Revocation

Last night at Lee’s Palace was an absolute clinic in technical metal. Revocation came into Toronto celebrating 20 years of making ridiculously intricate, aggressive music, and they delivered the kind of set that reminds you why they’ve built such a loyal following over the years. The small, sweaty confines of Lee’s Palace were the perfect setting. There was no distance between the band and the crowd — just wall-to-wall riffs, crushing drums, and enough headbanging to make your neck hurt this morning. The energy in the room was relentless from start to finish. Dave Davidson’s guitar work is obviously a huge part of what makes Revocation special. The guy makes some of those riffs look completely effortless, switching between technical precision, thrash, death metal and wild solos without ever losing the groove. But if there was one person who deserves more attention coming out of this show, it’s Ash Pearson. Ash is seriously one of the most underrated drummers in metal. Watching him live, it becomes even more obvious how much he contributes to Revocation’s sound. The speed and precision are impressive enough, but it’s the control and feel that really stand out. He can absolutely unleash when the song demands it, yet everything still feels locked in and musical rather than being technicality for technicality’s sake. The double-kick work was ridiculous, the transitions were razor sharp, and he somehow made some of those insanely complicated arrangements look completely natural. Pearson has been behind the kit for Revocation for years, and honestly, he deserves to be mentioned in the same conversations as the more celebrated drummers in modern extreme metal. He’s criminally underrated. The whole band was firing on all cylinders, and Lee’s Palace made the experience feel especially immediate. There’s something about seeing a band this technically demanding in a relatively small room that makes the musicianship hit differently.