Revenant
The Burning Ground (Re-Release)
6.5
Other than their one and only full-length – Prophecies of a Dying World – being released by Nuclear Blast in 1991, Revenant weren’t known for much. They have a host of demos and EPs to their name, but I was surprised to find Xtreem Music unleashing a platter of their material as I associate that label almost exclusively with brutal death. The Burning Ground, however, is comprised of early ‘90s technical death/thrash metal a la Atheist, Cynic, Pestilence, and Death – though most will compare them to the latter. And frankly, Revenant are a second-tier outfit.
Still, The Burning Ground contains plenty of nod-worthy moments, and the instrumentation is fitting for this blended style if not a tad unstable. Whereas “Eclipse” summons Death from their grave, a song like “Exalted Being” – through its intricate, melodious nature – calls to mind Cynic and Atheist and Pestilence. Unfortunately, the production takes a dive when “Asphyxiated Time” enters, and it never really recovers. At well over an hour, brandishing 14 compositions total, The Burning Ground does indeed deliver on the length requirement. Ultimately Revenant have crafted a decent batch of songs, but I’m of the opinion that they weren’t quite ready for the major leagues, especially when they were competing against such all-star ensembles.
While this record itself isn’t a full-on representation of their work, being that it’s comprised of demos and unreleased tunes, they noticeably lack distinguishing characteristics. In essence, there’s nothing that jumps out at me, grabs my testicles, and says, “We not only deserve your attention, but we also deserve your hard-earned moola.” Nothing like that occurs, so keep it moving. Anyhow, on the whole, I’d say this is worth hearing for fans of this particular era, although it may not be worth purchasing in the end.
The Burning Ground may be worth digging up, but don’t approach Revenant thinking they’ll be as fulfilling as any of the above-listed groups. They aren’t.
