DJ ERIK

Revocation

REVOCATION

Revocation creates extreme music for extreme times. On New Gods, New Masters, their fifth record for Metal Blade, the quartet–spearheaded by founder/vocalist/guitarist Dave Davidson–delivers nine potent and portentous songs of brutal lyrical and musical significance.  

Produced by Davidson mixed and mastered by Jens Bogren (The Haunted, Spiritbox), tracks including “Cronenberged” (feat. Jonny Davy of Job for a Cowboy), “Sarcophagi of the Soul,” “Confines of Infinity” (feat. Travis Ryan of Cattle Decapitation) and “Dystopian Vermin” thematically explore AI and its impact on humanity. 

“I’ve been very fascinated with the development of Artificial Intelligence, and I’m deeply concerned where this could lead humanity,” says Davidson, “whether it’s the slow march towards a technological dystopia or the all-out annihilation of our species.” 

To wit, “Cronenberged” is about a science experiment gone wrong. Davidson is a massive Sci-Fi horror fan who loves the body horror genre that David Cronenberg helped create; the song is an homage to that. And, Davidson adds, “Shout out to Rick and Morty for inspiring the song title.”

The Boston-bred Davidson credits newest members Harry Lannon (rhythm guitar and backing vocals since 2023) and bassist Alex Weber with a renewed energy and intensity onstage. “It’s been a pleasure ripping with those guys alongside Ash (Pearson), who always crushes it behind the kit.” In terms of his playing, writing, and singing, “I’m always refining my craft and trying to get better,” he says.  

Davidson was excited to welcome a guitar guest—as well as impressive vocal features—on New Gods, New Masters. Revocation had late Black Dahlia Murder singer Trevor Strnad and Corpsegrinder of Cannibal Corpse guesting on Netherheaven, and Davidson recruited more talented peers for New Gods. “I’m honored to have such amazing guests on New Gods. On vocals we have Jonny Davy and Luc Lemay, two vocalists that I really admire who have their own unique sound,” says Davidson. “I remember texting with Jonny about guesting on “Cronenberged” asking him if we wanted to be the personification of a mutated abomination that escapes a testing facility. He was stoked to go as unhinged as possible and his vocals on that track sound truly inhuman.”  

A longtime fan of Gorguts’ Lemay, describing the Canadian singer’s vocals as “brutal but also tortured sounding at times. There’s a lot of emotion in his voice and that came through perfectly on the album closer ‘Buried Epoch.’” Slightly more unexpected is the contribution of jazz player Gilad Hekselman, who played with Pat Metheny at The Kennedy Center and won Rising Star in Downbeat Magazine, among numerous other accolades. He plays on “The All Seeing.” “Gilad is a buddy of mine and happens to be one of the best jazz guitarists in the world. His playing is awe-inspiring, and I’m truly honored to have him as the guest soloist on the outro of ‘The All Seeing.’” 

New Gods, New Masters marks the band’s 20th anniversary. Revocation debuted with 2008’s Empire of the Obscene and subsequently released seven critically acclaimed albums and toured over 25 countries, bringing their technically charged, high-energy extreme metal to North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. New Gods follows up 2022’s Netherheaven, where Davidson’s lyrics took hard looks at Catholicism, hypocrisy, politics, the occult and demonic symbolism. Critics raved about Netherheaven, calling it “ Revocation’s best record in a decade” and praising the “darkest, heaviest songs of their career.” 

That album set a high bar, but an even sharper musical and lyrical focus was achieved on New Gods, New Masters, which is deftly captured in the album artwork by Paolo Girardi. “He did an incredible job of bringing the lyrical themes of a bleak techno-nightmare to life,” Davidson says. “The ‘New God’ being birthed from the abyss of teeth and wires was even better than what I envisioned. I absolutely love the color palette he used. He even included some easter eggs from our first demo and first full-length album cover, which adds even more depth and meaning to the artwork for me.” 

