REVOCATION – interview with Dave Davidson, singer and guitar player

Can you play brutal Thrash/Death Metal and at the same time be a proficient Jazz player? Yes, you can and Dave Davidson, the leader and creative force of REVOCATION, is one of them. His band just turned twenty years old and he definitely does not plan to slow down even a bit. On the contrary, REVOCATION issued a crushing album in 2025 called „New Gods, New Masters” and Dave still has a lot to say through his music not only in his former band, but also other projects from various musical worlds. We had a chance to talk about that and other stuff after his performance on BRUTAL ASSAULT (review here).

Hi Dave! We do not have much time so let’s rock and roll… How was the show on BRUTAL ASSAULT today? It was quite early slot, I understand, but the reception was quite nice.

Yeah, the reception was great. It was our first time with a lot of new gear. We are playing with in-ears for the first time and I was using some new gear. Shout out to Helix. I was using their Stadium XL and Seymour Duncan Power Stage for the first time. So yeah, it was kind of new.

You just started the tour around Europe. It was your second show, right?

Unfortunately, we missed yesterday’s festival. It was out of our control as the weather was terrible on the East Coast and they kept grounding our flight.  So we were sitting on the tarmac for around five hours. We missed our connecting flight, so they rebooked us for the next day. Then we thought that we were going to make it, but by the skin of our teeth and then they grounded that flight again. So it was two full days of getting fucked around. So I was really sad to miss ALCATRAZ FESTIVAL, but luckily BRUTAL ASSAULT crowd was amazing and made us forget about all of the bullshit that we had to deal with the past couple of days.

Right after this tour in Europe, you are starting the tour around Canada and US to celebrate 20^th anniversary of REVOCATION. Do you plan any special set?

Yes, we’re going to play a song from every record.

Okay, so something to remind the people of all the albums you recorded. Today’s set was also some kind of a summary, but in shorter version. Do you plan similar tour in Europe later on as well?

We got some stuff cooking. I can’t talk about it just yet, but we got some stuff in the works that I think people are going to like.

Yeah, good to hear it. What are your feelings regarding the last album “New Gods, New Masters” – it’s been almost a year since it was released. So after longer perspective, do you have any thoughts about what you would change, play some parts differently, etc. You seem to be a perfectionist, at least when it comes to technical stuff…

I don’t think I’d really change anything. I’m really proud of this record. It came out the way I wanted it to. Of course, there are  always little details here and there that you would like to change, but you have to just  forge ahead and you can’t dwell on the past no matter what. So, if I can sit with it and listen to it and at the same time enjoy it, then I know I did my job well. Sometimes you can polish everything to death… I’m really proud of it and I think it came out great. And I’m already on to the next thing, so that’s how it works.

For people who will read the interview and didn’t listen to this album yet, it’s worth mentioning the song called “The All Seeing” – the instrumental track. You invited your friend Gilad Hekselman who is a professional Jazz musician to perform on that song. As far as I read, he didn’t have anything to do with metal in the past. Did you have to convince him for a long time or he was just so interested how it would come out that he did not hesitate?

I sent him a text and I said, “Hey man, are you free to do a guest solo?” and he said, “Count me in.”  It was as simple as that.

I see, it worked out really well. It fits there well, because some of the riffs are so twisted and Jazz-y in that song…

Yeah! He is such a great guitar player. I think it was a fun challenge for him to be in that element. Gilad is one of my favourite modern guitar players. Just incredible musician.

Did you decide to invite him just to somehow show metal community that Jazz is possible to mix with extreme music?

I think it’s always cool to push the boundaries. I had known him from the New York scene and I could just hear him on that track. I also think he brought something totally different, not just to that solo, but really kind of to metal in general in that case. I mean, I really haven’t heard many things like that in metal…  I think Frederik Thordendal from MESSHUGGAH has a little bit of Allan Holdsworth style in his playing. He’s been bringing some kind of fusion flavour to metal for quite a while, but Gilad is like a straight up Jazz musician. It is very modern, but he’s a Jazz guy through and through. Hearing his approach to that solo was really delightfully surprising. He plays some really psychotic shit on that song. That solo is really out there.

