By Christopher David,<\/p>\n
If ever there was any question that Chicago is home to more shows than one can possibly\u00a0attend on any given date, Reggie\u2019s Rock Club on Wednesday was a perfect illustration: a\u00a0five-bill of thrash and death metal, smack in the middle of the week, headlined by Boston\u2019s\u00a0Revocation, with St. Louis\u2019 Black Fast in support (also appearing were Cannabis Corpse,\u00a0Roman Ring, and Archspire).<\/p>\n
To cut right to it, Black Fast give me hope for the future of \u201cclassic\u201d thrash metal, and the band\u2019s\u00a0star is rising, fortunately, following the release of their latest record, Terms of Surrender, on the\u00a0eOne label. Making good on the promise of 2013\u2019s Starving Out the Light, Terms pays homage\u00a0to the precise, frantic riffage of bands like Kreator and Sepultura, with vocalist Aaron Akin\u2019s\u00a0searing delivery calling to mind a thrash version of Blackie Lawless or the king of razor blade\u00a0vocals, Mille Petrozza.<\/p>\n
From opener \u201cHaunted Vigil\u201d to closer \u201cThe Fall,\u201d (introduced as their \u2018ballad,\u2019 which, of course,\u00a0was nothing of the kind) the band was\u00a0relentless for their half-hour\u00a0slot, with Akin\u2019s natural stage\u00a0presence leading the way through their alltoobrief\u00a0five song set. It\u2019s easy to see when a band\u00a0is truly hungry and desires nothing more than to level a room as though their lives depend on it,\u00a0and Black Fast proved, for their first proper touring date in Chicago, that this is a band who is in\u00a0it for the long haul. Here\u2019s hoping we see them headlining their own tours sooner than later.\u00a0They sure as hell deserve it.<\/p>\n
Revocation, touring in support of 2014\u2019s Metal Blade release \u201cDeathless,\u201d kept the spirit going\u00a0and took the near capacity\u00a0crowd on a tour of their technically proficient\u00a0mix of death and thrash\u00a0metal for a solid, searing hour. The set pulled no punches, leaning on the new record for\u00a0\u201cMadness Opus,\u201d \u201cScorched Earth Policy\u201d (marking only its third live performance), and closer\u00a0\u201cWitch Trials,\u201d pulling from 2009\u2019s Existence\u00a0is Futile (to the clear delight of fans) for \u201cLeviathan\u00a0Awaits,\u201d and even going back to 2008\u2019s Empire of the Obscene for \u201cAlliance and Tyranny.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vocalist\/guitarist David Davidson\u2019s proficiency can\u2019t be overstated; his background in jazz\u00a0serves him well in the capacity of soloist, giving the\u00a0songs an energy and melodic element that\u00a0recalled early Metallica (specifically, Kirk Hammett\u2019s more thoughtful, borderline progressive\u00a0moments on records like Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets). Revocation\u2019s rhythm\u00a0section met the challenging arrangements head-on,\u00a0allowing for the staccato brutality of\u00a0Davidson\u2019s riffage to really come through, mirroring the records with an added layer of\u00a0face melting\u00a0volume and intensity.<\/p>\n
Tired media claims that \u201crock is dead\u201d needed look no further than this current Revocation tour,\u00a0and Reggies was the perfect room for a perfect bill showcasing the next generation of thrash\u00a0superstars.<\/p>\n
For more on Revocation, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n For more on Black Fast, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n