Revocation - Self Titled

Getting the best of both worlds is something people generally consider a good thing, and when it comes to Revocation is far and above true. Revocation’s blend of death metal and thrash metal is so incredibly well done and captures the best aspects of both those genres perfectly. While you can ponder the labels of the bands sounds for a long time while listening to their albums, one thing remains clear, these guys put out incredibly well written music and their new self-titled album only furthers that point.

Now one the one hand Revocation does not tread any new ground for the band, which means that if for some reason their previous albums just were not your thing, this album is probably not going to do anything to change your opinion. On the other hand when you have had 4 incredibly well received albums, and time and time again continue to blow your fans and critics away with your writing, you must be doing something right. This album takes off from the get go and doesn’t let up at all. It’s a fast paced beast chock full of sweltering solos, machine gun drums, and gnarly growls.

Teratogenesis saw the band take their production to the next level, thanks in part to Scion’s paying for everything, but this boost to crystal clear perfection is carried over with Revocation and (this being their self-titled album) this album  feels like it is the pinnacle of their career thus far in terms of showcasing every good aspect of themselves. There is not a dull moment at all in this album (although you could basically say that for their entire discography).

Now it would be interesting to see how Revocation would handle throwing in some other elements into their sound to change things up and surprise long time listeners. I for one enjoyed the heavier emphasis on their southern flanges in Teratogenesis, such as ‘Spurn the Outstretched Hand’, which weren’t carried as heavily over on this album. But I wonder how the band might handle letting other genres poke into their sound here and there and experiment a tad bit more. They’ve perfected the Death/Thrash combo, so why not add something else to the mix.

Revocation is a stellar album, and longtime fans of the band will find no big issues with it in the least. This band proves themselves to be at the top of their game with each new release and nothing seems to be changing about that anytime soon.