Apocalyptic Revelation

Krisiun, the Brazilian death metal outfit comprised of three brothers, are understandably legends in their own right. Their 1995 debut full-length album, Black Force Domain, is widely regarded as one of the greatest death metal albums of all time for its incredible myriad of talent-laden tracks. The band's 1998 effort, Apocalyptic Revelation, is the sophomore follow-up; there's no doubt that it has big shoes to fill, but given the skill that each member of Krisiun possesses, it shouldn't be too tall of an order.

Right from the beginning, it's easy to hear that the album has a lot more bass presence this time around; this missing feature was one of the few downsides of the band's initial release, and it caused the drums to fall flat in many areas. Now the drums have a boosted sound that's a lot more impacting, with each snare and bass drum hit managing to work its way to your very core. It's the mixing that Max Kolesne's extraordinary command of his kit rightfully deserves.

Speaking of Max, "Apocalyptic Victory" is one of the many tracks on Apocalyptic Revelation that shows off just how expedited his work can become, with devastating raw aggression that's taken out on double bass kicks. His hand work is so fast that it's actually hard for the ear to keep up with at all times, as he flies around his kit with masterful precision and fluidity. There aren't a plethora of instances where the drumming on an album is the substantial highlight, but this is one such occasion.

The material focuses more on heavier chords and riffs this time around; there aren't as many solos, which is honestly a bit disappointing for the simple fact that they were so amazing in Black Force Domain. The thick-bodied riffs push the content in an entirely new direction for the band, and when coupled with the dryness of the production quality, it really draws in thoughts of early work from Nile. Though "Apocalyptic Victory" does house one of the better mind-melting solos of the album, as does the end of "Rises from Black". Additionally, the instrumental "March of the Black Hordes" is another track that stands out due to its flurry of memorable chords and light synthesizer additions.

At the end of the day, Apocalyptic Revelation is an album that doesn't necessarily stand out in Krisiun's discography. It's neither amazing or awful, and with all respect, it is a decent release; it's a good solid brick of fast and hard death metal. There's no problem with the skill of the members, but the songwriting is much less charismatic than in their other albums. If you're looking for a dose of rapid, sweaty death metal, then there's few better; if you crave some zest with it, you may want to look elsewhere.

- Human Abandonware
www.BeyondDepravity.com

Krisiun’s second album follows more or less the same style of Black Force Domain in violence, speed and brutality. It was recorded more or less 3 years after their first effort and during this period of time the group has grown in technique, speed and songwriting. Here the songs are more complex, showing new riffs that later in the years would have been more and more complicated.

If their debut was still true fucking primordial, Apocalyptic Revelation is better balanced between technique and brutality. The production is far clearer and the band far less raw in their way of playing. Since the first track, "Creation’s Scourge" (that fades from the dark sound of explosions) you can hear the better production and the guitars lines, always fast and more technical . The drums are always some of the fastest ones in death metal. Blast beats with more tempo changes supported by the never stopped bass drum: a train.

Alex Camargo at vocals is always fucking brutal and evil. Sometimes he transforms the final parts of the growls in screams…simply great. The riffs are often quite catchy along with the good refrains. The solos are always high quality and here, with a better production, are easier to be appreciated. The thrashy beginning to "Kings Of Killing" song, followed by fast bass drum, shows no mercy for my poor neck.

"March Of The Black Hordes" is long “march” played by the drums, always fast, and the epic-obscure-violent guitar work. A perfect song to put to march on a black dominion. The drums intro to "Rites Of Defamation" shows no mercy at all and the guitar lines are always complex and brutal at the same time.

All in all, a true fucking Krisiun release, un pure brutal death style. One thing is for sure: you can recognise Krisiun’s releases among several others in this genre. They created their own death style and this is one of their highest demonstration: pure power and brutality.

if you like brutal death metal, increadible blast beatings, insane fast riffs and rough vocals, this is a great choice.
The brothers from the very south of brazil that are well-known by their perseverance and hard work since the beginning of their carrer, bring here such a brutal release, their first one with a good production they deserve.
the highlights of the album are of course, in the first place, the drums, fast as fukkin hell. max is really precise and brutal beating the poor drums.
i have to mention moyses either, what a great death metal guitar player. the riffs are brutal, but the soloing is what impresses the most. fast as hell and very technical.
Alex definitely shows the same capabilities than the others. great front man he is.
Theres is just one downpoint. all the songs just seem to be the same, aways following the same formula. blast beating all the way through and the riffs are very similar on every song either.
Therefore, the album is very good, but the best thing of krisiun is that the live performance is even better than the albuns, which is almost unbelievable.