It’s always a good time when Revocation is about to put out a new album. Having been a fan for a number of years and seeing the evolution that this severely underrated band has gone through, it’s bands like this that keep things alive and fresh in the ears of those looking for music that is tantalizing and new every single time. 2018 sees Revocation release their 7th full length “The Outer Ones” which once again pushes things forward in new directions and is a stark reminder that this band is one of the top acts in modern metal.
The interesting thing about Revocation’s last few albums from the self-titled until now is that they have all been growers, albums that took a little bit to get right into but once it clicked, those songs just became golden nuggets as if sifting through the debris looking for those lucky moments. “Deathless” is a great example of an album that really did take a few listens to truly understand and get hooked by the music at hand and it’s probably down to the fact that the band have taken on more complex and technical elements that make this band less on the thrash side and more of a true progressive metal band. However in saying that, the last album “Great Is Our Sin” was the only one in recent times to stand out straight away where some of the old feels of their earlier work seeped through a bit more. So it was interesting to see how this new album “The Outer Ones” would play out and the conclusion is, it’s another grower but this time aside from the dazzling displays of intricate arrangements and wizard-like instrumentation, it’s the sheer brutality of the whole thing, possibly in a similar manner to “Deathless” which is the heaviest Revocation album to date – until now.
That comes through immediately with the opening track “Of Unworldly Origin“, the first preview of the album upon it’s official announcement. The blast beat intro hits you right in the face with that signature sound coming through right after, pummeling all your senses with an aggressive tone and lightning quick tempos. The song is only broken up by the last part featuring a breakdown that was clearly designed to break your neck, adding some signature melodic parts coming from the always reliable axe of David Davidson.
The proggier elements of Revocation are literally embedded in all corners of this album but none more so than on tracks such as the follow-up to the lead track “That Which Consumes All Things” with it’s wall of guitars driving some insane moments or the brilliant title track which takes on the sci-fi theme to it’s full extent within the music itself. It’s a frenetic outburst of notey riffs and Deathless-like heaviness which then becomes an almost instrumental by the end as the band weave in a thread of epic grooves and progressive melodies.
One other thing Revocation does add in thanks to Davidsons jazz training is the weirder off kilter moments like in “Blood Atonement“, a mostly groove oriented track that throws in some jazzy passages just to mix it up a bit, not that far removed from any Revocation album I might add if you know the band’s musical history at all. Continuing with that theme, the instrumental piece “Ex Nihilo” is a juicy piece of work that acts much more than just a filler piece, it’s full bodied content filled with some truly jaw dropping moments making this one a musician’s wet dream. It’s those numerous moments, too many to really retain on immediate listen shows that the album overall is going to take some time to get familiar with which goes back to the above note about the band’s later material being growers. With so much things going on in each track let along from song to song, that’s only going to be inevitable but that’s not a bad thing as it shows a sustainability and longevity of the music Revocation aim for. It’s a thinking man’s band and one that only musically adept fans will appreciate.
Revocation leave a beast to top things off with “A Starless Darkness“, a 7 minute ode to extreme metal where the paces start off slower with a doom-like quality before some vintage trademarks make it’s way into this album closer. There’s a bit of old school sludge/death metal along with a classic sort of feel in the meat of this track but it does end in much the same way it begins, something a little different for the band once again who simply thrive on pushing those boundaries each time. “The Outer Ones” is the continuing evolutionary step for Revocation and one that is going to keep fans on their toes and that is exactly the way it should be.
TRACKLIST
Of Unworldly Origin
That Which Consumes All Things
Blood Atonement
Fathomless Catacombs
The Outer Ones
Vanitas
Ex Nihilo
Luciferous
A Starless Darkness