I don’t know if you would agree, but I think that Jazz has something in common with Metal. Both styles are some kind of love and hate situation to many people. You either love or hate Jazz and I guess it’s can definitely refer to Metal as well.

Yeah, I think that styles like Metal, Jazz, Classical Music are really pushing the boundaries of music and I’m always drawn to that. Metal and Jazz are both the genres that go against the grain. They don’t go with the status quo. The whole point of it to me for those genres or the bands and artists that do them justice is that they’re always trying to come up with something new, something fresh, and push those boundaries. So I see a lot of kinship between them, even though the genres can be different sonically, etc. There’s a certain attitude in both those genres and the risk taking that I really appreciate and enjoy.

I also wanted to ask you about your approach to solos. Do you polish them as much as you can before the recording or you just go with the flow, do a few trials and that’s all, so that they do not lose the freshness?

I usually do sort of sketches in the beginning and then from those sketches I move on… It’s almost like with painting. You create the general idea of it down on the canvas and then you refine from there and add in all the details. When I’m first coming up with some ideas, I just want to get the general gist of it. Then, of course, when it comes to real recording I want to get the tightest take that I possibly can, because it’s going to be on the record forever.

You’ve been signed to Metal Blade Records since “Deathless” album, so around 12 years. How is the cooperation going? How is it to work with the legendary Brian Slagel who had such an impact on the music?

I know, I love working with Metal Blade. I think that there is a really excellent team there. I’ve become friends with a lot of them. It’s just a great organization. Sometimes you hear horror stories about working with labels, but they treat us well and they’re passionate about REVOCATION. I’ve got nothing, but nice things to say about Metal Blade.

I wanted to ask you about your second project, GARGOYL. I read on your Facebook, that you started recording your second album in 2023 and there was no further info about the continuation. What happened?

The record’s done and it’s going to come out soon. I can’t really say much more at the moment, but you can expect some new GARGOYL announcements soon. I am really excited about this record, but I cannot announce any details yet. So if you’re a fan of GARGOYL just stay tuned. If you’ve never checked it out before, please listen to our first record and I think you’ll be in for a nice ride.

As you say that, it’s definitely worth waiting. You are signed to Season of Mist with this band, not to Metal Blade. This label, at least in my opinion, has so many versatile bands that approach Metal in quite unusual way. For example, CYNIC, CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX or THY CATAFALQUE. Was that the reason why you chose Season of Mist or they just gave you the best offer?

Well, it’s funny. I remember I we were playing at Hellfest and I saw Michael, the owner of Season of Mist, and I just told him like, “Hey, we got this project, etc” and he liked it. So, you know, we were just kind of going back and forth with things and then the deal was done.

Your music in REVOCATION develops so well. There is always some kind of progression from album to album. How would you imagine your music in this band in next ten or twenty years?

I guess that’s anyone’s guess. Certainly, you can hear the trajectory and the evolution of our sound with time. At this point, it’s just a really fun and creative journey. We’re going to keep forging ahead.

What are your plans for 2027?

I feel like we’re always writing. I might finish a record and the next day write some new riffs, so I keep doing that all the time. We’ve got some more touring planned. We want to get back over to Europe and do a proper headline run, so that’s in the works as well. I feel like it’s going to be a busy one.

Would you find yourself in any other projects and genres or you are too busy to do it now?

Yeah, we are working on the PALLID VEIL stuff. I’ve got another project in the works, but I can’t say too much about that. So it will be a mixture of writing and touring for REVOCATION and also for my other various musical projects. That is why I feel like it’s going to be a busier year. As a self-employed musician being busy is good. I’d like to keep my schedule packed, so I won’t be sitting around and twiddling my thumbs for too long.

Thank you!

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