I must admit I was little afraid after 'A Fallen Temple' (1998). Okay, the majority of the new songs on it are great, but I feared the band would go down with those symphonic pieces. One more annoying point of 'A Fallen Temple': It's sold full priced! Come on record companies, keep the prices of such things low! But back with the review now. I still got 'Revolution DNA' immediately after its release. Maybe that shows my belief into them?!

Septic Flesh (SF from now on) have become a quartet. Drummer Akis have stepped in and he brought much more energy into the band's sound. On previous records drums by session players were a problem, so Akis is a huge step up. Another thing might be song writing, which is tighter than before and not so complex anymore. 'Revolution DNA' was recorded in Studio Fredman, Sweden, by Fredrik Nordström. Sound is heavy, clear and tight, still having that certain Septic Flesh trademark weirdness on it. The sound is very contemporary, with good use of "sci-fi" sounds. So have SF sold out then? No!

There's more straightforward songs like 'Little Music Box' (just amazing, a hit!!!), 'DNA' (including very familiar guitar parts from the past) and 'Dictatorship of the Mediocre' (attitude kinda metal?!). Then, on the other edge of spectrum stands such songs as 'Last Stop to Nowhere' (a massive epic with amazing vocals and guitar melodies) and 'Android' (a weird piece of the album).

The band have stepped into the future with 'Revolution DNA'. They have taken it, there is nothing to stop them. The whole concept is very futuristic, music, covers (great digipak, but booklet's a bit boring), everything. And I love sci-fi!!! 'Revolution DNA' is a highly original dark metal album and beats a crap out of many other futuristic metal acts, e.g. The Kovenant.

Rating: 8+ (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Lane
10/08/2001 18:17