Sometimes, you need a fresh start even after attaining success--a reboot to make everything runs the way it should. If you thought Revocation sounds too tight and polished to be a new kid on the block who started their journey in 2006, you're correct. For a few years, the Boston, Massachusetts band was active as Cryptic Warning, which evolved from guitarist David Davidson and drummer Phil Dubois-Coyne jamming to Guns n Roses and Metallica songs when they were still in middle school. After a few demos, a studio album, and a growing underground following, Cryptic Warning metamorphosed into Revocation. In an interview with Jackson Guitars, his guitar sponsor, Davidson explains the name change: "Ultimately, we dug the name and thought it had a cool weight to it. I’ve always been a fan of one-word names and there’s not too many out there left because there are so many metal bands gobbling up everything that sounds evil or brutal."Revocation's music can be described as an alloy of thrash metal and technical death metal. There is an aspect of the band that's a stickler for technique--an intricate intertwining of guitar and bass parts, the galloping double-kick drumming, and the dexterous guitar solos. But the songs aren't just cold, hard show of musical technique: Revocation has a sense of flair and showmanship, as if the boys who played along to Guns n Roses never quite grew out of them. Armed with a new name, the band felt a creative surge to record Empire of the Obscene, a self-released album in 2008. Their fortunes soared when they caught the attention of Relapse Records, one of the top metal labels in the business. In the fall of 2009, Revocation released Existence is Futile through Relapse to rave reviews, including a Decibel review that called it "absolutely godlike." While many metal bands often invoke fantastical themes to go with the crushing brutality of the music, Revocation's songs are surprisingly grounded in real life--from frustrations with politics and the collapsing economy to personal rage, there's much that resonates with the audience emotionally once they're done being awed by the musicianship. With a solid album behind them, Revocation swiftly rose from the underground to terrorize the mainstream when Spin magazine named them one of the Ten Artists to Watch in 2010.You can play along with Revocation's "Dismantle the Dictator" from their latest album Existence is Futile below. For more info about the band, visit their MySpace or Relapse page. Existence is Futile is available directly from Relapse, as well as via iTunes, Amazon, etc. Revocation is on tour right now in the US--check them out live if you can!
05/06/10 The Tip Top Indianapolis, IN 05/08/10 Triple Rock Minneapolis, MN 05/09/10 The Warehouse LaCrosse, WI 05/10/10 Brass Rail Peoria, IL 05/11/10 Outland Ballroom Springfield, IL 05/12/10 The Marquee Tulsa, OK 05/13/10 The War Legion Underground Amarillo, TX 05/14/10 The Downtown Greenhouse Flagstaff, AZ 05/15/10 The Glass House Pomona, CA 05/16/10 The Boardwalk Orangevale, CA 05/17/10 Hawthorne Theatre Portland, OR 05/18/10 El Corazon Seattle, WA 05/19/10 ICON Pocatello, ID 05/20/10 In The Venue Salt Lake City, UT 05/21/10 Black Sheep Colorado Springs, CO 05/22/10 Bottleneck Lawrence, KS 05/23/10 The Hanger Wichita Falls, TX 05/24/10 Emo's Austin, TX 05/25/10 Dos Amigos Odessa, TX 05/26/10 Launch Pad Albuquerque, NM 05/27/10 The Clubhouse Tempe, AZ 05/28/10 Cheyanne Saloon Las Vegas, NV 05/29/10 Mesa Underground Mesa, AZ 05/30/10 Slopshot Billiards Gallup, NM 05/31/10 Launch Pad Albuquerque, NM 06/01/10 Tequila Jungle Lubbock, TX 06/02/10 Emo's Austin, TX 06/03/10 Ridglea Theater Fort Worth, TX 06/04/10 Cool Party Laredo, TX 06/05/10 Warsaw Ballroom Houston, TX 06/06/10 Rustic Cowboy Shreveport, LA 06/07/10 Big Daddy's Tallahassee, FL 06/08/10 Brass Mug Tampa, FL 06/09/10 The Oasis Charleston, SC 06/10/10 The Milestone Charlotte, NC 06/11/10 Otto Bar Baltimore, MD 06/12/10 Buddha's Place Newport News, VA 06/13/10 New Brookland Tavern Columbia, SC 06/15/10 Mojo 13 Wilmington, DE 06/16/10 Championship Bar and Grille Trenton, NJ
