In the last couple years, the underground metal scene has seen a ton of Scandinavian copycat bands emerge from the US. Most of these bands have been awful renditions of the early Norwegian black metal scene and Swedish Gothenburg scene. But alas, COUNCIL OF THE FALLEN emerges from the pack of mediocrity. They manage to successfully mix early Swedish death/black metal, a pinch of Norwegian black metal, a heavy Slayer influence, with the solid foundation of U.S. death metal ala MORBID ANGEL. The really cool aspect of Revealing Damnation is that it has that same vibe of mystique and young ambition that characterized albums such as DISSECTION’s The Somberlain and SACRAMENTUM’s Far Away From the Sun. People will surely recognize the name of Derrick Roddy with from work with HATE ETERNAL and MALEVOLENT CREATION. But the work of Kevin Quiron (guitars, vocals) and Sean Baxter (bass, vocals) on this album should make people take notice. Their relentless attack of tasteful riffs and dueling low and high vocals will please fans of extreme metal. To their credit, COUNCIL OF THE FALLEN can play just as fast, aggressive, and riffy as the top dogs in the underground metal scene. But at the same time, the band borrows heavily from them. You can point out which riffs/parts sound like a specific song from a specific band. However, what the band loses in pure originality points, they make up for in their ability to write solid extreme metal. All the components to make a great band are here and this debut is a good starting point for greater things to come. Look out for COUNCIL OF THE FALLEN. (Martyr Music Group)