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| Key Release: Chaos of Forms (2011) |
With so many bands vying for the limelight these days, it’s
hard to craft a musical identity that stands out from the crowd. Boston thrash
act Revocation has managed to not only be heard over the din, but is starting
to turn heads with an eclectic brand of metal rooted in guitarist David
Davidson’s studies of jazz and Classical music at Berklee College of Music. Founded
as a trio, Revocation unleashed its debut album Empire of the Obscene in 2008, and landed a second haymaker to the
jaw with Existence is Futile only a
year later. The band’s sophomore effort gained the attention of major publications
such as Spin and AllMusic, who awarded the album a stellar 4.5/5 and called it
“one of the best pure metal albums of 2009.” Loudwire even went so far as to
name the band’s 2009 single “Dismantle the Dictator” one of the fifty best metal
songs of the 21st century.
Thanks to Davidson’s astounding guitar chops – MetalSucks
crowned him the #1 overall guitarist in modern metal last year – and the Swiss-watch
precision of drummer Phil Dubois-Coyne, Existence
is Futile powered through dystopian rampages
and fist-pumping anthems with the “surgical precision” of the titular mad scientist in Existence highlight “Reanimaniac." After recruiting a second guitarist in Dan Gargiulo, Revocation
dropped its third album, Chaos of Forms
in 2011 to widespread acclaim and landed a headlining tour with KEN Mode and A
Life Once Lost courtesy of multimedia label Scion A/V. Also included in the gig
was a five-song EP Teratogenesis,
which was handed out at shows and made available for free download to support
the tour.
With a new album set for release this June, Revocation seems
to be helping bring an old-school swagger back to metal, adding its own flair
courtesy of Davidson’s trademark songwriting that’s heavy on dissonance and an ever-shifting
tonal center. Fans can argue over who has the edge in a thrash at the moment (West-coast
luminaries Vektor and Havok are forging impressive catalogues as well), but
Revocation is a band to watch out for as the foursome continues to hone its formidable
riff-tastic attack and remind everyone that imagination and technicality can
coexist – though peacefully definitely isn’t part of the equation.
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