A new Revocation album has arrived, and while that’s exciting news for me, not so much for my brothers in writing for Teeth. The band is now approaching 20 years of activity and is at this point a stalwart of the tech/death/thrash sub-genre. Call it “progressive” if you’d like as well. For my money, which admittedly isn’t much, David Davidson is one of the best guitarists in metal.Does being one of the best guitarists translate into excellent songs, though? It depends on who you ask, but since you’re here, that’s probably me, and I say “yes” emphatically.

There are several guest appearances, including on “Confines of Infinity,” which includes Travis Ryan of site favorites Cattle Decapitation. It’s one of the heavier tracks, with the main stomping riff being a beatdown. David employs mostly his lower growls to great effect, but that’s not why you’re here. Travis Ryan’s unmistakable goblin cleans, as I’ve called them (patent pending), show up roughly around three minutes in. That precedes the solo, then back into the beatdown. If one is to check out a song to convert them to fans, then this would be the one.

The guitar riffs from Revocation have taken a chugging approach on a significant portion of the album. Take, for instance, “Cronenberged,” which also happens to feature Johnny Davy of Job for a Cowboy. Slightly before 2 ½ minutes, his vocals begin as the thrashy riff, suitably crafted for this moment, accompanies him. It’s also just him on the vocals for the remainder of the runtime.

Let’s not get caught up in guest appearances, even though there are more; it takes away sometimes from what bands construct on their own. A track that encompasses almost everything Revocation does would be “Despiritualized.” It takes about 45 seconds to get moving, with a fast, thrash riff. David’s growls are prominent, highlighting the great production. It gets heavy with a tumbling riff about halfway through, then quickly back to a gallop. It’s slightly longer than most of the tracks, but fortunately, when it comes to Revocation, that typically means a long solo.

As my colleagues here at Ye Olde Teeth of the Divine admit, the musicians in Revocation have great chops, but they don’t always like the songs. So, to answer the obvious question, is New Gods, New Masters full of great songs? Absolutely. Are they different from what the band does? No. Will loyal, “down since day one” fans enjoy it? I can’t imagine they wouldn’t, as I consider this album one of their best. So, will it bring those curmudgeons with whom I write around to the good side? Admittedly, probably not.

Don’t be like those guys, be like me, the coolest one of us (according to a poll I conducted), check this out, and throw a great band some cash while you’re at it. Support is needed now more than ever.

[Visit the band's website]

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