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Revenge > Infiltration.Downfall.Death > 2008, 12" vinyl, Osmose Productions > Reviews
Revenge - Infiltration.Downfall.Death

Pure Bombastic War Metal - 96%

Slater922, April 10th, 2022
Written based on this version: 2008, CD, Osmose Productions

Revenge's early releases were unique, as they focused more on being raw and brutal to the fullest extend, with Victory.Intolerance.Mastery in particular taking on some grindcore influences. "Infiltration.Downfall.Death", however, is where we begin to see Revenge take what made the previous albums great, and add in even more insanity in them. This, in turn, makes IDD more of a bridge towards the earlier raw stuff to the slightly more accessible newer material, and I think this combination of the two works great.

Let's start off with the instruments. The previous two albums did start off with a little intro that got you ready for the madness that would ensue. In this album, however, there's no intro, as in the first track "Death Heritage (Built upon Sorrow)", it throws you right into the chaos. The guitars are very noisy and bombastic in sound, and the fast riffing combined with the chaotic guitar solos executes the signature Revenge riff well. The drums are also even more powerful than the previous two releases, as the blastbeats sound more fierce, and the snares in particular have an echo sound in them that make them linger in the track a bit longer. The bass in particular is probably the best bass play in their catalogue, as the sound is extremely deep, and lays in a very thick foundation to hold all of this madness. Besides some rare moments, including the droning riff at the beginning of "Cleansing Siege (Take Them Down)", there's no breaks at all, and similar to Conqueror's "War.Cult.Supremacy", it's nothing but intense, bestial instrumentals, which I absolutely love. Some of the best tracks in this style include "Death Heritage (Built upon Sorrow)", "By Force (The Only Option)", "Final Doctrine (Push Forward)", and especially "Cleansing Siege (Take Them Down)". There's little to no flaws in the instrumentals, as the pure bombastic atmosphere of the album is executed perfectly.

Then there's the vocals. James Read's savage shrieking has been a staple among Revenge's discography, but in this album, I think this is where his vocal performance shines the most. Take the track "Sterilization (Procreation Denied)" for example. This track is more fierce in songwriting compared to the others, and James reflects this well, as his feral screams of sterilization flows well with the catastrophic atmosphere of the track. And let's not forget about the backing vocals of Pete Helmkamp, as his vocals somewhat improve from the previous records. His voice has more might and power in it, so his deep growls and abrasive speeches are more balanced and crazed than in the previous records. Not that the vocals were bad in the previous albums, but in IDD, James Read truly lets his hateful personality truly shine in the vocals, as his brutal shrieks are a perfect match of this bombastic atmosphere.

Even the lyrics are just as crazy. As per usual, there's not a whole lot known about the actual lyrics, especially since the booklet only gives us small parts of the lyrics. But from what we've seen, the songwriting is great. Take the lyrics to "Barbed Anti (No Remorse)" for example, where it quotes:

Barbed anti no remorse to the death
The disease of man with man the final equalizer


This verse is basically about showing no remorse to killing the disease that is man. The tone of these lyrics in general is depressing and nihilistic in nature, as the stories of Superion destroying the human race are written well, and they leave the readers feeling hopeless about the humans getting saved from being conquered. Furthermore, the lyrics flow well with the instrumentals and vocals, as the frenzied atmosphere makes the war sound a lot more intense, and James's feral screams give the lyrics a new layer of the furious tone presented in the stories. The songwriting of Revenge has always been strong, but here, I think the nihilistic lyrics reach a peak in terms of quality.

When it comes to war metal albums giving you a bad time, "Infiltration.Downfall.Death" is enough to take you to hell and back. The instrumentals are more bestial and maddening than ever, the untamed savagery of the vocals flow well to the chaotic atmosphere, and the lyrics destroy any remaining hope left with its nihilistic rhetoric. This would be the last Revenge album Pete Helmkamp was involved in, however, as he would leave the band in 2011. Regardless, IDD is one of Revenge's best albums in my opinion, and it is an album you must listen if you enjoy bombastic war metal.

Terrifying - 100%

dispaterwisdom, July 5th, 2018
Written based on this version: 2008, CD, Osmose Productions

Fans of Sarcofago, Hellhammer, early Mayhem, Beherit, Necrovore, Slaughter (Canada), Repulsion will most likely appreciate this.

I bought this album blindly at the shop, having gotten a sense of the buzz surrounding this band, I knew it was supposed to be crazy and the folks were considering the band a classic so I went ahead and took a chance to add it to my collection. On my first listen I was overwhelmed and confused. The vocals were so hateful, and I mean the actual TONE and delivery - the way he is actually screaming has me thinking this person is one of the most direct, hateful and determined behind a mic I've ever heard, if a person is what can truly be described here... I only wish the complete lyrics were printed because I really want to know everything Revenge is saying here. The little sample they give you is better than nothing, though, and I suppose it's part of the mystique.

After having perused through their older material I can safely say that this album stands out as one of the best, like top 3 in their discography thus far. Part of this is the production. Yes, it's still the classic Revenge production, but this time the guitars peer through a bit more, allowing one to most of the time make out what the riffs are if he really listens closely enough. To me, this is great because the riffs are actually memorable and worth hearing.

