Metal Underground.com

I've always loved Tourniquet, and while that band sadly hasn't recorded anything since 2003 due to Marty Friedman leaving America for Japan, Revocation seemed to deliver the type of technical thrash metal that I craved. Of course, Revocation has to defecate on their legacy by writing an album that loses much of the band's identity in an attempt to fit in with the rest of their neo-thrash contemporaries.

Not only does Revocation attempt to go in too many different directions, but they steal far too many riffs from other bands. Thankfully, I didn't hear the opening riff from “Slaughter of the Soul” again, but too much of “Chaos of Forms” sounds familiar to me. The band sometimes borrows from Pantera and, at other times, from Converge, which just makes the album seem like a hodgepodge of too many ideas wrapped into a melodic thrash whole that is unable to make any sort of effective musical statement.

Yes, there are still a few technical songs on the album like “Cretin” and the title track, but most of the guitar noodling is now gone. Things are more riff based and, as a result, Revocation has lost much of their originality and appeal. While David Davidson still plays some great solos, he's not pushing himself the way that he used to. That's the biggest problem with “Chaos of Forms;” it has no soul. It's just an uninspired cash-in. Adding to the problem are the uninspired shout/singing parts. They're grating to listen to. Davidson can’t sing and he should just stop humiliating himself on songs like “No Funeral,” where he attempts a catchy “sung” chorus that falls flat on his face.

I won't say that “Chaos of Forms” is the worst album that I've ever heard, since it's far from it, but it's certainly not pleasant to listen to. Flashy guitar solos don't make up for music that's unoriginal, often plagiarized and sloppily-pasted together in an attempt to join a bandwagon that's nearing the end of its lifecycle. What should have been an album of the year contender is sadly now nothing more than a failed attempt to sell out. Perhaps the lesson to be learned is that not every band is capable of making commercial music and that Revocation aren’t supposed to be a gateway band.