Review by Nathan on November 14, 2023.

I never really heard much about this album one way or another before I bought it myself. The general opinion is that it's a satisfactory Vader release, but also isn't quite as good as Litany. That being said, what is? It's easy to overlook this, especially because The Beast is often thought to be one of their weakest. Revelations seems doomed to linger in this weird transition ground between Vader's best and worst albums, but that really shouldn't be the case. This is a continuation of Vader's golden age, with all of the elements that make a great Vader album present. Revelations has some of the most complete songs, the best drumming and the most balanced production job Vader's ever had, and if you missed it before you're really doing yourself a disservice in not checking it out!

I didn't say this was the best production Vader's ever had, mind you. It's pretty hard to top the ear-raping kick drum on Litany, but Revelations takes its own approach to a heavier sound by giving the bass a little more wiggle room in the mix. Bass lines have never been more than a supplementary element to Vader's music, but their enhanced presence on this album makes for a fat, rich tone. This is also the album where Piotr really refines his trademark growl-yell; he finally found his sound on Litany, sure, but on the whole he sounds much more comfortable and less strained in his delivery on Revelations. He plays around with some unusual vocal lines, most notably on "When Darkness Calls" when he says "unconceivable evil" and varies the rhythm around a little bit when he repeats it. That's personally one of the more memorable vocal moments for me, and that track is one of their strongest on the album. May even be my favorite vocal performance from Piotr. Overall it's not quite as clean of a production as you might find on later records, nor as thick and pummeling as the sound they got on Litany, but Revelations has its own distinct vibe that works in its own way.

This sadly ended up being the last full-length Doc recorded with the band. But holy shit, lemme tell ya, on Revelations, the Doctor is IN. This is my personal favorite performance from him. He partially benefits from the slightly more diverse songs. I mean, we're still talking Vader here, so there's not gonna be TOO much deviation, but previous albums tended to have tracks that were more unitary and focused in their ideas. Revelations has a lot of different tracks that are content to have an equal amount of slow-to-midpaced groove in addition to faster, blasty moments. The songs are a bit longer on the whole to accommodate this. It doesn't matter what's going on, though, because the blast master himself knows exactly what beat fits regardless of speed. His blasting is precise down to the millisecond and he has a way of accenting straightforward drum patterns that is distinct while still not attempting to show off or overtake the riffs. On this album, he's noticeable during the slow parts too! Somehow, he keeps what should be single-minded, monotonous music consistently fresh and engaging, and his skills are all showcased to the max on Revelations. Doc is one of my favorite all-time extreme metal drummers, and this album is a huge reason for that. He makes the whole band around him better.

There's a couple of songs on Revelations that are oddities in Vader's discography, most notably "Revelation of Black Moses". It's a slower, groovy number, clocking in at just under seven minutes, which is pretty damn long for this band. This isn't something that Vader hasn't attempted before--"Reign-Carrion" functions in a similar manner, and that was on their first album, but even that was a little more brisk and reminiscent of something like Sepultura's "Inner Self". "Revelation of Black Moses" is the first time they really went for the jugular and brought their music to a snail's pace to pulverize you. It's a refreshing change of pace (even the biggest of fanboys like me will surely need a break from the hyperblasting every now and then) and the song has a very nice, natural arc, so I would say they pretty much nailed it. There are a couple other tracks that are more unusual for the way they balance a more relaxed pace with the aggressive Vaderblast. "Epitaph" starts off a bit slow, but really picks up about halfway through, which kind of throws you for a loop, as Vader love to kicks things off with a ripper. It's admittedly a bit of a strange selection for an opening track, and I personally think "When Darkness Calls" could have done the same thing in a better way. Even "The Nomad" is a bit more steady than one might be used to as well, but it ends up working in the album's favor. The middle of the album is where things really get good, and the slow start only makes it seem all that much better.

Revelations isn't totally perfect, but even the weaker moments are woven into the greater fabric of the album seamlessly. This is one of Vader's most multi-dimensional albums (mostly thanks to clever songwriting and a phenomenal drum performance) and also feels like the most complete and well-rounded thing they've put out. Why haven't you fallen in love with this yet?

Rating: 8.9 out of 10

Review by Allan on June 19, 2002.

With a history spanning eight albums and over fifteen years, it still doesn’t surprise me that Vader are amongst the death metal elite. Their keen sense of finding excellent riffs and solos combined with their knack for over-the-top song writing has kept these guys at the top of the pile since the dawn of time. Now “Revelations” is here and Vader shows us once again how death metal should be played.

