On September 9, progressive death metal outfit, Revocation, will release their eighth full-length, Netherheaven, via Metal Blade Records. For a first preview of the album, a video for the new single "Diabolical Majesty" (directed by David Brodsky // mgenyc.com) can be viewed below.
Revocation songwriter/frontman Dave Davidson comments: "It's always hard choosing the first single off of a new album, but we felt that 'Diabolical Majesty' really captures the mood of 'Netherheaven' overall. It's a thrashing, death metal ripper that's got a little something for everyone, whether you're the first one to activate a circle pit at a show or if you just like to bang your fucking head. The music video was filmed by our good friends Dave Brodsky and Allison Woest, and they've once again outdone themselves on this one! Special thanks to the Sk8 Liborius crew for letting us rage in their space for a couple days. Lyrically, 'Diabolical Majesty' was inspired by the Satanic Temple's ongoing struggle with the religious right and their battle to display the statue of the Baphomet in the face of censorship and legal action. To quote American author Chris Hedges, 'The merger of the corporatists with the Christian right is the marrying of Godzilla to Frankenstein.' These words ring even truer now that extremist Christian politicians have begun imposing their authoritarian rule as they seek to completely undo the separation of church and state."
Brett Bamberger (bass) adds: "Filming for 'Diabolical Majesty' hyped me up on every level! You can't beat ripping a video with the crew WHILE having a session and several Busch Waters. Skating at Liborius reminded me of my first time checking out SPOT & Asbury Park when I was a kid. I don't think I've even seen a vert ramp since those days since I've always been a tech dawg! It was really special to be able to combine all my beloved passions in the sesh & hope you all enjoy it as much as I did!"
Four years in the making, the Billboard-charting trio that is Revocation - Dave Davidson (vocals/guitars), Ash Pearson (drums), and Brett Bamberger (bass) - meticulously explore the allegorical and literal aspects of Hell as they dig deeper into the darker, more diabolical side of death metal. In short, where the previous album, The Outer Ones (2018), jettison Revocation into the horrific maw of the cosmos, Netherheaven bores deftly through the nine rings of Hell to directly confront Lucifer and his multitudinous faces. "We're definitely in more of a death metal mindset than on earlier albums in our catalog," asserts Davidson. "We're focusing on how we can write the best death metal-centric album that we possibly can while still pushing our boundaries. The new songs on 'Netherheaven' are evil and sinister but also have a progressive element to them to keep things interesting. It's got our stamp on it, no question."
Netherheaven was written during downtime after the album cycle for The Outer Ones was complete. The album's nine tracks were written solely by Davidson, who spent his time between genuflecting at the altars of Luc Lemay (Gorguts), Chuck Schuldiner (Death), Marty Friedman (Megadeth), and celebrated jazz guitarists Wes Montgomery and Kurt Rosenwinkel. Between writing killer riffs and absolutely wild solos, the seven-stringer also practiced (technique), studied (theory), and taught guitar. Revocation truly changed gears when Davidson picked up audio engineering (with Apple's Logic Pro) to use the pandemic-era lockdowns effectively. It made perfect sense for him to helm the engineer and producer's chair at his newly-built HeatWave Studios for Netherheaven. Revocation then sourced Swedish studio ace Jens Bogren (Opeth, Kreator) to mix and master at Fascination Street Studios.
"We put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into the album," says Davidson. "We want people to be inspired. It's brutal. We brought our A-game on Netherheaven."
Netherheaven is available for pre-order in the following formats:
- digipak-CD
- "Elysium" - baby blue vinyl (US exclusive)
- "Hellfire" - fuego marbled vinyl (US exclusive)
- 180g black vinyl (EU exclusive)
- white / blue marbled vinyl (limited to 1000 copies)
- sunset orange marbled vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 300 copies)
- red w/ black splatter vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 250 copies)
- clear w/ black and red splatter vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 250 copies)
- white w/ blue splatter vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 250 copies)
Pre-order here.
Netherheaven tracklisting:
"Diabolical Majesty"
"Lessons In Occult Theft"
"Nihilistic Violence"
"Strange And Eternal"
"Galleries Of Morbid Artistry"
"The 9th Chasm"
"Godforsaken"
"The Intervening Abyss Of Untold Aeons"
"Re-Crucified" (feat. Trevor Strnad of The Black Dahlia Murder, and George 'Corpsegrinder' Fisher of Cannibal Corpse)
"Diabolical Majesty" video:
Upon record release, Revocation will kick off a North American headlining tour with Krisiun, Alluvial, and Inoculation as support. "We cannot wait to play a bunch of new songs on our first headlining tour back since the pandemic," enthuses Davidson. "We'll be joined alongside the Brazilian berserkers in Krisiun, progressive death metal wizards Alluvial and newcomers Inoculation who combine an OSDM aesthetic with a more modern, technical approach. Don't miss the killer lineup, come out and circle pit for Satan!"
Tour dates:
September
9 - Lee's Palace - Toronto, ON
10 - Les Foufounes Electriques - Montreal, QC
11 - La Source de la Martinière - Québec City, QC
13 - Elsewhere Brooklyn - Brooklyn, NY
14 - Middle East Restaurant & Nightclub - Cambridge, MA
15 - Lovedraft's Brewing CO - Mechanicsburg, PA
16 - The Metro Gallery - Baltimore, MD
17 - Elevation 27 - Virginia Beach, VA
18 - The Blind Tiger - Greensboro, NC
19 - The Masquerade (Purgatory) - Atlanta, GA
20 - Brass Mug - Tampa, FL
21 - Respectable Street - West Palm Beach, FL
23 - Come And Take It Live - Austin, TX
24 - Amplified Live - Dallas, TX
25 - Rockhouse Bar & Grill - El Paso, TX
27 - Nile Theater - Mesa, AZ
28 - Brick By Brick - San Diego, CA
29 - 1720 - Los Angeles, CA
30 - Goldfield Trading Post - Roseville, CA
October
1 - Santa Cruz Vets Hall - Santa Cruz, CA
3 - Dante's - Portland, OR
4 - El Corazon - Seattle, WA
6 - Metro Music Hall - Salt Lake City, UT
7 - Bluebird Theater - Denver, CO
8 - The Royal Grove - Lincoln, NE
9 - Bigs Bar - Sioux Falls, SD
11 - Turf Club - St. Paul, MN
12 - Reggie's Rock Club - Chicago, IL
13 - The Sanctuary 2 - Hamtramck, MI
14 - No Class - Cleveland, OH
15 - Montage Music Hall - Rochester, NY
16 - Enclave - Pittsburgh, PA
Lineup:
David Davidson - Guitars / Vocals
Brett Bamberger - Bass / Vocals
Ash Pearson - Drums
(Photo - Alex Morgan)
