EP Review: Revenant – What A Time To Be Alive

Hailing from Basingstoke, England, Revenant features guitarist and vocalist, Sugarman Sam, guitarist Matthew Hudson, bassist Robin Nutley and drummer Carl D. After starting life with the esteemed blues band, The Voodoo Men, Sam moved on to form the Dead Jackals, where he settled into the role of guitar player as part of a twin harmony attack with Matthew Hudson. The newly formed friendship grew over the next three years and together they left the Dead Jackals, enlisted bassist Robin Nutley and drummer Carl D, and Revenant were born.

Bursting straight into it with a whopping great big riff ‘Coming back to life’ starts the EP off with the Americana-tinted rock thats already arena sized and expertly produced to wring out what each member brings to the track. Whether its the earth pounding drums of Cral D, Robin Nutley’s strongarm bass or the fancy fretwork from both Sugarman Sam and Matthew Hudson.

With it’s western-inspired riff and crushing bass on ‘Draw The Lines’, Sam has the perfect foundation for a great vocal performance. ‘The Healer’ is a brooding track that builds steadily with the guitars patiently waiting to explode on the choruses and finally the smokey sweet solo. This is one of the best traditional guitar release of the year with some of the tastiest fret board action I have heard on a debut record from a band

At a blistering four minutes, ‘The Masquerade’ is a solid track that lets Hudson have some freedom and really stretch out finger wise. Sam produces a fiery vocal track. There have been a few bands that touch on Americana rock, but none quite do it so well, and to say all that with just the small selection on the EP says a lot about this bands songwriting.

A crushing ending with track ‘Rolling On My back’ with Carl D treating us to some powerful drums. These guys are ready for the big stage already. The sound throughout this EP has been spot on and I can only imagine the noise these guys produce in a live arena.

There’s no denying the quality of musicianship on this EP and it’s not jus the playing that is superb. Sam and Hudson have found the perfect backing with Nutley and Carl D and also the perfect set of tracks for this EP. It’s a perfect introduction to the band and one to introduce yourself to it loudly.

Check out the bands track Coming back to life, below: