On September 9, progressive death metal outfit, Revocation, will release their eighth full-length, Netherheaven, via Metal Blade Records. For a preview of the album, the new single, "Re-Crucified" - featuring Trevor Strnad (The Black Dahlia Murder) and George 'Corpsegrinder' Fisher (Cannibal Corpse) - can be heard below.
Revocation songwriter/front-man Dave Davidson comments: "Normally we tend to close our albums with a more epic style of song, but with this record, I wanted to go in the opposite direction and end with a complete ripper. Inspired by 'Dante's Inferno', this song is meant to feel like a journey through hell, and due to the story-like nature of the lyrics, I enlisted the vocal talents of Trevor Strnad and George 'Corpsegrinder' Fisher to aid in our journey into the abyss. Tragically, I received word of Trevor's passing immediately after we had finished filming the music videos for 'Netherheaven', and I was completely devastated by the news. Trevor was a close, personal friend of mine, and his passing was a terrible loss, not only for myself, but for the entire metal community. I'm proud that I could be a part of Trevor's immense and storied legacy in some small way. His performance along with George's are two of the highlights of the record for me. Rest in power Trevor, you will be sorely missed but your legacy will never die."
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
The band recently announced a European headline tour for early 2023. Support comes from label mates Goatwhore as well as Alluvial and Creeping Death.
Comments singer/guitarist David Davidson: "It's been too long since we've played Europe and we cannot wait to return with this truly epic lineup! We'll be playing a bunch of new material from Netherheaven along with some rippers from our back catalogue, looking forward to heating up with you hellions this winter!"
Dates:
January
19 - Wiesbaden, Germany - Schlachthof
20 - Bochum, Germany - Matrix
21 - Nijmegen, Netherlands - Doornroosje
22 - Hamburg, Germany - Logo
23 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Valand
24 - Oslo, Norway - John Dee
25 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Pumpehuset
27 - Berlin, Germany - SO36
28 - Chemnitz, Germany - AJZ
29 - Nürnberg, Germany - Hirsch
30 - Prague, Czech Republic - Futurum
31 - Budapest, Hungary - Akvárium Klub
February
1 - Vienna, Austria - Viper Room
2 - Munich, Germany - Backstage
3 - Solothurn, Switzerland - Kofmehl
4 - Bologna, Italy - Alchemica Music Club
5 - Toulouse, France - Le Rex
6 - Barcelona, Spain - Bóveda
7 - Madrid, Spain - Copernico
8 - Bilbao, Spain - Stage Live
10 - Paris, France - Trabendo
11 - Lille / Wasquehal, France - The Black Lab
12 - London, UK - Islington Assembly Hall
13 - Manchester, UK - Rebellion
14 - Dublin, Ireland - Whelans
15 - Birmingham, UK - Mama Roux
16 - Bristol, UK - The Fleece
17 - Antwerp, Belgium - Zappa
18 - Hannover, Germany - Faust
Lineup:
David Davidson - Guitars / Vocals
Brett Bamberger - Bass / Vocals
Ash Pearson - Drums
(Photo - Alex Morgan)
