The fourth album from Kingston, Ontario's REVMATIC "Rising of the Sword" comes 6 years after their last effort - and is the first with second guitarist Trevor Wilson who joined the ranks in 2011. This 14 track platter features a down to earth, gritty Hard Rock / Metal style, something akin to what you would hear on a lot of modern rock or classic rock radio stations in North America today.

A big positive to the sound of the band is the fact that Keith's bass isn't buried behind a pure wall of guitars- especially prevalent on "Shooting Your Mouth Off" and "Fire in Disguise". Otherwise the band seem to favor a mid-tempo or slightly faster metal stance - keeping the rhythms and riffs straightforward and the grooves locked and loaded for maximum energy transfer and exchange. Latter day METALLICA and AVENGED SEVENFOLD are two prominent reference points when taking in the double bass charged title cut and the highway anthem closer "The Path You Roam".

Where I struggle to fully engage in the REVMATIC style is the vocal delivery from Nathan Yatter. His raspy, hoarse mid-range melodies could be so much more convincing with a little more coaching and depth- and I think the choruses can be a tad too repetitive, making "Already Gone" and "You Break" slightly pedestrian. Decent production values and obvious attention to basic songwriting 101 detail does help elevate much of this material - and I would imagine the band comes to life on stage as the amplifiers and adrenaline fuels the fire.

"Rising of the Sword" isn't bad per se, it just could be so much better if the band is willing to up their vocal game.

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