CoC : Insision - Revealed & Worshipped : Review

Insision - _Revealed & Worshipped_
(Earache, 2004)
by: Jackie Smit (7 out of 10)

It's easy to see where Insision are coming from with their much-publicized abhorrence of all things melodic. It's no secret that the vast majority of death metal records to be exported from their native Sweden in recent years have all tread similarly safe and unchallenging waters to earlier efforts by In Flames and Dark Tranquillity. Truth be told, with all this formulaic folk-death flying around, it's been (with a few notable exceptions) a good decade since anything more threatening than a new-born puppy has been released by a Swedish death metal band. So, in their quest to show their American and European counterparts what being brutal is all about, Insision unsurprisingly pull out all the stops. Inhuman technicality across the board? Check. Indecipherable, über-brutal vocals? Check. Thick, crushing production? Check. Twin harmonics, classically inspired solos, catchy pop-choruses? Are you out of your fucking mind?! Yup, on the surface, _Revealed & Worshipped_ pretty much has all the makings of a death metal lover's wet dream, but in practice the reality is slightly different. Five songs into proceedings, the undeniable truth is that the band's assault is not as refined or focused as Krisiun, not quite as crushing as Suffocation and not of the same virtuoso ilk as Necrophagist, which ultimately confines _Revealed & Worshipped_ to the realms of underachievement. Not that it's in any way a bad album, mind you -- the complete absence of anything remotely tuneful may mean a distinct lack of hooks, but songs like "The Unrest" are perfect death metal nonetheless, and I'll be damned if "Ideas of Revolution" isn't one of the grooviest, nastiest bastards to make its way onto an extreme album this year. It's just that Inisision aren't quite yet the snarling behemoth that they so desperately want to, and indeed have the potential to be.

Contact: http://www.insision.com

(article published 11/8/2004)