Band:	Disavowed
Album:	Revocation Of The Fallen
Style:	Brutal death metal
Release date:	July 31, 2020
A review by:	Troy Killjoy

01. The Process Of Comprehension
02. The Enlightened One
03. Revocation Of The Fallen
04. Imposed Afterlife
05. Deformed Construct
06. Therapeutic Dissonance
07. Defractured In Contemplation
08. Egocentric Entity
09. The Inevitable Outcome
10. Facing The Singularity

There will always be room for healthy debate about whether maintaining relevance or establishing a niche is the most important aspect of content creation.

Disavowed, infrequent purveyors of brutal death metal from the Netherlands, developed a bit of a cult following in the scene with their debut LP, Perceptive Deception. While it didn't break significant ground or generate widespread influence that rippled across future generations, it did have a more distinct touch that helped curate a feeling of genuine care in relation to most of what was on offer at the time by their peers. Those who came to appreciate it, however, would need to wait six years for Stagnated Existence to be released, a blink of an eye compared to 13 years needed for Revocation Of The Fallen's unveiling.

But what did we really wait for? A mildly technical, groove-injected slab of brutality that could have any band's name on the cover. The rhythm section is on point, Robbe Kok's archetypal guttural growls relentlessly pursue each track's bitter end, and the tandem guitarists manage to play off each other in such a way that sounds meticulously crafted and practiced. The production quality is perfectly suited for the music on hand, particularly in regards to the mixing of the drums, accentuating their energetic proficiency, but its individually impressive list of ingredients hardly register as having any unique taste or flavor on the tongue. It's a safe and professional release, but one that gets lost in the waves of brutal death metal's vast, yet stagnant ocean.

Despite its obvious downsides, aspects of interest manage to seep through in order to maintain a sense of accessibility and replay value. The smoothed out edges and catchy hooks, playful bass work, and impeccable technicality of new drummer Septimiu Hărşan's adaptive influence behind the kit coalesce to form expertly executed extreme material that aims to please diverging demographics of fans on the lookout for the most intense or commercially viable renditions of brutal death metal. But in doing so, they overcompensate and consequently eschew their identity.