After a brief instrumental introduction, the band launches into “10,000 Generation in Blood,” which is the strongest track on the album. The song starts with a blast of epic orchestrated black metal that reminded me of Dimmu Borgir’s latest offering, then leads into a lush gothic influenced segment using the beautiful vocals of studio musician Sabine Weniger and then gives the listener a taste of the guitar heroics of Sebastian Reichl and Gert Rymen. The song ends with the female vocals and piano, a fitting finale to an exhilarating roller coaster ride of a song.

“Awakened by Sirens” was another memorable track for me. It incorporates awesome keyboard and guitar work with the fantastic female vocals. It also includes the catchiest chorus found on the record. The dual guitar work on the album merits special mention as well. Almost all the songs have a great soloing section in which the guitars are let loose.

Unfortunately, the rest of the album, while impressive, does not quite match up to the majesty of “10,000 Generations in Blood”. The female vocals are used sparingly and the rest of the songs are not nearly as memorable. The band is clearly at its best when it incorporates orchestration and gothic elements. The songs that lack such components seemed a little too long to me. The 11 minute long “May Angels Come” is the most glaring example of a song that overstays its welcome.

Complaints such as this are largely nitpicking, since Earth.Revolt is very good release. Deadlock has a unique sound that incorporates a number of different genres. The band is much more than just symphonic black metal. For fans of heavy music with a melodic or gothic edge, Earth.Revolt is highly recommended.

written by Scott Huffard

Playing time: 54.17