Band: Revelation Album: Never Comes Silence Label: Leaf Hound Rating: 7/10 Website: http://www.revelation-usa.net BUY NOW!

Revelation released "Never Come Silence" in 1992. Since that time, it has become one of the most sought-after releases from the Maryland/Washington D.C. doom scene that includes Unorthodox, Internal Void, and above all else—The Obsessed. Originally released on the much herald doom label, Hellhound Records, Japan stoner/doom label Leaf Hound records, collector of vintage doom and stoner rock albums, has reissued this classic and kept it from falling into obscurity. Excluding Candlemass' epic doom sound, "Never Comes Silence" typifies the doom metal sound of the early nineties and everything played prior to 1992. Those were a time before bands like Disembowelment, My Dying Bride, and Anathema combined doom and death metal. The Sabbath roots were always present on bands during this time and Revelation was no exception. All traditional doom bands feature the trademark Toni Iommi guitar sound, as does Revelation. Taking cue from Geezer Butler, Josh Hart's metallic clunky bass lines are as crucial in shaping the band's sound as the guitar due to their audible nature and memorable rhythms. Unlike the majority of extreme metal acts of today, Hart's bass licks are not just a mere mimicking of Brenner's guitar riffs. The bass fills in gaps, rises when the guitar falls or vice versa, or in the case of "One Last Step," sometimes goes solo to make a catchy groove much heavier when the first chord is finally struck. Singer/guitarist John Brenner's voice is comparable to Ozzy, yet also bears a strong resemblance to Wino. His pitch isn't as high as Ozzy, but is still higher than Wino, so it falls somewhere between the two. Wino and his doom crew, The Obsessed draws even closer comparisons to Revelation than Black Sabbath. The Obsessed, of course, drew massive influence from Sabbath, but they took that sound and made it their own. Revelation's catchy grooves spawned from simple bar chord rhythms closely resemble The Obsessed, which comes as no surprise since the two bands were of the same area and same scene. "Never Comes Silence" is an album from a band with great chemistry and a penchant for writing catchy riffs. The music is gripping, but the vocals are mediocre. There is something about Brenner's voice that makes it hard to latch onto his words. Although he displays traits of both Ozzy and Wino, his voice is just not as strong as those two. For this reason, Revelation is a step behind The Obsessed. Still, the musicianship affords "Never Comes Silence" a spot next to your St. Vitus, The Obsessed, and Trouble albums. Darren Cowan Back to Reviews