Visigoth: The Revenant King review
January 23, 2015
Visigoth may be relatively new to the metal scene having formed in Salt Lake City in 2010, but they are already making tsunami-sized waves and their newest endeavor for Metal Blade Records The Revenant King is a prime example why.
Their 2010 demo Vengeance and it’s follow up 2012’s Final Spell [EP] started the swell and The Revenant King will finish the job, leveling everything in it’s destructive path.
The album was produced by Andy Patterson and mastered by Alan Douches. It is the story about the betrayal of a king and his subsequent revenge and features the mystical & mythical lyrics of Dio combined with the old school metal sounds of vintage Judas Priest and Manowar.
The skull crushing heaviness of the guitar riffs and Jake Rogers blood curdling vocals on lines like “We rip your flesh from bone” in album opener and title track “The Revenant King” have undeniable barbaric appeal, while songs like lead single “Dungeon Master” and “Vengeance” are gimmick free herculean powerhouses that are as textured & absorbing as they are invigorating & unpredictable.
Elsewhere, “Mammoth Rider” is an aurally grotesque slab of brutality that serves as an empowering rally cry and “Blood Sacrifice” and “Creature of Desire” are grandiose bone rattling proclamations that are incisive, but never indulgent.
The band’s masterful cover of the Manilla Road classic “Necropolis” is the one and only song on the album that clocks in under 5 minutes, with most songs averaging between 6 to 8 minutes in length.
At the same time the ominous hook laden melodies in “Iron Brotherhood” are vicious & unrelenting and “From the Arcane Misfits of Prophecy” is a nearly 10 minute fist raising anthem that closes the album on an epic high note.
Here’s the bottom line- The Revenant King is a breathtaking modern take on the classic metal blueprint.
Rating: 8.5/10
-Eric Hunker