ALBUM REVIEW: Revulsion – Revulsion

Death metal is a genre that needs no introduction; pick up a record from a band like REVULSION and you’ve got some idea straight off the bat what’s in store. Though they’ve existed since 2005, their new self-titled effort is their first foray into full-lengths and is a true statement of intent. 

Roaring out the gates after a brief fill, opener Last Echoes of Life goes for the jugular and doesn’t let up. Its frenetic pace, nasty riffing and seismic bass are unrelenting from the blastbeat beginning to Aleksi Huhta’s cavernous growls. From here things don’t get any more pleasant. Pyre rages full steam ahead for its full runtime, Mustaa Hiiltä drops the pace but bludgeons no less effectively and closer Viimeinen Rituaali crawls and lurches throughout in a way that contrasts to preceding tracks and is all the more effective for it. 

It’d be remiss to not touch further on the production here; it’s utterly filthy without muddying the water. Bassist Tuomas Alatalo deserves special mention for the heft of his tone, too. Drenched in fuzz, its grimy rumblings underpin REVULSION’s bludgeoning assault, giving it a heaviness and quality like sinking slowly into the mire. The band stack riffs on top of riffs, from the grooving moments Last Echoes of Life to the churning opening of Silence without going down the route of kitchen sinks. 

Death metal is a notoriously difficult genre to innovate in, in many ways and there’s a lot of clear influences in REVULSION’s sound, from the riffing stomp of BOLT THROWER to the full throttle fury of NILE or DYING FETUS but it doesn’t sound derivative. Rather, the band balance these influences with their own bludgeoning take on the genre to craft genuinely engaging and entertaining death metal that’s both thoughtfully composed and deliriously brutal. 

REVULSION’s self-titled effort is vicious, unforgiving and ugly. A grooving, hulking beast intent on being devastating in its heaviness and irresistible with its grooving take on death metal that – by and large – succeeds. There’s little to no experimentation on the established formula, instead relying on their (admittedly strong) song-writing ability and the grimy tone of the album to hold interest. They aren’t reinventing the wheel and there are better death metal records out there from this year alone. That said, their barebones, meat-and-potatoes death metal is mercilessly brutal, devilishly groovy and an entertaining take on the genre that should still please fans. 

Rating: 7/10

Revulsion is out now via Transcending Obscurity Records.

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