Titling the album New Gods, New Masters reflects his belief about humans’ need to worship various gods. “It seems as if that desire is encoded in our DNA. As science and our understanding of nature and the universe as a whole, increases, the religions of the old gods start to become obsolete,” believes Davidson. “However, I believe we’ve replaced our old gods with new ones, worshipping technology and creating a cult-like idolatry of innovators.”

Revocation, unafraid to upend musical and lyrical tropes with forward-thinking and sounding approach, with songs that excoriate society’s addiction to phones (‘Sarcophagi of the Soul”) and animal experiments that illuminate/replicate societal issues (“Dystopian Vermin”), Davidson’s science-backed observations all the more terrifying for their reality. 

If technological advances create worse problems alongside “solutions,” Revocation forge ahead, four guys plugged in, fighting existential threats with metal, “waiting to see what the next trial of the human experiment brings.”

Music grounds and uplifts the band members—and fans. “I’m proud that I’ve been able to evolve as a musician and songwriter with every release. I never want to stagnate, and I think we’ve achieved real growth with every album,” says Davidson. “I’m also extremely proud that I’ve been able to keep this band going after all these years; it’s crazy to think of how far we’ve since the beginning.”   

Lineup:

 Dave Davidson: Vocals, Guitar
Ash Pearson: Drums
Harry Lannon: Rhythm Guitar
Alex Weber: Bass

THE SUPPLIERS

NICK CARTER GREEN

MARCALE

DOMO

YOUNG HEAVY

BLACK SEPTEMBER

BLACK SEPTEMBER(Death Metal with female vocals)
Forged in the bowels of Chicago, IL, BLACK SEPTEMBER arose from the
depths in 2006 with their demo Contortion. Inspired by bands such as
Bolt Thrower, His Hero Is Gone, Dissection and Bathory, they decided
to form a band that was both heavy and aggressive, but more
importantly, original. Although unrefined, the demo laid the path for
the albums soon to come.
Band founders and mainstays, guitarist C.M. and classically trained
vocalist J.M., and various lineups have released four EPs to date,
including a split with Louisiana’s Thou. “The Forbidden Gates Beyond,”
the band’s debut full-length, originally self-released in 2010, shows
BLACK SEPTEMBER firing on all evil cylinders with a steady lineup and
ready to unleash their madness upon the unsuspecting masses! The band
has previously shared the stage with the likes of Unearthly Trance,
Skeletonwitch, Javelina, Masakari, and Magrudergrind, among
others.

MUTANT SUPREMACY

NECROGRESSION

Old School Chicago Lust Killers

J. ROWE

PENNJAMIN BANNEKAR

GHICHE

MARC ALONZO

TRELL

FELONEY

DERTY HARRY

DJ KUTZ

PANZER

Panzer was first formed in the Spring of 2009. The band first jammed on covers whilst searching for a steady bassist and solidifying their goals. After a few months Billy McCartney was added to the band and the band spent the next several months writing and rehearsing original material in addition to a shrinking list of cover tunes. The band began recording a self-produced demo of four original tracks in late February 2010, which was finished in late March. After a brief hiatus over the summer, the band has since been writing more material, and playing gigs. There are plans to re-record the demo in December 2010 and possibly record a full-length in Spring 2011.

DESASTER

SCYTHE

Featuring original USURPER guitarist/songwriter/founder Rick Scythe, who helped forge the Chicago Metal scene more than 20 years ago. This band takes up where Usurper left off, with total headbanging, fist-banging metal anthems. Total old-school 80′s denim and leather death/thrash/speed metal from one of the pioneers of the Chicago Metal scene. Usurper has released 7 albums on labels such as Earache (UK), RIP (USA), Necropolis (USA) and Head Not Found (Norway), Primitive Reaction (Finland) and toured 17 countries throughout the world including a headlining main stage gig at Oslo Norway’s prestigious INFERNO FEST before disbanding in 2007.  Scythe will be debuting their 2nd album for R.I.P. Records, “Subterranean Steel”, so be prepared for a sonic juggernaut of apocalyptic aggression!