What I haven't heard anyone mention yet - and this is probably the most intriguing part of the whole album - is the 2nd vocal part... And I'm not talking about Pete Helmkamp (who does a tremendous job, btw). I have coined this as ' The Frogman' or 'The Swamp Monster'. Whoever is responsible for these (and I believe it's James Read) has created something so uniquely dark, supernatural, and subterranean - the only thing I can call this is genuinely terrifying. I live for those moments on the album when these particular vocals come in.

WHAT IS HELL is going on with these vocals? What kind of effects processing are being used? Are they using a pitch shifter, a vocoder, both? Or is this guy really just capable of growling like that? Beyond the actual pitch of these vocals, it sounds as it the words themselves are being contorted so as to create a sort of different language, or if it's English than he has made a new way to pronounce/process English words so that it sounds otherworldly. Another fascinating aspect of these vocals is how they span a very wide frequency range in the mix. They aren't "eq'd" and thus in this sense are full-throated, unmitigated, almost live-sounding and aurally dominating while simultaneously staying buried just beneath the surface of the mix due to their restrained volume and very low pitch, further conjuring that image of a creature that lays just beneath the surface of the murky waters and fog that envelop this album. These vocals ruthlessly signal your oncoming doom, like they'll swallow you up in their slimy, gargling horror. Check out "By Force (The Only Option)" and "Barbed Anti (No Remorse)" as examples.

Drums are dry and claustrophobic, almost ironically so as there's definitely a sense of space in this album regardless of the instruments not having much reverb. So too are the primary/higher-pitched vocals - dry and unprocessed aside from being uniquely performed and recorded. They sound as if the singer's mouth is directly on the mic (but not cupped), causing some form of proximity boom and distortion, mixed with his beleaguered delivery it's just astonishing. There's almost a Burzum-esque feel to these vocals in how he expresses an almost crying-like, emotionally overwhelming delivery. It's as if the man is so enraged that his voice is breaking in his hysteria. He's loss his civilized senses and he's out to murder. He is barbaric once again.

There's an honesty to this production that brings back the time when this sort of metal was actually brutal and unpolished, but also doesn't compromise what a good engineer can do to craft an intentionally ravaged and powerful sound that's not simply "retro", but is actually unique, standing strong and on its own in the present era. For how many "crazy", psycho fast and hysterical grind-core bands are out there I've never heard any that sound just like Revenge. It's hard to clearly define this as grindcore or black metal, but I called it "black-grind" once and I still find that fitting.

This music is like the soundtrack to a prehistoric tribe taking revenge on a neighboring one that committed a grave act of injury or dishonour on them. They shall massacre every last one of them and mercilessly raze their encampment. Uncompromising isn't a strong enough word for this band. Get out somewhere alone at night and blast this. You need to feel alone and afraid. This will get under your skin and give you some interesting thoughts and feelings.

A few changes here and there but same Revenge - 70%

NausikaDalazBlindaz, April 11th, 2008

Been a long time since I last heard anything by the Canadian band but I have the impression after hearing this album that the guys have actually slowed down a bit and have changed their sound. They now sound much like the UK grindcore band Carcass during that group's "Reek of Putrefaction" period with maybe a bit of that Bill Steer / Lee Dorrian-period Napalm Death influence. We have duelling vocals on just about every song with one slurpy reptilian voice inspired perhaps by Godzilla with a gizzard full of churning rocks going toe-to-toe with a high-pitched hysterical vocal; plus speedy bassy rhythms punctuated by flashes of lead guitar spitting out sparks in every direction. Drumming can be choppy and monotonous due to the speed of the music and the bass guitar keeps going on and on and on like a runaway motorbike up hill and down dale.

The songs don't differ all that much, they are fast all the way through though if you listen really very carefully they are quite well-constructed. They don't seem quite as fast as I remember and there is much less actual screaming. The sound on the album is deep and full so when the lead guitar bursts in, you really notice it because the contrast between lead guitar and the rest of the music is so startling. Song titles state the obvious which are then qualified with a comment in parentheses: "Blood Noose (Hog-tied like Swine)", "By Force (The Only Option)" and "Final Doctrine (Push Forward)" being just three examples. One new thing I notice is that the songs are at least over 3 minutes long with a number of them well over the 4-minute mark and one actually hitting past 5 minutes.

The production is basic and gives the band that raw sound necessary for in-yer-face blaring music. "Cleansing Siege (Take Them Down)" sounds tinnier than the others. The overall effect makes Revenge sound very much like a demented bloodlust-driven death metal band with very little BM influence that I can hear. On "Final Doctrine ..." the musicians use an unusual continuous blurry guitar whine that snakes up and down in the second half of the song. Gosh-almighty, these guys are more sophisticated than we ever thought! Whatever tricks up their sleeves are they yet to reveal? The song that makes the most impression though is the last one, "Cleansing Siege ..." for its floaty guitar solo intro, galloping rhythms in some parts, clearer vocals than usual and a pyrotechnical finish.

A few changes here and there, some of which you have to listen carefully for, and the sound is a lot deeper but some things about Revenge don't (and probably should never change): the mad singing, the straight-faced take-no-prisoners approach, the musical rampaging ... ah, these should never go out of style. So many things about Revenge are just so over-the-top, I tend to look at them as amusing and a bit cartoony.