I always say that I like to keep up with the music industry, but sometimes there is a release that surprises me in a different way. From Purmerend, The Netherlands, some 100 miles from my place, comes REVIVER, and no, I had never registered them before now. Originally formed in 1997 by Fred Mantel and Tom Heemskerk, they were quite active and produces three MCD’s (“Reviver” [1998], “Gates Of Time” [2001] and “Osiris Eyes”[2003]) before releasing their debut album “Reviver” through REMEDY RECORDS in 2005. That went so well, that they decided to record a second album, which never saw the light of day as REVIVER disbanded in 2006 due to musical differences.

The two original members got together again in 2017 and felt it was time to revive REVIVER. They even got all the former members on board. The first result of this resurrection came in 2022 in the form of “A Thousand Lives”, again through REMEDY RECORDS. That must not have worked out like was envisioned, as now we are facing their latest album “Carnival of Chaos”, but now it is NO DUST RECORDS that has taken the reigns. As I mentioned, this is the first time I have encountered REVIVER, and to say that it is a pleasant surprise is not exaggerated. As for the musical style of the band, they are classed in the NWOTHM bracket, but I feel that is a bit too narrowminded. Yes, they do incorporate a lot of old fashioned pure quality Heavy Metal (“Along The Crusade”) into their music, but you will also find pure Thrash Metal (“Nemesis Of Sion”, “John The Baptist”) and Epic Metal (“Lost in the Shadows”) in their library.

In over 48 minutes these guys take you on a journey through a pure Metal landscape. These are good musicians, who write good songs, play good music and have a competent and versatile singer in Michel Zandbergen. All these elements together make “Carnival of Chaos” into an album that will bring joy to many a pure Heavy Metal afficionado. And no, not all the songs are as strong as I would like, but I also can’t fault any of the tracks as being bad or sloppy. What does help is that REVIVER have been able to produce a killer sound. That makes every song come out as strong as possible. If you love your NWOTHM and adjoining musical genres, “Carnival of Chaos” could be just your thing.