FREEZEPOP

SOULCRATE

PROF W/ DJ FUNDO

CHUM

I. DEAL

DOC WATTSON

PROZAK

DARK HALF

LIL SICC & INTREKIT

SKRAPT SOULZ

BREW CITY BUTCHERZ

SNYPA

OLD MAN MARKLEY

Old Man Markley are not your run-of-the-mill band. They’re not a traditional bluegrass band, nor a typical punk band. Instead, the band meld elements of both genres into a musical style that has resulted in a boot-stomping good time for fans around the world.

The seven piece – rounded out by Johnny Carey (vocals, guitar), Annie DeTemple (autoharp, vocals), Joey Garibaldi (bass, vocals), Jeff Fuller (drums), Ryan Markley (washboard), John Rosen (banjo) and Katie Weed (fiddle) – roared onto the scene in 2010. Their unique blend of punk rock sensibilities, ear for pop melodies, and deeply rooted love for bluegrass caught the ear of Fat Wreck Chords, who released OMM’s debut album Guts n’ Teeth in 2011.

Word quickly spread of the their incredible live shows, and over the next few years the band found themselves shredding strings on stage with the likes of Flogging Molly, The Reverend Horton Heat, and NOFX. Old Man Markley were quickly embraced by the punk rock community for their incendiary performances. At the same time, bluegrass fans warmly welcomed the band, earning OMM a #8 debut on the Billboard Bluegrass chart for Guts n’ Teeth. From rivets to rhinestones, even the world of glossy country music embraced OMM, yielding them a slot at California’s country festival mecca, Stagecoach.

After two years of relentless touring and winning over thousands of fans, Old Man Markley returned to the little house in Southern California where it all began to record their follow-up album, Down Side Up. With Fat Wreck Chords owner and NOFX frontman Fat Mike in the producer’s chair alongside singer/guitarist Johnny Carey, Old Man Markley plucked, bowed, and strummed their way through thirteen galloping new songs.

“With the support of Fat Mike, we went out on a limb with this album,” says Carey. “We didn’t restrict our creativity and can’t wait for the world to hear the variety on our album.”

It paid off. Down Side Up debuted at #1 on the Billboard Bluegrass chart. OMM followed the release with multiple tours across the United States, and international tours through Canada, across Europe, and in Japan, to play songs for old friends and new fans. A more cohesive unit than ever, Old Man Markley overflows with passion for their craft and for each other. Just have a listen for yourself.

 

T’BONE

GRISM

DAMIENZ DEZIGN

BROTHER EL

INTERCONTINENTAL BALLISTIC MISSLE

PESHMERGA

T.S.O.L

T.S.O.L.

T.S.O.L. is an American punk rock band formed in 1978 in Long Beach, California. Although most commonly associated with hardcore punk, T.S.O.L.’s music has varied on each release, including such styles as deathrock, art punk, horror punk and other varieties of punk music.

CRASH HERO

BLESH

EARN IT YOURSELF

GOOD LUCK JANE

THE APRIL YEAR

NONPOINT

SURRENDER THE FALL

LOSING SCARLET

HUMAN STEW

The band Formed In October of 2009,went through a couple of lineup changes and this is where we are now.

