REVOCATION — Great Is Our Sin (review)

REVOCATION — Great Is Our Sin album cover

Album · 2016 · Technical Thrash Metal

4.5/5 · 2016-09-24
Nightfly

Even going back to their debut album, Empire Of The Obscene, in 2008, Revocation impressed with skilled musicianship and an impressive collection of complex thrash metal. Since then they’ve gone from strength to strength up to album number six, Great is Our Sin, arguably their best yet.

Nothing much has changed since 2014’s Deathless, it’s another thrash/death metal album with highly complex and technical arrangements and some of the finest musicianship you’ll come across in the genre. Always inventive and never sitting in one place for long enough to become stale, the eleven songs, including a faithful cover of Slayer’s Altars Of Sacrifice, twist and turn through numerous changes with an awesome collection of hard hitting riffs. Instrumental, The Exaltation is a proof in point that even without the vocals the instrumental work of these players is simply jaw dropping. The drumming of Ash Pearson is incredibly inventive with precision and speed with some impressive fills alongside compelling rhythmic work. Likewise the guitar work of David Davidson and Dan Gargiulo is equally so with an impressive barrage of riffs, heavy as hell, throwing in some Voivod style discordant riffs but heavier. On top of that there’s some fantastic solos injected with a strong sense of melody. Brett Bamberger’s bass is the rock solid bottom end, less obvious but equally impressive and essential for the tightness of this band.

Picking favourites is not easy but Copernican Heresy might just be it with its dissonant guitar arpeggios played at lightning speed whilst the complex off beat drum patterns and blast beats mirror them. Awesome stuff! To be honest though the album is full of equally impressive moments. The icing on the cake here is the injection of death metal heaviness into the razor sharp thrash riffs giving them a harder edge.

Great Is Our Sin is the best album I’ve heard in the thrash genre this year, even topping Vektor’s excellent Terminal Redux. It seems there’s no stopping these guys. Essential listening for thrash and death fans alike.

more than 2 years ago
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Nightfly wrote:

more than 2 years ago

I like the later stuff best too, though early ones are impressive.

UMUR wrote:

more than 2 years ago

Personally I think some of their later albums are better. The two first are the ones that least appeal to me.

adg211288 wrote:

more than 2 years ago

I'm listening to their debut now. I dig parts of the music, but overall I can't say it's clicking too much.

UMUR wrote:

more than 2 years ago

I´ve always been a bit biased about Revocation, because I absolutely adore their aggressive death/thrash, but I like them less when they try something a bit more proggy or different.

Nightfly wrote:

more than 2 years ago

You're in for a treat Adam when you get round to giving them a listen. Awesome band!

adg211288 wrote:

more than 2 years ago

This band have been on my list of artists to check out seemingly for forever. Not sure why I never have. I've even received no less than three promos for their albums now (this one, the previous, and a reissue of the debut).