Having recently written about REVELATIONS' last EP, "Warning", the band's drummer, Janne, got in touch with me and passed onto me their new single, "Grip of Darkness", leading up to a full-length release that will (hopefully) come out later this year.

"Grip of Darkness" is, put simply, the best song I have heard from them. It evolves and progresses through trajectories that I would never have predicted, and every few bars is a surprise. It begins slow and foreboding, with a loosely-arranged mix centered on projecting Lasse's voice. Soon enough, the track picks up in heaviness with chunky riffs, and so do the vocals. The pipes on the man completely through me, with powerful, melodic and vibrating wails, more powerful and prominent than on "Warning". Not too dissimilar to some of the darker tracks in MANILLA ROAD's back catalogue. Without warning (pun hopefully excusable) the track picks up in pace with a forceful gallop and a series of upbeat riffs, before slowing down again with equal suddenness.

"Dead Man Walking" is a B-side that the band chose to include on the single. A more catchy, jiving side to the band, it certainly appeals to the archetypal rock 'n' roll hedonism of the 70's with grooves inspired by rock music of the era. Whether or not the band deemed it not 'album-quality', I found it an enjoyable addition, with its carefree groove and lyrics that are the helplessly likeable variety of cheesy.