UNLAWFUL TRADITIONS

LOUDNESS

Akira Takasaki / Guitar
Minoru Niihara / Vocal
Masayoshi Yamashita / Bass
Masayuki Suzuki / Drums

By the time they were introduced to the West by 1985’s Thunder in the East album, Japan’s Loudness had arguably already hit their peak. Their previous effort, Disillusion, was the fourth chart-topping release in their homeland, not to mention a critical triumph among members of the European press. But when faced with a contingency plan to conquer America, Loudness were gradually forced to alter their sound by unsuitable producers and clueless record company hacks, never coming close to translating their far-East success into Western stardom.
Guitarist Akira Takasaki and drummer Munetaka Higuchi first played together during the mid-’70s in a mainstream rock band called Lazy. Unhappy with the band’s direction, the duo split and decided to follow in the footsteps of Bow Wow (the first ever Japanese heavy metal band), forming Loudness with vocalist Minoru Niihara and bass player Masayoshi Yamashita. Combining a classic metal approach with

Takasaki’s Eddie Van Halen-inspired guitar heroics, the band immediately scored local success with their first three albums, which were sung entirely in Japanese. But it wasn’t until the release of their first live album, Live-Loud-Alive, and fourth studio effort Disillusion that the group attracted any significant attention outside their homeland, eventually issuing an English version of Disillusion.

Lightning Strikes Atlantic Records soon came calling and the band’s international career began in earnest with 1985’s Thunder in the East, which sold quite well in the U.S. for its novelty value, giving the band false hopes about their acceptance by Western metal audiences. Subsequent efforts, Lightning Strikes and Hurricane Eyes, were “made to order” records geared for the American market, and saw the band slowly drifting away from their roots towards a more commercial, pop-metal sound. All to no avail, and after recording 1988’s independently-released Jealousy, the classic lineup’s glory years came to an end with the firing of Niihara and the arrival of American-born singer Mike Vescera for 1989’s Soldier of Fortune. 1991’s disappointing On the Prowl saw them resort to re-recording watered down versions of some of their Japan-only material and would be the last to feature Vescera, who briefly joined the temperamental Yngwie J. Malmsteen’s band.
Ghetto Machine Yamada Masaki, from rival Japanese metal band EZO, was brought in for Loudness’ 1992 self-titled effort, 1994’s Heavy Metal Hippies, and 1997’s Ghetto Machine. The latter saw the departure of the band’s long-time rhythm section being replaced by bassist Shibata Naoto and drummer Homma Hirotsugu. This lineup recorded two more albums, 1998’s Dragon and 1999’s Engine, after which it has been rumored that Takasaki welcomed back the original members for an as yet unconfirmed reunion.

DIRTY PASSION

SISTER SIN

JON YOUNG

SKEEZ

I.O.E.

CALLIKO

1IA’s PZY

YOUNG KEYS

CHICAGO RIO

Mario Gilmore (Chicago Rio) was born and raised on the south side of Chicago. Rapping for about 10 years now, he started in the basement with school yard friends like Dia Stone, Bread, and Sly Polaroid.
Later he linked up with friend Cha-Chee Tribune and formed the group N.B.A making serveral hot records before going on his own and forming Process of Progress Entertainment. Rio stepped back from the game in order to get the paper work and business in order for Process of Progress Entertain…

KOFI COSTARI

SULAIMAN

CHICAGO’S ARISTOCRATIC RAP LEADER. TREATED CREW REPRESENTATIVE. SULAIMAN SHABAZZ WAS BORN INTO THE FOLD OF CHICAGO’S SOUTH SIDE, TAUGHT BY THE DUALITY OF ITS PEOPLE, AND BLESSED WITH THE TALENT TO REPRESENT IT IN ALL FACETS.

DJS IBHAPPY & VIC LLOYD

AURA NOIR

Panzerfaust

PANZERFAUST

Panzerfaust is a Canadian black metal band formed in 2005 as an entity forged from the combined desire to create music and writing equally voided of their conventions. Categorically a black metal band, Panzerfaust however claims no devotional framework, and firmly holds an anti-theistic postion. Panzerfaust has NO ideology, but rather pursues ideas for the ideas themselves. In our view – nothing is sacred.

Let no man be saved from our judgment; only the dead have seen the end of the war.

HOD

J-LYN

N.E.P.H.E.W.

CHRIS SHIELDS

J.R. BLACK

CUNNINLYNGUISTS

HOMEBOY SANDMAN