Revocation – Teratogenesis Review

Revocation // Teratogenesis
Rating: 4.0/5.0 — Annoying pseudo-clean singing still there, but still!
Label: Scion Audio Visual
Websites: facebook | bandcamp
Release Dates: Available for free on da Internetz!!!

Remember when you were young and tortured insects? Especially by tearing the wings off those pesky flying ants before watching their grounded bodies desperately try to escape from your sadistic clutch? [sexually frustrated serial-killer-in-training alert! Steel Druhm] Repent! For bad karma has come for you in the form of Revocation’s fabulous, free new EP: Tera-fornicatin’-togenesis.

In this case, Revocation is the sadistic toddler and you, the unfortunate pesky, flying ant. There you are, sitting in front of your computer, minding your own business as always, being a good role model to other aspiring metal geeks out there. Despite trying your best to escape from the addictive grip of Revocation, you simply can’t, and decide to click on the download link for Revocation’s new EP anyway.

What comes next is a blur. The explosive blast of creative noise knocks off your damn socks, boxers and Doritos in hand, before pushing you and your chair over. Grounded, bruised in the head, naked and vulnerable [wait, why was I eating Doritos naked??Steel Druhm], your first reaction is to blink away the bright spots in your vision. When you break out of your daze, that’s when the reality hits you: pre-Chaos Of Forms Revocation is kinda back!

While it was enjoyable, Chaos Of Forms couldn’t match up to older Revocation albums in terms of swiftly executed, technical riffs. It focused a little too much on executing relatively slower grooves, as heard in songs like “Cradle Robber” and “Harlot”. Comparing them to songs such as “Dismantle The Dictator” (from Existence Is Futile) and “Fields Of Predation” (from Empire Of The Obscene) is like comparing nipples to sporanges. [I don’t even know what a “sporange” isSteel Druhm]

Both nipples and sporanges produce stuff intended to ensure species continuity, but nipples belong to mammals, which are considered to be sentient and self-aware, while sporanges are spore-producing plants, which are not considered to be sentient and self-aware. In other words, nipples (Empire Of The Obscene and Existence Is Futile) are ‘alive’ while ‘sporanges’ (Chaos Of Forms) are dead. [Now you know! Happy Metal Guy]

Additionally, David Davidson’s sophomore attempt at pseudo-clean singing (the first being done for “Age of Iniquity” from Empire Of The Obscene) still did not go well with the butt-kickin’ instrumentals. For reasons only my ears could articulate if they had mouths and were sentient and self-aware, let’s simply theorize that when Davidson goes into pseudo-clean singing mode (during which his voice inevitably reaches a higher pitch while still trying to retain a gruff quality to it), it spoils the violently fun instrumentals by trying to be unnecessarily mellow. Violent fun ≠ Mellowness.

The pseudo-clean singing appears in the first two tracks, “The Grip Tightens” and “Spurn The Outstretched Hand”, and they buzz in your ear like a mosquito with a death wish. Fortunately, they do not have a very strong presence as they briefly appear in the post-climactic sections of both songs. Ultimately, Davidson’s sweet ‘n’ sick riffs and solos still reign supreme. It should be noted that the pseudo-clean singing heard in “The Grip Tightens” is actually an attempt at harmonizing someone’s proper clean singing with Davidson’s screams, and not Davidson himself actually going higher in pitch while still maintaining a rough quality to his voice. The clean singing might not be from Davidson himself, as it could be a guest vocalist. But it could very well have been performed by Davidson himself too, in which case, I hope he will never have access to Strepsils ever again while in the recording studio.

Going back to the merit of the five songs on this EP, what makes them sound so good is a combination of familiar Revocation traits. The tendency to start off with a technical thrashing, followed by a brief lull at the climax, and then ending off with either a finger-desecratin’ solo, a syncopated riff or even a melancholic melody! The secret to their likeability is due to the fact that they know how to surprise listeners by utilizing the technique of musical contrast well.

Come to think of it, bad karma ain’t so bad after all. If bad karma can throw delightfully torturous stuff like Teratogenesis your way, you ought to be tearing more wings off those pesky flying ants. Maybe those flying ants actually enjoy getting their wings ripped off.

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