Friends since childhood, the members Revelation began exploring their vision in May of 1986. Originally comprised of John Brenner (guitar and vocals), Andy Kremer (bass), and Steve Branagan (drums), they released the demo "Face Reality" in January, 1987. Shortly afterward, Andy left the band and John began recording bass guitar temporarily. Revelation's doom metal sound and style became more defined and the demos "Terminal Destiny" and "Images of Darkness" were released, in the summer and winter, respectively, of 1987.
In February of 1988, Bert Hall Jr., who had played with John in bands since the early 80s, joined as bassist and made the line-up complete. After recording and scrapping a self-financed record, Revelation recorded their fourth demo, "The Illusion of Progress." This new music with Bert saw them adding a progressive, Rush-influenced aspect to their style and gained them label interest.
Revelation appeared on the Doom Metal sampler "Dark Passages" in 1990 with the song "Blessed Realm," which led to a recording deal with Rise Above Records (owned by Lee Dorrian, of Cathedral and Napalm Death). "Salvations Answer," their first full-length recording, was recorded in June of 1990 and released on Rise Above Records in early 1991. Shortly after their first release, and without a recording contract, instead of sitting idle, the band decided to record their fifth demo, "The Unbearable Vision." Bert Hall left Revelation shortly afterward to pursue his personal music vision.
Josh Hart joined the band on bass in late 1991, and soon afterward, Revelation signed a recording contract with Germany's Hellhound Records. The band recorded "Never Comes Silence," which was released in 1992.
Shortly after Never Comes Silence was released, John Brenner decided to leave the group. Faithful friend and fan of the group, Dennis Cornelius, joined as John's replacement. Josh Hart also left the group, but Dennis and Steve vowed to keep REVELATION alive. The two recorded a promotional demo in February of 1994 titled "Mourning Son," which continued interest in the band from their fans and record label.
Jim Hunter joined in the Spring of 1994 as permanent bassist, and the three began preparing for their third full-length recording. "...Yet So Far" was recorded in Nov.-Dec. 1994 and was released by Hellhound Records in early 1995. The album's release was followed by European tours with Saint Vitus in March and Solitude Aeturnus in May of 1995. The band followed the tours with local shows and began writing new material. After a brief split with Dennis in March of 1996, the band reunited and recorded a new demo in December of 1996 titled "Frozen Masque." The band played a few shows and festivals in the ensuing 8 years, but because the members lived in different states, keeping the band afloat became all but impossible.
In May of 2007, after appearances as Revelation at Doom or Be Doomed Festival in Baltimore, John Brenner, Steve Branagan, and Bert Hall, Jr. decided to revive Revelation and write new music.
Leaf Hound Records re-released the Never Comes Silence CD in April 2007 and the Salvation's Answer CD in November 2007, and will also release, on vinyl only, an Unreleased LP Revelation recorded in 1988.
In June 2008, Revelation released a new album titled "Release" for Leaf Hound Records in Japan: www.leafhound.com. This was followed by an appearance at the Declaration of Doom festival in Baltimore and a 3-date tour in Japan.Band Members:
CURRENT LINE-UP:
John Brenner - sings and plays guitar
Steve Branagan - plays drums Bert Hall, Jr. - plays bassSalvation's Answer line-up:
John Brenner - guitar and vocals
Bert Hall, Jr. - bass
Steve Branagan - drums
Never Comes Silence line-up:
John Brenner - guitar and vocals
Josh Hart - bass
Steve Branagan - drums
...Yet So Far line-up:
Dennis Cornelius - guitar and vocals
Jim Hunter - bass
Steve Branagan - drums
Discography:
| Face Reality | Demo, 1987 | ||
| Terminal Destiny | Demo, 1987 | ||
| Images of Darkness | Demo, 1987 | ||
| The Illusion of Progress | Demo, 1989 | ||
| Salvation's Answer | Full-length, 1991 | ||
| The Unbearable Vision | Demo, 1991 | ||
| Never Comes Silence | Full-length, 1992 | ||
| Mourning Son | Demo, 1994 | ||
| ...Yet So Far | Full-length, 1995 | ||
| Frozen Masque | Demo, 1996 | ||
| Fourteen Inches of Fury | Split, 1998 | ||
| Frozen Masque | Best of/Compilation, 2003 | ||
| Paleontology | Best of/Compilation, 2007 | ||
| Release | Full-length, 2008 |
