Revenant Marquis - All The Pleasures Of Heaven

Labels: Death Prayer Records

Formats: Vinyl/Tape/Digital

Release Date: 06 Oct 2023

Tracklist:

1. Linnet Through The Marshes

2. All The Pleasures Of Heaven

3. Ankles Cadaverous

4. Black Metal

5. Luck & Evil

6. To The People Of This Hamlet

7. Bliss

This evening marks a special occasion. It marks the release of the final album by revered Welsh black metal band Revenant Marquis, All The Pleasures Of Heaven, which is being released via a special listening party courtesy of Bandcamp. Bandcamp continues to innovate with band/fan engagement and this new feature promises to be an exciting one. On a side note; I hope Bandcamp's employees will be treated with the respect they deserve given the decision by Epic Games to sell off a chunk to music licensing company Songtradr. Bandcamp as an artist-centric platform deserves better.

Anyway, let's get back to tonight's focus, that of the Pembrokeshire Black Circles's Revenant Marquis. Beginning with the Pitiless Black Emphasis in 2018, S has released a very expansive body of work leading up to this final album, including seven previous full-length albums, 3 splits, 1 EP and a compilation. Five years worth of music to consume then, which somewhat spoils us.

It feels special to be able to join this listening party and the anticipation is quite overwhelming to be honest. Thankfully I have a nice glass of red wine as my companion this evening. Hearing the rawness of Revenant Marquis for the last time is ssd and even with my slightly late entry to the listening party (my fault entirely), album opener ‘Linnet Through The Marshes’ sounds fantastic with it’s percussive intensity, organic guitar melodies and vocals that are buried deeper within the overall mix. Being able to read the interaction between listeners and RM during the listening party is a great insight into what has made this particular black metal entity so engrossing over the years.. Title track ‘All The Pleasures Of Heaven’ gathers together a lot of metallic guitar tones, which are subtle but give the song body.

It seems that listening via this medium makes the songs go by so much faster and as ‘Ankles Cadaverous’ gains full flight, so does RM. A masterful take on black metal delivered by both S. and O. Of Obskuritatem, who covers bass and drum duties here. It feels right that RM weaves a song into the album simply called ‘Black Metal’. While this may not be the last we hear from S., it certainly satisfies the hunger of those who have grown with this band. 

After the expansive ‘Black Metal’, ‘Luck & Evil’ takes on a much more urgent form right from the off. Admittedly, it does have it’s slower moments but it’s structure is such that it flows through different movements with ease. Structure is more important in modern day black metal and it’s much more evident in RM’s music here. Hearing the faster tempo of ’To The People Of This Hamlet’ reminds you of black metal’s raw history and punk leanings, but here S. and O. make it sound so effortless yet harrowing at the same time. Album closer ‘Bliss’ is both aptly named but also accurately so. It’s an instrumental song but with haunting choral vocals that bring everything to a close.

A truly special evening spent listening to a band that’s produced some of the best black metal the UK has had to offer in recent years. Whatever road S. takes moving forward, Revenant Marquis will always be held in very high regard.

You can stream All The Pleasures Of Heaven and purchase it on digital and vinyl formats below:-

Death Prayer Records - https://www.facebook.com/deathprayerrecords