural, not shrieked but decipherable. Rest assured extreme metal fans: there is no singing. Davidson’s solos are as exciting and fun as ever with the classic melodic double-leads making a frequent appearances.
After listening to Revocation’s new CD “The Outer Ones,” I’m compelled to listen to all their other CDs. Instead, I’ve found myself simply pressing play again so I can listen to the whole thing another time. It’s really that good. If you’ve never heard Revocation before reading this, “The Outer Ones” is a perfect place to start. I anticipate we’ll find this CD on many “Best of 2018” lists later this year.
Rating: 9.5/10
Tracklist:
- Of Otherworldly Origin 4:29
- That Which Consumes All Things 5:29
- Blood Atonement 4:44
- Fathomless Catacombs 5:34
- The Outer Ones 5:42
- Vanitas 5:54
- Ex Nihilo 4:25
- Luciferous 4:49
- A Starless Darkness 7:15
Label: Metal Blade
Release Date: 28 September 2018
Website: www.revocationband.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/revocation
Progressive Music Planet 
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