Alter of Flesh with their new single ‘Revenant’ “an authentic heaviness of Thrash Metal”
Revenant has both the authentic heaviness of Thrash Metal and the rhythmic drama and set-up of the more classic, mainstream rock legends from way back when. The structure of the track offers a thoughtful bit of drama, the layout takes you through the various musical moments in an unpredictable way. The thickness of the sound is fairly consistent, without proper speakers or headphones the weight of the bass and the low end of the drum is lost a little which leaves things lingering in the air more than they ought to, but when heard effectively the sound reveals everything bit by bit.
A little moment of softness would’ve helped the screams to have more impact. Contrast is hugely effective in music, though actually after the half way mark a particular set of guitar riffs come into play that do offer a different angle – a space within which to reflect upon the track and its concept. As things develop, that drama mentioned at the start really starts to show itself – the set up is theatrical in a way, the lines are delivered in short and quick successions, and the various riffs step forwards one by one until this all encompassing moment takes over.
Things end abruptly, though for the hardcore metal and hard-rock fan this will simply mean pressing play again, without question, to re-explore the thickness and to try once more to catch those lyrics and get into the core of what the Revenant in this case really means. The structure is strong, but a little more contrast, regardless of genre, is always a great way to get a track to stand out and reach new audiences. Having said that, this is not always the aim, and for the purpose of being heavy and intense and all consuming, it does its job well.
By Rebecca Cullen
Rebecca is a Musician and writer from Manchester, UK, with an MA in Song Writing.
