REVOLTING

Now he's done it. Ubiquitous death metal composer/player Rogga Johansson (DEMIURG, THE GROTESQUERY, BONE GNAWER, BANISHED FROM INFERNO) has gone and made REVOLTING not only his flagship project, but with "In Grisly Rapture" — the trio's third — he has made what is will end up one of the better Swedish melodic (in a Stockholm sense) death metal albums of 2011. If it doesn't end up considered as such by the metal intelligentsia then it'll have nothing to do the worthiness of the product and everything to do with it not being released on a "high profile" label. That of course says nothing negative about the efforts of F.D.A. Rekotz who also released one 2010's best Swedish death albums in ENTRAILS' "Tales from the Morgue", only that one can only do so much with a limited budget and integrity over trend-whoring in release choices.

Ranting now complete and focus returned to the matter at hand, it can now be stated with sincerity that "In Grisly Rapture" is without question REVOLTING's shining achievement. Sophomore album "The Terror Threshold" was a big step forward from debut "Dreadful Pleasures" (both on Razorback),mainly attributable to the well written guitar harmonies. "In Grisly Rapture" is no step forward from its predecessor; it is a bona fide level jump. Rogga has written a slew of brilliant melodies that are consistently good from song to song, yet not interchangeable or indistinct, which is easier said than done in an oversaturated genre. More than just harmonies, what also makes these songs memorable are choruses crafted with an ear to memory retention and that includes ones as simple that heard on bruising opener "Hell in Dunwich", as well as those with more of a conventional flowing refrain, such as "The Plague of Matul". What is so pleasantly surprising is that the memorable moments keep right on coming, including numerous notables on "Dr. Freudstein", not the least of which are those breaks for murderous swing.

Unlike so many lesser DM albums, "In Grisly Rapture" never loses steam, much less begins sounding recycled halfway through. In fact, the second from the last song, "The Devil Witch" may be the best all-around cut on the album. A huge groove, varying vocal patterns, effective compositional twists, and a commanding rhythmic stomp all contribute to the track's standout status. "Hideous & Revolting" closes the album in a manner most befitting the ethos of both album and band, including a more sinister brand of tunefulness and crunch that is a bit different than anything else on the album.

As may have been obvious from the opening paragraph qualification of the term "melody" as one that should be taken in a Stockholm, as opposed to Gothenburg, context; it is catchy stuff, though not in a SOILWORK or IN FLAMES kind of way. If the album had more of a rugged, motoring Sunlight Studio type of sound, we may not even be having this discussion. The point is that "In Grisly Rapture" is a big, hairy, and holistically gnarly death metal album, complete with guitarist Rogga's impacting, intelligible growls and mid-ranges screams. And we can't forget Dezpicable Desmond's jaw-dropping tales of horror and the macabre, as inspired by the likes of horror movie makers Lucio Fulci, Mario Bava, Joseph Zito, Jeffrey Bloom, and Avery Crounse. The challenge overcome by REVOLTING was retaining all of those beloved DM qualities while making melody equally important to the final product. The balance is struck in impeccable fashion on "In Grisly Rapture". If you want something about which to bitch, then hone in on a kick drum sound that is more click than boom, and that's only because I had to reach down deep to found anything even marginally negative about the album.

So the score still seems a little high for an album for which reinvention was never even an afterthought, eh? Set aside overrated concerns about death metal reinvention and consider that every song is a keeper, there isn't a moment of drag anywhere to be found, and the package is about as complete as it gets — lyrics, artwork, musicality, vibe, etc. You can't just listen to one song; it's all-in all the time with "In Grisly Rapture". Buy it, support it, and kill for it.