Revocation – Deathless

By Andrew Bansal

Boston MA-based technical/progressive thrash metal band Revocation have earned an almost unanimous level of respect and admiration amongst metalheads and critics alike over their 8-year career so far, through six impressive studio efforts and countless live performances all over the world. Their fourth full-length self-titled LP came out in 2013 and marked the end of their tenure with Relapse Records, following which they immediately signed on to the legendary and historic Metal Blade label. Just a little over a year since, a prolific surge of creativity has seen them write, record and release their fifth full-length ‘Deathless’ for their Metal Blade debut.

While the self-titled record is fiercely guitar-oriented, heavy on the shred element and sonically exudes the group’s extreme metal tendencies more than anything else, ‘Deathless’ travels a much different path, overall coming across as a deeper, more mature creation by lead guitarist, vocalist and songwriter David Davidson and his band mates, longstanding partner-in-crime Phil Dubois-Coyne on drums, Dan Gargiulo on guitar and Brett Bamberger on bass, the four combining for a lineup that has stayed constant since 2012. Maintaining the quality and style of guitar work, ‘Deathless’ delves into darker musical passages with greater prominence of melody than ever before.

The vastness of this album’s musicality is evident right from the outset, on the opening tune ‘A Debt Owed To The Grave’ which takes the listener through a short but expansive 5-minute journey of crafty drum fills, fast-paced thrashy segments, groovy breakdowns, solos and an epic twin guitar harmony in its closing stages. These elements continue to decorate the 10-track, 48-minute effort in varying degrees under the guise of different structures and arrangements, but the dark-edged melody in the guitar work evident in every single track is the strongest and most distinct feature of the album, most definitely broadening Revocation’s horizons and potential fan base as a result. ‘Labyrinth Of Eyes’, ‘The Blackest Reaches’, ‘United In Helotry’, ‘Apex’ and ‘Witch Trials’ are the standout compositions in this aspect, while ‘Madness Opus’ is the most progressive track on here. But most importantly, the band shows no hesitation or fear towards breaking out of the standard thrash/death/groove pacing and exploring a down-tempo style on sizable chunks of ‘Deathless’, enabling these melodies to breathe and shine that much more.

The importance of a good catchy, thought-provoking and memorable melody in heavy metal is often largely lost in the sea of distortion and technicality, hence it’s refreshing to witness Revocation progressing to incorporate it in their music to add a whole another dimension to their repertoire. Besides, there’s the added bonus of the album cover which was hand-painted by internationally renowned tattoo artist Tom Strom, the hand painting approach bringing forth the artist’s creative thought process and lending a much greater degree of expression to the image.

Signifying Revocation’s metamorphosis, ‘Deathless’ is a compelling masterpiece.

Rating: 9.5/10

Record Label: Metal Blade

Release Date: October 14th 2014

Track Listing:
1. A Debt Owed to the Grave
2. Deathless
3. Labyrinth of Eyes
4. Madness Opus
5. Scorched Earth Policy
6. The Blackest Reaches
7. The Fix
8. United in Helotry
9. Apex
10. Witch Trials

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