UMUR
"Forthcoming Revelation" is the debut full-length studio album by German death/thrash metal act Messticator. The album was independently released in August 2022. Messticator formed in Hamburg, Germany and released the "Unmask the Hypocrisy" teaser single a few weeks before the release of "Forthcoming Revelation". "Unmask the Hypocrisy" is included as track number 4 on "Forthcoming Revelation".
Stylistically Messticator sound decidedly non-German. They play a thrash metal style which is laced with melodic death metal elements. I hear nods toward The Black Dahlia Murder, At the Gates, and assorted US thrash metal artists. To my ears this is predominantly thrash metal, athough some tracks lean more towards melodic death metal. The vocals are raw semi-growling and occasionally higher pitched screaming. The band are well playing and the vocals are performed with both skill and conviction. Some of the lead guitar work on the album is pretty strong and deserves a mention.
The material is generally well written and it´s relatively memorable too. I could have done without the traditional heavy metal track "Leathermilf", which sligthly disrupts the flow and style of the album, but other than that song, "Forthcoming Revelation" is a well composed and arranged release. The album features a well sounding production too. It´s maybe a little too polished, but it´s arguably both powerful and detailed and provides the material with good conditions to shine. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.