To say that Revocation has another banger on deck seems a bit obvious, right? 

Speaking only from this author’s perspective this Boston unit has never fumbled the ball on a studio album. Dispute that amongst yourselves in the comment section, just don’t tag me along in your spirited debates. Last thing I need are more notifications via my phone. So, the point is Netherheaven (Metal Blade) may as well be subtitled “Revocation continues to be awesome and David Davidson is more talented than you, will never run out of riffs and can make out with your special lady friend whenever they like”.

Hey, listen, if I had someone in my social circle who could produce a dizzying solo like Davidson does on ‘Strange and Eternal’ I’d make sure never to never introduce them to a significant other. I don’t make the rules. 

Go ahead and take a gander at ‘Galleries of Morbid Artistry’ if you don’t believe. Our Bostonian heroes figured that Death Metal wasn’t wild enough, so they started thinking outside the box and borrowed healthy doses of progressive rock and wound up with something closer to Opeth or Gorguts rather than Skinless. And that is no knock on the latter – New York Death Metal forever – but it was so refreshing to splash around in some acoustic guitars in between bouts of double kicks and slithery leads. If I had my way, it would’ve been Netherheaven’s lead single and an open challenge to any extreme outfit looking to lock musical horns. 

But the high drama isn’t simply relegated to guitars – although Davidson puts on a lead clinic on instrumental ‘The 9th Chasm.’ Drummer Ash Pearson works what appears to be an overtime shift on ‘The Intervening Abyss of Untold Aeons.’ Double kicks rattle off like artillery fire before the blast beats come in and lay waste to any standing structures. Drummers can approach covering it at their own risk. I’d say some unlucky few will likely spontaneously combust like a Spinal Tap percussionist in their pursuits.

Davidson and his associates are not in, and will never likely be in the uninteresting music business. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Buy the album here: https://www.metalblade.com/revocation/

9 / 10

HANS LOPEZ