Dutch Death Metal band DISAVOWED is back with their third full-length "Revocation Of The Fallen," a 10-track, 33-minute slice of pure brutality. This album is the follow-up to 2007's "Stagnated Existence," a thirteen year gap between albums, so fans should rejoice in their return.

The album opens with a one-two punch. "The Process Of Comprehension" welcomes the listener into the doors of Hell. Intricate riffing and potent drumming gets adorned by bestial screaming and growling, as Nils Berndsen lays down slightly groovy basslines. Meanwhile, "The Enlighted One" is urgent and dare I say catchy, with an addictive riff front and centre. Some jazzy playfulness from the rhythm section makes it swing and move, shifting considerably through its almost four minutes in length.

The rest of "Revocation Of The Fallen" follows moving between playful, groove-oriented tracks, brutal and difficult songs that border on Prog/Math territory, and urgent, almost accessible -by Brutal Death Metal standards- compositions.

"Imposible Afterlife" falls into the playful territory, even being one of the heaviest tracks on the record, it throws funky yet dark bass breaks as well as playful cymbal work by Septimiu Hărşan. "Therapeutic Dissonance" comes along with its jazzy drumming and groovy syncopation, falling into Latin-esque rhythms at times.

The title track is dense and packed with tight musicianship, being on the proggy end of things. Its machine-gun like drumming is simply pulverizing. Closer "Facing The Singularity" thread similar waters, while both "Egocentric Entity" and "The Inevitable Outcome" are bursting with intense grooves and viciousness.

On the more "accessible" side are "Deformed Construct" and "Defractured In Contemplation." The former adds haunting vocal layering and subtle effects to provide a Gothic-tingled feel, building towards a climatic final section. The latter finds its way to mix some Classic Rock-inspired riffing on the middle of the chaos.

The whole band is clearly talented and have impressive skills, by I was pleasantly surprised by Nils Berndsen's bass. He shines throughout the whole album, as he has an impeccable sense of groove and knows just how to fill in the spaces between the other instruments. It truly is the glue holding the album together and also plays a double role with rhythm and melody. One of the few "melodic" elements on the record and the mixing makes sure he can be heard.

Robbe Kok's vocals are more discernible than it usually is other Brutal Death Metal records. Although it feels like pure noise at times, an aural assault as strong as the frantic drumming, you can make sense of the philosophical musings from the lyrics for a considerable amount of the record's length. There is also a signature scream that gets used several times and it is a nice touch of continuity.

Overall, "Revocation Of The Fallen" is an interesting record and one that does not disappoint if you are looking for something brutal yet entertaining to headbang to. DISAVOWED might have taken a long time coming back, but they surely did it right with this album.