Musically, “Revelations” is a continuation of their last true studio album, “Litany”. It’s got the pounding double bass and blast beats emanating from Doc’s drum set, the tremolo picked riffs followed by intense solos from Peter, and it all moves along at breakneck speed with enough tempo changes to stay interesting. “Revelations” also manages to keep the catchiness that was created on “Litany”; a fine aspect to the music considering it didn’t come about at the expense of other defining elements. The song writing is once again excellent. While the majority of the music moves along like a hurricane, the band’s attention to moodier solos and also mid tempo riffing makes “Revelations” all the more enjoyable. Every section of the music holds power within it and it all fits together at the end. This warhead will rip you apart from the instant it hits until the moment it rests. “Revelations” rains down like an apocalypse in today’s over saturated death metal scene. It rocks the way it should rock; it holds the strength to be remembered, it’s unique, and last but not least it’s one hundred percent Vader.

Having said that, I can’t help but compare “Revelations” to the bands earlier work. After the mammoth album “Litany”, I’m not sure if “Revelations” really towers over it or at the least stands up to it. It surely is an awesome album in 2002, so I suspect people’s opinions between the two will be split. Besides the fact that Vader had expectations to meet for their fans and themselves, but I’m a bit disappointed in the progression from Vader. They simply seem to be refining their craft, which is fine, but they have it in them to push the boundaries even farther. But I digress, and must say that Vader continue to stand tall amongst other acts still.

Bottom Line: Vader have done it once again in creating a great album that stands tall and looks down upon the seen. An amazing album from a great band, once again.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 8
Atmosphere: 8.5
Production: 9
Originality: 8
Overall: 8

Rating: 8.3 out of 10

Review by Felix on August 16, 2020.

I remember that I was disappointed after the first Primal Massacre listening sessions. From my point of view, Vomitory had created three of the best death metal albums of all times. Both Redemption and Revelation Nausea had triggered gargantuan blasts – and Blood Rapture even topped those masterpieces. Due to this background and in view of the fact that stylistic modifications were simply unimaginable, I thought Primal Massacre would be the next apocalyptic weapon.

On the one hand, it’s still a mystery to me why I do not like the album as much as its predecessors. Indeed, Vomitory deliver more of the same without any compositional experiment – and that’s actually a good thing. The output sounds energetic, the production is on an equal footing with those of the album’s predecessors and the authenticity of the band is beyond doubt. On the other hand, my disappointment (that I still feel, even 16 years after the release of Primal Massacre) is easy to explain. I miss outstanding songs that are able to challenge the excellent detonations of the former albums. The first, the last and only track that comes near to classics such as 'Under Clouds of Blood' or 'Eternity Appears' is 'Retaliation'. It shines with a great flow which is based on a simple, easily comprehensible riff and a profound “melody” during the mid-part. A minimum of tempo shifts ensures a dynamic appearance. A great song, but it fills less than three minutes of the album.

Music is a matter of taste. Sorry for this empty phrase. I just fall back on it in order to underline: the general frame of Primal Massacre does not differ from the previous works of the Swedes. You have some blast beats attacks, ultra-heavy mid-tempo sequences, raw, pretty low-tuned guitars, guttural, deep vocals and any other death metal aesthetics you love to experience. Everything is based on the strong, powerful and dense production – as mentioned above, in technical terms Primal Massacre does not need to fear any comparison. The mix can be described with the title of the above-average closer; the album appears as the soundtrack of a 'Chainsaw Surgery'. Its high degree of vehemence conveys the typical intensity of extreme metal – nonetheless, the quality of the riffs is good, but not unmatchable. Moreover, tracks like 'Eternity Appears' had proven evidence that it is possible to combine even wildest death metal with a catchy touch that highlighted single parts. Here the listener is buried by a wave of violence that mainly destroys the sight on individual aspects. It took some time until I realized the nice morbidity of the slow part of 'Gore Apocalypse'.

Well, time to stop grumbling. The fifth work of Vomitory presents songs that show the pure essence of the deadly subgenre without suffering from severe mistakes. It stands in the shadow of the previous outputs, but in its own right, it’s an album worth listening and it reflects the band’s unbroken joy of playing. I just regret that Vomitory began to make their monument crumble by releasing these songs.

Rating: 7.6 out of 10