Album Review: Revocation - New Gods, New Masters (2025, Metal Blade Records)
- Stuart Ball
- 6 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Written: 21st September 2025
During the last twenty years, Boston’s Revocation have released a series of high quality albums, most recently the remarkable Netherheaven in 2022. New Gods, New Masters – the band’s fifth album for Metal Blade Records - finds a new line-up that now includes bassist Alex Weber and guitarist Harry Lannon (the latter of whom has been playing live with the band since 2023) – continuing the quest to steer Revocation in new and interesting directions.
Opening with the title track, Revocation immediately remind us why they are such an interesting band. Combining the speed of thrash, the ferocity of death metal, moments of melodic progressive metal and technicality, the quartet capture our attention from the first crushing riffs. Dave Davidson’s delivery is venomously belligerent from the outset. Angels or demons, where will they lead us? / Into salvation or temptation? / Servants or masters, what are they after? / Liberation or enslavement? Several tracks tackle the rise of AI and starting with the title track, Revocation dive straight into their attack on the shortcomings of technology. “I’ve been very fascinated with the development of Artificial Intelligence, and I’m deeply concerned where this could lead humanity,” says Davidson, “whether it’s the slow march towards a technological dystopia or the all-out annihilation of our species.” Weber’s bass work is outstanding and most importantly, fully audible, with moments in the track - particularly around the two and a half minute mark - where it is the centre of attention. The guitar solo soars, twisting with a tortured melody adding another dimension to the song. The whole thing is an electrifying overture for the rest of the album.
Second track Sarcophagi of the Soul steps up the intensity even further and does not relent for the entirety of its running time. A thunderous, stomping groove ensnares us from the start and while there is technicality at play, it is a song designed to grab the listener by the throat and demand attention. Weber’s bass throbs with electrifying power once again and his dynamic rhythmic partnership with drummer Ash Pearson would make you think they have been playing together for years. Lamenting our addiction to mobile phones, the music video for this track features the incredible artwork of Tony Guarladi-Brown who created an entire graphic novel as an accompaniment to the new album. Davidson states, “We use these devices to create idealised avatars to present to the world, when in reality, nothing is ever as perfect as it seems. As we continue to feed our vanity, the lines start to blur between our identities and the false narratives we create as these digital twins slowly begin to usurp our lives.”
Confines of Infinity begins with steady colossal riffs and drums like a behemoth advancing with earth-shaking steps. A little before the one minute mark, an anguished cry signals a change. My cries for help echoing unheard in this hell. The tempo shifts abruptly, percussion cascades in pummelling force and the riffs batter with ceaseless impact. Thus begins a cycle throughout the song in which the slower stomping motifs play counterpart to the rapid, fiery sections. More surprises await however, as mid-way through the track, Cattle Decapitation’s unmistakeable Travis Ryan makes an appearance, adding a further layer of vehemence. Menacing and vicious.
Dystopian Vermin further highlights what an amazing addition Alex Weber has been to the line-up. His bass attacks inject a driving force that will serve the band amazingly well in a live setting. A brutal, heavy track steeped in the traditions of death metal, Dystopian Vermin might be more straightforward in terms of technicality but bludgeons us with each passing minute. Despiritualized explores the consequences of a hyper-technological, post-human world in which humanity is trapped in a control grid, emotionally vacant and nihilistic. Overall, it is another hammering, confrontational track but one that is not afraid to dip into different musical territories such as the short instrumental break within the first minute during which the restrained and melodic guitar would not be out of place in one of Opeth’s quieter moments. The last minute and a half also dives into the more technical and progressive side of the band with an impressive lengthy guitar solo.
Instrumental The All Seeing sees another guest contribution, this time from Israeli jazz guitarist Gilad Hekelsman who contributes the outro solo. An interesting experiment, The All Seeing finds the band playing with tempos and time signatures. Sitting in the middle of the album, it does offer something a little different and Hekelsman is certainly a talented player but in terms of the overall album, some fans will find the track halts a little of the momentum built up during the first five songs. Fortunately, this is immediately restored by the sheer power and weight of mountainous juggernaut Data Corpse. Davidson gives one of his most powerful performances on the album in terms of vocals and every one of the guitar solos and runs adds to rather than dominates the song. Without doubt, one of the highlights of New Gods, New Masters.
Another standout track, Cronenberged, portrays a gruesome scientific experiment gone wrong, where forced genetic mutation transforms a human into a monstrous being, blurring body and identity, culminating in revenge against the fearful creators. The music mirrors this nightmarish transformation - twisted, chaotic, and savagely brutal - each riff and blast beat seething with the grotesque and visceral fury of the abomination unleashed upon the world. This fractured, maniacal personality is captured by another guest singer – Jonny Davy of Job For A Cowboy. Breaking free from my restraints / Imbued with monstrous strength / The scientists look on in horror / At this lumbering abomination / They panic and flee as my tentacles unfurl / Coiling around their throats choking their panicked screams. Dave Davidson recalls inviting Davy to contribute to the track. “I remember texting with Jonny about guesting on Cronenberged asking him if we wanted to be the personification of a mutated abomination that escapes a testing facility. He was stoked to go as unhinged as possible and his vocals on that track sound truly inhuman.”
Buried Epoch completes a trio of outstanding tracks that end the album. Almost eight minutes in length and with vocal contributions from Luc Lemay of Gorguts, it navigates a maelstrom of styles, from punishing heaviness to melodic grandeur and shifting moods. Lyrically depicting humanity’s self destruction in the wake of AI, it rounds out the album’s central themes, reflecting on our downfall and the chilling power of creations beyond our control. No forest will thrive / Everything must die / Not a trace of the human race will remain / Unending desolation / The price for our consensual collective hallucinations / The last gasps of humanity vanish into the great cosmic silence. It’s a fitting apex, highlighting all the elements that define the band’s sound with unerring confidence.
For the most part, New Gods, New Masters hits like a relentless onslaught from start to finish. While it does not top Netherheaven - an almost impossible task - it certainly cements Revocation's reputation in the world of modern extreme metal. Dave Davidson drives every riff with unflinching intensity, while new bassist Alex Weber immediately asserts himself, locking with the drums to hammer each riff with unyielding force and depth. Davison has clearly enjoyed the process, the arrival of the newest members and his own contributions to the band, “It’s been a pleasure ripping with those guys alongside Ash who always crushes it behind the kit. I’m always refining my craft and trying to get better.” Listeners able to embrace the full spectrum of styles - crushing death metal, technical progressive passages, and jagged melodic lines - will find the album an even more punishing and rewarding experience. It surges with power, leaving little room for respite and compromise. Brutal, precise and exciting.
New Gods, New Masters is released on 26th September 2025.
Revocation online
