“Figment Paradise” is the 4th full-length
record by Bulgarian death metal band The Revenge Project. For the uninitiated, these
guys have been around since the turn of the millennium, and play old-school death
metal that wipes the floor with nearly any modern band. Immediately upon
hearing this album, the first word that came to mind was inspired. It is clear
that The Revenge Project have a very good handle on what made so many of the bands
before them great. The riffs, while not overly unique or proprietary, are
killer. They’re just different enough that it doesn’t feel like you’ve heard
them before, yet true to the style the band emulates. It is worth pointing out
that “Figment Paradise” shows how death metal can actually be improved with
good production. Forget the murky caves that dominate the scene these days;
this album is clean and clear. You can hear every instrument perfectly (bass included),
with all musicians working towards the same goal: interesting songwriting.
The Revenge Project is not a band that
simply blasts their way through an album. Sure, there are blast beats here and
there, but the song takes center stage. A great example is the opener, “Redeemers
and Believers”. Not only does this track have some of the most killer riffs the
world has seen since the mid-1990s, but it also locks into a huge groove about
halfway through. Indeed, The Revenge Project make use of groove multiple times
throughout the record, and put others to shame with how they do it. Good groove
always comes from the drums – occasionally aided by bass - and not the riffs
(Vio-lence is another band who understood this). There are numerous times
throughout the album where the rhythm section locks into sometimes a bit more
restrained, and you can’t help but bob your head to the beat they put forth.
From a riff perspective, “Figment Paradise”
has a lot going on. Of course, there are the standard tremolo-picked riffs (and
even quite a few that don’t sound like you’ve heard them 1,000 times before),
but songs like “Road To Revenge” also show some more intricate, muted melodic
patterns. They even manage to make mid-paced songs like “Son of Abyss”
interesting. This is in part due to the sheer heaviness of the riffs (again,
because of the sharp production), and the use of more dissonant patterns that
let notes ring out to their fullest. The band’s axemen are incredibly skilled,
and they ensure you know that as often as possible. They offer up speedy,
dazzling solos that are a perfect fit for each song. The aforementioned “Son of
Abyss” has some truly twisted-sounding leads, which complement the bludgeoning,
methodical nature of the track.
Not being content to restrict themselves to
just death metal, The Revenge Project does offer some experimentation on the
final track on the record. This song features the use of clean vocals, and
while the two methods of singing don’t often mix well (especially on a pure
death metal album), The Revenge Project does an admirable job. In fact, I’ve
never really heard them incorporated into death metal in this way, which makes “Figment
Paradise” worth hearing. It almost morphs into a power metal track at times. This song also demonstrates the band's affinity for clean guitar sections, which are used on more than one occasion (though this particular song uses them in a more upbeat banner than in their other appearances).
Overall, “Figment Paradise” stands out
amongst a very crowded death metal field. The Revenge Project have better
riffs, songs, and execution than many of their peers, and the result is an
album that is going to cause a lot of mayhem in the pit. This is exactly the
type of band that should be signed to a record like Dark Descent, as they
deserve much more exposure than they've received to date.
Highlights
"Redeemers and Believers"
"Road To Revenge"
"Son of Abyss"
Final Rating
4.6/5 or 92%.
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