REVULSION is a Finnish death metal band that formed in 2005.  This new self-titled release is actually their first full length album.  In 2010, they released a demo called "Undressing External Humanity," and the "Defiled" EP in 2011.

Finnish death metal is one of those styles that just never gets old.  Finland has always been one of the best countries that is home to a lot of different styles but death metal is something of a specialty for them.  With that being said, REVULSION's self titled album is still extreme even by their standards. Over the course of 2020, I reviewed my fair share of death metal.  For the most part, it was a damn good share because the genre had a banner year.  However, I'm not sure if any of the death metal albums I reviewed were as brutal as this one.  What REVULSION doesn't have in originality,  it more than makes up in extremity and musicianship.  Each of the five members seem like they are trying to play the heaviest music known to man but fortunately they also happen to focus on writing a good death metal song.

The production is very dirty-just nasty as hell.  No complaints at all, this type of album demands it.   But it is also open with enough clarity to allow the one thousand riffs this album has to come out both gritty and razor sharp.  And how about that bass?  It slams hard and doesn't stay buried in the mix as it isn't content on just following the guitars around.  The bass is such a huge part of this album's sound-how all death metal should be! Tuomas' bass playing is massive-the audio version of a million mile wide mountain.  His tone could, and probably has, shake trees out of the ground.  At the very least, my head phone covered ears got their fair share of that low, low end.

Jarkko and Jari's guitars are front and center for a definite riff focused album-I lost count of how many riffs are played in this album's thirty eight minute run time but there is at least a billion.  They play all the riffs that will be available for the rest of the year-sorry other death metal bands but you have to go home now.  Seriously, these guys don't mess around with too much melody, clean notes, or long, twisting passages.  They are here to supply the listener with death metal guitar riffs-nothing more, nothing less.

The opening track, "Last Echoes of Life," wrecks my body within just the first thirty seconds.  The song begins with a deep growl, insane riffs, and powerfully focused drumming. Aleksi's vocals are extreme and wonderfully excessive but never sound silly.  This song exemplifies the teamwork contained within the album as all members are zeroed in with the same passion for playing this style.  Halfway through the song, it slows down the tempo to a mid paced because the band isn't just about non-stop speed.  When they take a step back and let their sound expand out a little their sound just becomes even more monstrous.

"Pyre," is highlighted with the bass snapping out from behind the riffs and keeping the rhythm going as the riffs launch their attack.  This song has a classic death metal feel as there is just a certain energy to it.  The cadence of the riffs is just unstoppable as the drums lead them through the song.  The mid portion is where the riffs breathe a bit for a more methodical presentation while the bass and drums continue to tear down walls.  I loved the last forty five seconds or so where with the rapid riffs and the growls just letting it all hang out.

"Mustaa Hiilta," is a very interesting song and one of my favorites on the album.  The tempo is much slower than most of the other songs and it gives this expansive feel to it, like it is a giant beast whose breathing pushes in and out as it stalks the potential kill.  The bass and guitar use this slower pace to weave a potent tapestry of thick yet vibrant notes that sound as sinister as any of the other tracks. The later part of the song sounds a little sludgy, which is fine with me, because it blends well into their sound.

"Wastelands," is a short, meaner blast of song that is under three minutes but never feels rushed-everything it needed to accomplish is reached.  REVULSION are just so damn good working within the confines of their songs.  Time isn't wasted nor is there any pointless musical avenues.  "Wastelands" exemplifies this perfectly. "Silence," is ironically one of the album's most archaic moments-the double bass fills the sound with a rumble that is more akin to an earthquake.  Atte is indeed a one man army on the kit! Each instrument compliments the other so well; the guitars work out from the bass while the vocals base their own rhythm from the guitars and drums.  It is incredibly smooth flow for a death metal song but it doesn't make anything less intense.  In fact, the whole album is like this...the death metal just flows out freely in a natural but deadly way.

The last track, "Viimeinen rituaali" opens with some of the album's best riffs that build in purpose as the seconds tick back.  This might just be my favorite song on the album and it ends the journey with a bang.  The growls go super deep while the riffs double down on creating this wall of sound that is so tight not even a speck of sand could get through.  Around the halfway mark the song sort of hangs in the space of its own walls just for a few precious seconds before the sky falls and the band comes crashing down with some scary intensity.

REVULSION's self-titled album feels like a new standard for just how uncompromising death metal can be and exactly what it the term "heavy" really means.  Although this album is coming out at the 2020's beginning, it is strong enough to stand on its own for the rest of the year and not get lost in the sea of releases.