Heavy and steady as an uprising should be, The Unravelling’s new single “Revolt”, set for release at the end of the month, addresses the various restrictions placed on us by society. While these boundaries are meant to homogenize assimilation, they instead become a burden that band members Steve Moore and Gustavo de Beauville are calling us to stand up against.

This passionate song ends the Canadian band’s hiatus that it was forced to take after the release of its debut full-length album, 13 Arcane Hymns, which got listed in Suite 101’s Top Heavy Metal Albums of 2010. The unwanted time off was necessary for Moore to deal with significant health issues (a cancer diagnosis) and inspired the track. “The lyrics to ‘Revolt’ convey a rejection of the false and a need for inner change,” he explains. “This is an inner revolt that we are talking about.”

Built on rock, industrial, ambient, and metal elements, the track reflects the pain of false imaginings nurtured by a society focused on the wrong priorities. It also conveys how angry one feels when society’s betrayal of its duty to protect and nurture us is revealed. The collision of pain and anger is emotionally disturbing, reflected in the band’s use of disturbing images.

The track is carried by typically industrial-sounding drumming, while the electric guitars bring in a strong metal flavour. The drumming brings to mind the chugging machinery that society has become, while the pulsating electric guitars remind us that despite it all, we are still very much alive and able to overcome. The throaty vocals are delivered in a way that evokes a voice long stifled reaching for the light.

One can easily imagine this single being used on the television show Supernatural or on the soundtrack of the next young adult dystopian novel to be adapted to the big screen. The band can be found on Bandcamp and on Facebook.

Pictures provided by Independent Music Promotions.
First published here on Blogcritics.