REVIEW: 'Dirt' by Revulsion

Scotland’s (really) heavy hardcore act, Revulsion, have just released their anticipated single titled 'Dirt'. Revulsion are huge sounding hardcore; it's dense, manic and really fucking heavy and with the intense deep vocals and rough guitar tones, its impossible not to be a fan of Revulsion.

I first saw Revulsion in May 2017 supporting Malevolence and I was instantly blown away- I had no idea who the band were. I was drawn to their malice sounding riffs, frightful vocals and how complex the music sounded. But now, over a year on, they have dropped their new single 'Dirt' which is the latest single since the Reckoning Noise. On the first listen I was instantly impressed; the band have always had a lot to offer, but 'Dirt' provides even more than I expected. The song is intense, menacing and 1 minute 50 of evil sounding riffs, fast-paced drums and fills along with the harsh vocals that are enough to terrify anyone.

The song instantly kicks in thrashing guitars, layered with chaotic drums which grip the listener in the first second. This then drifts into a galloping riff which then finds itself dipping in and out of fills, blast beats, rapid double bass. What makes this song so interesting is the layered effect samples used which successfully adds increased amounts of variety and excitement to the song. We have heard effects like these used in hardcore recently but Revulsion have really nailed it. This just goes to show there is a lot you can do with hardcore, rather than sticking to the simple formula that we are all familiar with.

The song ends on a high note offering a violent breakdown familiar to what we have heard from Revulsion before. Ultimately, the best way to describe this song is: interesting. It's not breaking massive boundaries in the genre just yet, but the song is in no way boring! It has got a plethora of things to offer in its short duration and gets more enjoyable and enticing upon every listen. However, the only criticism I have with this song is that personally, I wanted to enjoy more of it. It's crazy how much they have crammed into that short amount of time but I wanted more to feast upon but I guess that makes it a good teaser song for their next releases, so I'll have to wait until next time to hear more...

By Sam Hennerley