The Unravelling - Revolt

The Unravelling, consisting of vocalist/lyricist Steve Moore and instrumentalist/producer Gustavo De Beauville, gained fast acclaim after the release of their first album "13 Arcane Hymns" in 2010. Their infectious mix of industrial backing tracks and vocals with metal guitars and lyrics sparked interest from both of those musical camps, and they were quickly compared to the likes of Nine Inch Nails and Katatonia. The hard and fast duo from Calgary, Alberta Canada were reviewed in Metalsucks.com, Pitch Black Magazine and Guitar World and seemed poised to usher in a new era of industrial/metal mashup music which didn't seem forced or poserish. Unfortunately in 2011, lead vocalist Steve Moore was diagnosed with cancer. Thus began a four-year battle with the disease for Moore and four years of radio silence for the promising Canadian duo as Moore fought for his life. "13 Arcane Hymns" served as the only example of The Unravelling's potential, with an uncertain future for the band hanging in the balance along with Moore's health.

After four years of illness and treatment, Steve Moore finally felt well enough to think about work again. In the meantime De Beauville continued to release under other project names and work on a number of movie soundtracks while reserving his most choice tunes for what he hoped would be Moore's triumphant return. The Unravelling's previous cheerleaders Metalsucks and Guitar World kept tabs on De Beauville's whereabouts, waiting and hoping that the talented metal guitarist and producer would make another big move with his music. The industrial and metal worlds got their wish this year; the return of Moore's health meant the return of The Unravelling and the release of their first single in five years, "Revolt."

It seems, for whatever reason, "Revolt" is decidedly more industrial than anything presented by The Unravelling in "13 Arcane Hymns." To create this effect, De Beauville's even goes so far as to slow down his usually fast and furious black metal-inspired guitar playing to fit a more industrial model. The tone and key his guitars are in are almost the only noticeably metal-like part of the song. The opening drums and synths are very typical to industrial and dark wave tracks, and Moore's tight-throated scream-singing vocals are also typical of industrial singers of late, but his signature vocal timbre has a quality which has not been replicated since 13 Arcane Hymns. This isn't just industrial, this is high-quality industrial. Moore's voice in this song can be seen as a cross between Trent Reznor and Maynard of Tool; not as operatic as Maynard but with more musical tone than Reznor. The lyrics are meant to be both political and personal, calling for a hearkening back to an older, more introspective way of looking at the world. Rituals, connection to the earth and the timeless quality of human existence are preferable to Moore versus the detached and cerebral electronic world we live in today. Both have their dangers, however, and the song warns that the only way to survive is to look inward and strike a balance.

Fans will notice there is a dearth of electronic elements in this song, with De Beauville preferring to create the industrial mood with his extraordinary guitars and slow but syncopated drum beats and basslines. This choice seems to go along with the lyrical theme as well. While De Beauville's guitar playing seems slow and not as metal-influenced as usual (there is no shredding on "Revolt"), it's clean and well-tuned, adding to the sort of earthly and analog feel of the track and the lyrics. While this song is clearly dark wave/industrial, it's difficult for De Beauville to hide his love of classic metal guitar styling, and indeed he shouldn't. The way "Revolt" is composed, his slowed-down metal guitar blends with all the other elements to make a cohesive and well-produced track. The lyrics, drums, syncopation and guitars are all saying the same thing, with a voice which is clear and strongly characteristic of The Unravelling.

Many fans, magazines and fellow musicians have been following the path of The Unravelling since their unfortunate forced disbanding in 2011 due to Steve Moore's illness. Just as many of them are ecstatic to see the triumphant return of this industrial/metal duo with "Revolt." With the song's industrial motif, it may be unclear if this is a direction The Unravelling plan to keep following in with future endeavours, but it's unlikely. De Beauville's metal chops and rock production as well as Moore's pagan-inspired lyrics will always creep into The Unravelling's music in some form or another. What is clear is that this is just the beginning for The Unravelling; a new beginning wherein Moore and DeBeauville can take their unique and well-produced music anywhere they want to go. Apr 20 2015