Review by Shadowdoom9 (Andi) for Revocation - Chaos of Forms (2011)
Pretty much every band nowadays has to be kind of a hybrid of sorts. Even when standing by one or two genres, there are many different influences from bands old and new. And that's a good thing for some bands and fans because variety is a spice of life. 80s-style thrash and more modern heaviness and technicality mixed together can make something fresh and unique. Revocation have put a deathly spin to technical thrash metal, resulting in a style of chaos and fury. And this is around the time when the thrash revival is beginning to take the spotlight occupied by the melodic metalcore scene in America...
In terms of the band's usual deathly tech-thrash sound, Chaos of Forms has given it progressive/experimental elements. The technicality/progressiveness ratio is close to that of the 1989 albums by Atheist and Coroner that hint at those two bands' prog glory in the masterpieces that would follow those albums. A lot of that mix can be heard in the rapid soloing and drumming. You would expect some long tracks in a prog-ish tech-thrash album, but every full song is actually 3 to 5 minutes long. With compositions that can get you hooked by its progressiveness in a short song length, they seem to have adapted that aspect from a band like Into Eternity. And in between the often-used repeated choruses are mind-f***ing bridges that can easily make a short song structure so complex.
Bluesy melodies occasional appear in "Cretin" while still being a fast heavy ripper. Then we have straight-on thrashy guitarwork in "Cradle Robber" that's practically Megadeth on steroids. Next up is the short "Harlot". It's only under 3 minutes in length, yet there are a lot of progressive changes that you would often hear in a song twice as long. The more progressive side shines in "Dissolution Ritual". The riffing groove starting things off and the strong chorus lead to a smooth bridge nearly two minutes in.
"Conjuring the Cataclysm" is OK yet not really what I was hoping for in this album. Probably would've been better as one of the later tracks maybe. "No Funeral" has more killer impact to impress me. "Fractal Entity" is a quick dissonant interlude that ends up coming out as filler. The kick-A title track absolutely makes up for that mess. Remember when Cynic started off as a tech-death/thrash band before their 1993 debut Focus? That is what that band would sound like if they stayed with that style. Especially when the occasional clean singing and soft section roam around. Still the vocals and instrumentation are in Revocation's usual stylistic ground.
"The Watchers" is probably the most Atheist-like track here. Not just from the intro riffing but also in the structure later on. See, throughout the last minute, you hear a horn section and organ solo, complete with cowbell, before some tasty neoclassical shredding to close things off. "Beloved Horrifier" continues the pumped up Megadeth approach and marks another thrashy standout recommended for Pit fans. The prog-ish tech-thrash reaches its height in "Dethroned". In saying that though, it's somewhat draggy in the more progressive parts when they try to sound like Dream Theater. That kinda surprises me because I enjoy long epics, and this band can tackle what makes a great epic in just a straight 5 minutes. Nonetheless, they know their limits and stand by them easily. Then we end it all with pleasant deathly tech-thrash in "Reprogrammed".
As much as I enjoy the heaviness and progressiveness in these compositions, there are a few times when the complexity becomes too eclectic and the melody is a little off-putting. I've recognized that more after giving this Chaos of Forms a revisit. So while it's not the modern thrash classic I thought it was, the chaos can still come in forms....
Favorites: "Harlot", "Dissolution Ritual", "No Funeral", "Chaos of Forms", "The Watchers", "Beloved Horrifier"