Moravia, NY death metal band NilExistence inititially caught my eye with their cover art. I'm a big fan of Seth Siro Anton (Septicflesh), so I immediately recognized the style. But Existence in Revelation is more than just a vessel for killer mixed-media art. Mixed by Hertz Studio (Behemoth, Decapitated, Vader), the album is an unremitting slice of blackened death metal with a technical edge a la Behemoth's mid-career work. Barbaric, loud, and unquestionably death metal.
Drummer/vocalist Kyle Kratzer (ex-Disfigured Dead) had this to say about the album title and lyrical content:
"Existence In Revelation is based on the life experiences that have affected Dave Gruver (guitar/vocals) and myself during the writing period. The idea behind the title comes from how I personally felt when in the midst of a darker period. When one finds himself in a "revelation" type state, they have a few choices in which to handle the new information or realization they discovered; they may take the newly aquired knowledge and expand upon their problem/life, take nothing from the experience and brush it off, or stay stuck in the revelation itself (which is the route explored on the album.) As if in a bubble, one neither acts nor fails to act upon the new knowlegde, but instead remains within the revelation (bubble). The lyrics are based upon what I saw and learned within this revelation."
Dude, I don't know exactly what sh#t you were dealing with, or what exactly this revelation was, but it had to be some pretty intense stuff to directly result in this album. It's a dense and abrasive mix bursting at the seams with intensity. I don't think the guitar takes a single break during the runtime aside from the time it takes to transition from one track to the next. Guitars jump endlessly from chugging, to squeeling, to tremolo, to Babylonian war marches, to proggy batches of discordant chord change-ups. "Primordial Transgression" offers a nice summary.
Equally stifling are the endlessly shifting patterns of the drummer. This guy could definitly hold his own in any tech death or otherwise math-oriented metal band of his choosing. It wasn't something I noticed right off the bat, but once my ears had adjusted to the impenetrable assault of the mix I was able to zero in on these elements and truly appreciate all of the finer points of the musicianship. But it's hard to ignore those vile death growls long enough to truly take it in. Give "If Snakes Could Talk, My Words Would Slither," a try, if you dare.
Taking the album as a whole, there's definitely a progressive element to the flow that I could appreciate in addition to the black, death, and technical elements. While harsher and faster in nature, I drew a few parallels to the Ur Draugr album I reviewed back in January. I think most people will zero in on the more brutal elements at first glance, but if you give it a couple listens to sink in, there is a more artsy quality to the compositions that might otherwise remain elusive. With that in mind, I strongly recommend you subject your earholes to at least 3 full listens before you make any sort of judgement. I think a few of you may thank me for this guidance in the end. Check out the stream below.