Much like the eponymous title creature, Revenant rises slowly, and creeps forth at its own deliberate pace. Plodding from the speakers, "Death Knell Offering" starts with a mournful riff and grim vocals before opening up to drony buzzsaws on the second half. The speed is increased and the blackness shifts between doom and speed. Deliberate, head nodding riffs again prevail, and the listener is eased back from the abyss. "Scythes Over My Grave" takes a different approach, though, starting off with classic, evil, fast black metal. The breakdowns don't get as doomy as the basis of the prior track, but they work nicely to counteract the speed of the main track. Two thirds of the way through, though, the speed relents, and a bass fueled, reflective metal passage emerges. Slowly churning and grooving, one is allowed to soak all the darkness in. Showing their skill at changing pace without destroying the message of the album, Creeping slows it down again with "Cold Soil." The lugubrious guitar intro and delayed spoken passage fosters a sense of unease and mental decline before adding a thick, heaviness and slow, plodding drums. Cold, heavy, and one that gets under one's skin, this track is a keeper. Starting with a scream, "Drear" seems to play as the second half of "Cold Soil." A heavy rocker, the riff carries over the sadness from the previous track, but is instead coupled with pained, evil vocals. Taking its time, this one moves slowly toward its end, which takes on a surprising sparseness. The title track wraps up the album by once again making use of contemplative, almost wistful riffs. Heavy and grooving, "Revenant" allows the instruments to be heard telling their tales of woe. There's a sneaky bassline in there that really reinforces this track.

 

A very solid entry into the doomy black metal realm, Creeping's third album makes no bones about the pace at which it rolls. Slow and heavy with spots of speed and terror, Revenant is five tracks of very enjoyable metal. Plus, at just over a half hour, what do you have to lose by checking it out?