{"id":396188,"date":"2026-01-29T03:57:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T03:57:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/396188\/"},"modified":"2026-01-29T03:57:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T03:57:09","slug":"missed-album-review-steve-dadaian-revenant-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/396188\/","title":{"rendered":"Missed Album Review: Steve Dadaian – Revenant City"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Published by Noor<\/a> on January 28, 2026January 28, 2026<\/p>\n

\"\"Artwork by: Ilya Nazarov<\/a><\/p>\n

Style:\u00a0Djent, Progressive Metal, Classical Guitar, Orchestral (Instrumental)
Recommended for fans of: Periphery, Dream Theater<\/a>, Animals as Leaders, The Contortionist\u00a0
Country: United States
Release date: 9 May 2025<\/p>\n

If I had a nickel for every time a progressive album centered around a mythical city was released in 2025, I\u2019d have two nickels\u2014which isn\u2019t a lot, but it\u2019s kind of strange that it happened twice1<\/a>. Those who enjoy alternating musical styles and self-guided storytelling all packed into an album, stay a while and sink into Steve Dadaian\u2019s attractive artistry. Dadaian, an Armenian classical guitarist (and also dentist!), has emerged once again to continue the story that was explored in his debut album, Follow the Light. Both albums are heavily conceptual, and Dadaian tells his story while combining the best parts of groovy djent and melodic fingerstyle guitar.<\/p>\n

Follow the Light took us on an adventure following a mage on a quest to traverse the forested citadel featured in its album art. With the omission of lyrics, the narrative was told through chronological track titles that accompanied the music itself. Revenant City brings back this method of storytelling: the same mage, named Herial, now travels to get to the center of the floating city that is featured on Revenant City\u2019s album artwork. Dadaian places a larger emphasis on letting the content within the tracks guide the narrative and stresses that the listener gets to fill in the narrative blanks to better connect with his music.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Despite Revenant City\u2019s narrative-driven focus, Dadaian\u2019s guitar work is undoubtedly virtuosic. With influences like Joaqu\u00edn Rodrigo and Bj\u00f6rn Strid of Soilwork (who was featured on Follow the Light), Dadaian\u2019s attention to detail allows him to create the djenty solos akin to Animals as Leaders that are peppered throughout Revenant City. The title track features AAL\u2019s technical abilities combined with Meshuggah\u2019s heavy rhythm sections, and borrows soaring guitar solos from the world of power metal. In the same vein, what often follows these energetic sections are moments of softness from the prominent classical guitar. I like to imagine the thought process as Dadaian creating a game of cat-and-mouse between the electric and acoustic worlds of music, immersing the listener in Revenant City\u2019s adventurous narrative.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take a look at the latter for a moment. Dadaian is clearly a fan of orchestral writing; the title track features an awfully J-RPG sounding orchestra2<\/a> that\u2019s gingerly tossed in with the rest of the riff salad that is \u201cRevenant City\u201d. Classical and acoustic guitars shine through in tracks like \u201cTower of Waves\u201d and \u201cThe Story of Life\u201d, giving Dadaian a chance to showcase his musicality outside of Revenant City\u2019s metal soundscape. Sweeping arpeggios make their appearance in more than one track but are most prominent in \u201cNova Era\u201d, a song that also features a choir-like orchestra and buzzing guitar melodies. This closing track is quite reminiscent of Aaron Marshall\u2019s work in Intervals, giving a sense of triumphant victory to conclude Revenant City\u2019s narrative (looks like Herial made it, after all). And, lest I forget, I can\u2019t talk about orchestral inspiration without mentioning Dream Theater. Their very own Jordan Rudess features in \u201cGarden of Stars\u201d with driving synths that are a staple in Dream Theater\u2019s music. The back and forth between Rudess\u2019 keys and Dadaian\u2019s shredding solo proves itself to be quite catchy and climactic. With the additional sound effects of the synth, the track has much more depth to work with and shines brighter than those it sits between.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Had enough classical music influence? Let\u2019s change gears a bit: \u201cNothing Left\u201d\u2014also known as the baby of early 2000\u2019s Killswitch Engage and Periphery\u2014is the only track to feature the vocals of Matteo Gelsomino, adding a bleak tone to the album\u2019s narrative. The track starts off strong with rhythms reminiscent of Periphery\u2019s downbeat heavy grooves and layered guitars. Matteo\u2019s vocals, which draw inspiration from Howard Jones (KsE), adds a nostalgic metalcore element to the otherwise melodic-heavy album. The break in style is definitely a sight for sore eyes (tune for sore ears\u2026?) as the alternating electric-versus-acoustic style begins to get repetitive by this point of the album.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For as many interesting moments as there are in Revenant City, others leave the listener unsatisfied. In some sections the grooves fail to catch the ear, and those same moments drag on a tad too long (\u201cThe Story of Life\u201d, \u201cBloodfire\u201d). My main gripe with Revenant City lies not in its musicality, but its overall sense of connectedness. While Dadaian\u2019s solos on both the electric and acoustic guitars showcase his skill, they often felt disconnected from each other. Opening track, \u201cMalefic Visions\u201d, begins with a beautiful guitar melody that gets choked by a wall of sound, and having to listen to the ever so calm \u201cTower of Waves\u201d right after the prolific dive bomb of \u201cRevenant City\u201d has a deflating effect on the energy of the album. The sections are never lacking technicality, but weaving them together with catchier transitions would boost the album\u2019s tone. The highs and lows of a narrative are what make them great; the knight slays the dragon after facing adversity and gets the princess, for example. But one must remember that the small details matter just as much; the knight has to eat and sleep, too. The moments that hold great climaxes together are equally as important as the climaxes themselves, and these are the moments that Revenant City is lacking the most.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Revenant City does deliver sonically, and it gets points for its emphasis on narrative building within an instrumental album. The combination of grandiose melody, chronological song titles, and purposeful album art solidifies the story of Revenant City, and Dadaian\u2019s goal is for the listener to come out of the album having experienced a new journey. While Revenant City may not have you floating off your feet, it will certainly fill your ears with feelings of good comfort and heroism.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Recommended tracks: Revenant City, Tower of Waves, Nothing Left, Garden of Stars
You may also like: Alien Orchestra, Mendel, Zachary Morin, Felix Martin
Final verdict: 6\/10<\/p>\n

Related links: Bandcamp<\/a> | Facebook<\/a> | Instagram<\/a><\/p>\n

Label: Independent <\/p>\n

Steve Dadaian\u2019s Revenant City is:
\u2013 Steve Dadaian \u2013 Guitar
\u2013 Redvard Dolanski \u2013 Bass
\u2013 Marco Minnemann \u2013 Drums
\u2013 Steve Dadaian \u2013 Producer & Story
With guests:
\u2013 Matteo Gelsomino \u2013 Vocals (Track 6)
\u2013 Jordan Rudess \u2013 Keys (Track 9)<\/p>\n

\n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n