My first experience with Sweden’s Reveal was putting their debut ‘Nocturne of Eyes and Teeth’ as my number one album of 2011. ‘Scissorgod’ represents their third release with a style now difficult to pin down. Black, death, thrash, even avant-garde, oddball, everything in between. You only have to look at the album cover and try to make sense of it. The music also poses such a complex.
With oboes, horns, trumpets added to the mix, the opener and title track gives a taste of what is to come. ‘Harder Harder’ is a touch more straightforward, pummelling through darkened death metal with a raspy natural expression in the vocal tine. ‘Decomposer’ is particularly bad-shit mental, it’s a tough one to work out. I would say “experimental” is the best descriptor. There’s light and dark pieces, there’s just over 5 minutes of mental abuse that’s for sure. For more meat and potatoes death and black metal, look no further than ‘Down through the Hole’. This is a real exciting track for me and the one I look to highlight on this release.
‘Feeble Hearts’ add a dramatic dimension to the start of the track before heading full on into more depths of darkness. The sound recording is pretty special and I have actually found it comforting to accept the inclusion of more non-standard musical instruments. ‘What Pigs Get’ is another marmite tune; Let’s just say, by the time you get to this one, you can expect anything and will accept anything, there is a weird sense of inclusion in the madness that this album bestows upon the listener, you can’t help but feel on edge too, you don’t know what you are going to get next.
Overall, it’s a crazy release, it’s a development from their beginnings and a statement of a bunch of musicians (whom includes bassist Gottfrid Åhman previously of In Solitude and Repugnant) who simply have more vision than perhaps a casual listener would. The release is quite intense and varied and the true musical genius’ may well come to appreciate the release that little bit more as a result. Thus, this may struggle in the wider spectrum. But for those in the know, well, just enjoy it for what the album is.
(7.5/10 Paul Maddison)
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