Revenger – The New Mythology Vol. 1 (Singer Vacancy, Do Not Apply)
Now here’s a curious thing. So curious I’m not sure I’ve ever discussed it. First off, let’s get the bio puke out of the way. Revenger come from Canada, and I don’t recall ever having heard of them until this release. As usual, you know me, the cover is what first got my attention, not the name. Want to know why? That’s right, Paolo Girardi, one of the best and most influential metal artists in the past decade. I suspected it was his work, but it took some research to verify it, so good is he at going from genre to genre but yet finding a way to make his particular neo-Renaissance style work. Dude’s just great at what he does, and he provides a splendid visual representation of what this band sounds like, musically. And I specifically mean musically, not vocally. There’s a reason I say this.
Man I don’t know who does the tagging on Encyclopaedia Metallum sometimes. Groove metal? Metalcore? I almost wonder if someone is trolling because, at least on this EP, Revenger is clearly more of the melodic or technical side of death metal, minus the singing. There’s the thing. Minus, not plus. Let me do some math for you. There are lots of bands out there who have tried the “we don’t need a vocalist” route, but I can’t recall one that’s ever succeeded. It’s actually a case of “we can’t find a vocalist, let’s see if we can fool anyone.” No one is ever fooled, of course. Here, strangely, is a band that doesn’t need a vocalist at all. This says something about the music itself, and, sadly, the vocals. The New Mythology Vol. 1 is something of a new sacred text, for Revenger are so good at what they do, on the musical side, they could totally fire their current vocalist and never find another one and it would never matter. This is because the vocals, currently, are tired and spindly. They lack bass and depth. They lack character. They lack power. They lack presence. They lack everything they need. This is possibly the first band I’ve ever heard where the vocalist is superfluous and could be removed entirely. That’s what’s really amazing here. This proves that the music is that good, and the vocals are that bad. The band only has two releases currently, including this one, and the suggestion from me is to lose the current dude and possibly forget vocals altogether. Congratulations you’ve done the impossible, unintentionally.
Written by Stanley Stepanic
Revenger – The New Mythology Vol. 1
Self-Released
3.8 / 5
