Proven Wrong At The Revel

Boy band. These were the first two words that came to mind as I first glimpsed at the five man group called Death at the Revel. Sure, they have the gore and instruments and make up necessary to come out as an edgy band, but when my eyes first hit them I sort of scoffed at their appearance and thought nothing more of them. Not only that, but in the promotional photo of the five man gothic metal act that I received, there is the Moon from The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask floating right above them. Now, I'm not one to bash a critically acclaimed video game franchise, but for a band to use that image without credit listed anywhere, really, was quite absurd to me. However, all these thoughts and doubts were erased as soon as I laid my ears upon their latest single, You've Met With A Terrible Fate, Haven't You?

As I read more and more about them, they opened up as to a lot of their influences and why they chose certain aesthetics. The first and foremost mystery that was cleared up was exactly why the moon was used.

Vikki Violence, frontman of Death At The Revel, explained, "[Majora's Mask] is fucked up...it's psychedelic, creepy and just very very dark...I found out about a theory of the game, and that is that our main character and hero of the game called Link is actually DEAD. That everything he goes through of the game is actually not happening, that it's something that happens when you die and states you go through when you lose someone close to you. You go through different states: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and last Acceptence. It's called the 'Kubler-Ross Model Of Grief'."

Obviously, as many of us know, video games can put a large dent on our childhoods. For Vikki, Majora's Mask not only haunted him for years on out, but it also led to his infatuation with many, many darker subjects and topics. However, to find out years on later that a game franchise that is already scarring on its own can possibly have an even darker core subject in theory is just as mind bending as it was when Vikki was a wee child. This may seem trivial, but this is also where it has landed Vikki today.

Alas, however dark and brooding the band may seem, they still are with their respect. With our shenanigans, we bring stuff that's easy to clean up, offer ourselves to clean up afterwards and we often lay out a rubber mat/carpet before we go on stage."

In comparison to most shock bands that come on stage with buckets of blood and the like, Vikki tries to help out club owners as much as possible when it comes to dealing with a mess. Death at the Revel shows respect to the clubs that they perform at, and respect is a virtue sometimes long forgotten when bands feel like rockstars on a stage in front of a group of admiring fans. And for that they've also gained my respect.

But, in the long run, it's their music that will really do the talking. After disbanding Ragdolls, their previous act, due to being, "...signed to a label that wanted us to go in a direction that wasn't the same as we wanted, and a ...drummer at the time wasn't really into playing drums at all anymore too,", Vikki took the road to form Death at the Revel. And with the birth of a new band came some really solid ideas.

Speaking on sound, Vikki said, "We want to get the whole vibe, together with the lyrics, our niche and create something full and complete instead of just putting lyrics over drum pounding and guitar shredding." And, with the release of their latest single, You've Met With A Terrible Fate, Haven't You?, they've proven they can handle all of this.

With vocals ranging from deep pitched growls, to screeches mixed with glitchy hype, and even some cleaner styled chords, Death at the Revel has proven that their choral gifts are well used. With horror inspired tie-ins in both their sounds and guitar work, everything comes together all at once. There isn't a single moment within this single that sounds boring.

Even when it comes to visual aid, Death at the Revel does not fall short. In speaking of the video that released side by side with the single, Vikki said, "Our videos actually got a story. There are so many bullshit music videos where the band plays in a forest or an abandoned warehouse and there's not a story behind it." Putting aside the standards and aiming for something new was quite the goal, but I think they accomplished what they set out to do.

From looking at them as just another mere goth/horror metal band looking to make a name for themselves, I've widely reconsidered my view and now see Death At The Revel as a mature band with strong heads on their shoulders unwilling to let conflicting views get in the way of making the type of music and sound they want.

Now, aside from more thoughts and intricacies, it's time you went out and listened to Death at the Revel for yourself. More singles aside videos (not music videos, perhaps) will come out soon enough, and their debut album is yet to be announced because they wish to build their fanbase. So, spread the word, and if you're anywhere in Sweden check out their two upcoming shows listed here:

June 18th - Backstage Rockbar
June 30th - Peace & Love Fest

Follow Death at the Revel:
https://www.facebook.com/DeathAtTheRevel
http://twitter.com/DATRband