Mark’s Review:

It’s not Revocation’s fault, but when I received their new album, “Existence is Futile“, I was told that it was possibly the metal album of the year. That got me interested, but then I punched their name into Google, and found scores of websites proclaiming Revocation as “The Next Big Metal Band”. Now, usually this tag can be more of a curse than a blessing, but I was excited to hear these guys and made certain to reserve judgment until I could sit down and fully experience the album. Could this band possibly live up to the hype that had been built? The answer, unfortunately, is “no“, and while I think “Futile” is quality stuff, it doesn’t stand out as anything that I would term ground-breaking, or even more than slightly memorable.

Revocation doesn’t tip-toe around what it wants to accomplish. It’s technical-death metal of the highest order, and they do create some very unique and cool song structures. Guitarist/Vocalist David Davidson mixes boatloads of great riffs with some old-school soloing reminiscent of early Death and Carcass. Phil Dubois’s drumming is extremely impressive, but it lacks that memorable fill or beat that defines a song. The vocals are solid, but not very dynamic and their overall presentation could cause them to be confused for a number of other bands. The band’s guitar tone comes alive on the instrumental “Across Forests and Fjords“, and the sweeping riffs and melodies in “Tragedy of Modern Ages” have been stuck in my head since I heard them. But that’s two songs out of 11, and while the rest are a collection of very precise and technical musicianship, they just don’t grab you.

So I’m not sure if a bad review of the album is fair to the band, because Revocation is obviously very talented and I’m sure they slay live. Is it more of a comment on the current American metal scene that we think of these guys as pioneers? The band reminds me of a lot of technical-death outfits such as Cryptopsy, Origin, or even The Faceless. All of these guys have a great sound and just punish you with an onslaught of perfectly-played notes, but ultimately just don’t have that little “wow-factor” that sucks you in and makes you regularly fire up their music. I still have hope for Revocation, but I feel that “Existence is Futile” just cant live up to the hype.

Mark’s Rating:

King says: “It’s tough to live up to what metal demands, we can’t all be The King…”

Justin’s Review:

While I may be slightly older than Mark, I think it’s safe to say I’m a tad less jaded… especially when it comes to buying into the hype that surrounds Revocation and their new album “Existence is Futile.” Granted… proclaiming a virtually unknown (at least in my book) band are potentially the “next great metal band” is a pretty tall order, but quite frankly, I doubt Revocation give two shits… and really, neither do I.

What I do care about… is a band that I’ve never even heard of cranked out one of the most riff-tastic (yet tasteful) metal albums in years. Before I dive into specifics, let me take a second to clarify my perception on “riff-tastic”. Mark mentioned The Faceless, and I think it’s a fair point of comparison (through not necessarily the same genre). The Faceless (who I will give props for their phenomenal technical skills) write riffs. Their songs are chock-full of them. In fact… that’s ALL their songs are. Just a shitload of riffs placed one after another in no discernible fashion (then played at warp speed). Extreme? Most Definitely. Memorable? Not a chance.

Which brings us to Revocation… yet another “technical” metal band in their mid 20s who (based solely on their logo and artwork) I probably wouldn’t even waste my time with. Well… you’ve all heard the old saying… “it’s best not to judge a book by its cover.” Truer words could not have been spoken. While Revocation too, feature songs chock-full of riffs (seriously some of the freshest I’ve heard in a looooonnnggg time), they also write killer songs. Despite Mark’s take on it, “Existence is Futile” is filled to the brim with songs that flow exceptionally well (Deathonomics, Leviathan Awaits), showcase astoundingly memorable riffs (Pestilence Reigns, The Brain Scramblers), and even feature a few welcome surprises (Dismantle the Dictator). To top it all off, closing track The Tragedy of Modern Ages features an outro that comes dangerously close (in terms of sheer awesomeness) to Opeth’s Deliverance or Meshuggah’s Straws Pulled at Random.

It’s tough to pin the band down to a specific sub-genre (there are elements of old-school, thrash, death metal, prog, and so on), but for fans of good old-fashion metal… Revocation delivers in spades. In addition to the fantastic riffs and songwriting, we’re treated to some formidable drumming, audible bass (hey… in metal that’s a definite plus!) and solos, Solos, SOLOS, SOLOS!!! (which of course, rule). The vocals are nothing to write home about, but for the most part, tend to be very well suited to the songs themselves (and the occasional gang vocals are a nice touch). All in all, if you’re looking for something to freshen up the old cd collection / ipod / record player (?) … look no further.

If Mastodon have taught the world of metal anything, it’s “screw the hype… we just do what we want.” Let’s hope Revocation follow suit.

Justin’s Rating:

King says: “Does it seem like I’m just giving out 5s like they were candy on Halloween? Possibly… but the one thing I know for sure is Existence is Futile is a real treat!”

Have A Listen:

Revocation – Pestilence Reigns:

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