Revocation - Chaos of Forms (2011)

Genre: Death Metal/Thrash Metal/Extreme Metal

Release Date: August 16, 2011

1. Cretin (3:03)

2. Cradle Robber (4:25)

3. Harlot (2:51)

4. Dissolution Ritual (4:37)

5. Conjuring the Cataclysm (4:34)

6. No Funeral (3:55)

7. Fractal Entity (1:43)

8. Chaos of Forms (4:30)

9. The Watchers (4:12)

10. Beloved Horrifier (4:09)

11. Dethroned (4:57)

12. Reprogrammed (4:03)

Last year, the website Metal Sucks named Revocation guitarist/frontman David Davidson the best guitarist in modern metal.  With the advent of technical death metal, there is some stiff competition out there.  Thus, to be called the best modern metal guitarist isn't an easily earned title or something to be taken lightly.  Usually I am skeptical of top guitarist lists because, in my opinion, they're usually way off.  But in this case, if Davidson doesn't deserve to called the best guitarist in modern metal, he is at least worthy of the top 5.  This guy has some mad skills and they are displayed to the fullest on Revocation's latest release.

Chaos of Forms is the third album from the Boston extreme metal act.  Revocation blends elements of death metal, thrash metal, speed metal, and everything in between to create a brutal audio assault that is nothing short of brilliant.  Davidson employs every guitar technique in the book in a varied and exciting way that never gets boring or repetitive.

Cretin

It's difficult to parallel Revocation with other bands in the genre simply because they have a rather unique sound.  Much of this has to do with Davidson's guitar work.  In one passage he can blend dissonant riffs, switch up to melodic leads, and then employ a blazing thrash metal style tremolo picking.  His riffs are constantly changing between styles, which makes it very enthralling to listen to.  One song that provides a great example of how he combines all these elements is the eleventh track on Chaos of Forms, "Dethroned".

Dethroned

Cradle Robber

While delivering up some menacing guitar riffs, Davidson also handles the vocals and offers up a stellar performance on the microphone on this album.  Davidson's vocals are arguably just as unique as his guitar playing and really give Revocation a bludgeoning sound that all metal fans should appreciate.

While the bass and drums on this record are by no means groundbreaking, they provide the perfect backdrop to Davidson's top notch guitar work and guttural vocals.  Phil Dubois-Coyne (drums) and Anthony Buda (bass) have proven their skills on previous Revocation releases in any case, so it's not all that disappointing to see the bass and drums recede into a background role on Chaos of Forms.

Revocation builds on their previous releases, Empire of the Obscene (2008) and Existence is Futile (2009), and develops their song writing and structure to new heights on this record.  Personally, Empire of the Obscene is still my favorite Revocation album, but Chaos of Forms is an amazing record and one of the best releases to come out in 2011.  I look forward to their continued contributions to the metal scene.

Final Rating: 9/10

3 Favorite Songs from the Album: Cretin, Cradle Robber, Conjuring the Cataclysm