GATECREEPER - Dark Superstition
May 17, 2024, 6 months ago
(Nuclear Blast)
Gatecreeper are one of the more buzzed-about bands in the current wave of death metal, and here on their third full-length, the Arizona-based five-piece have hopped from Relapse to Nuclear Blast.
Opener “Dead Star” shows that the label switch kinda makes sense, the melodic DM riffing and vibe only politely butting heads with the chainsaw guitar sound and hardcore vibe this band has always carried with them. But I could see this fitting in just fine on a Death Is Just The Beginning compilation, ditto for the stomping “Oblivion” and the massive “The Black Curtain”, which shows this band reaching for the stars with a big, anthemic sound. What I wouldn't give to hear this with a more raw, ugly production (although the production here is refreshingly natural sounding), and some stress showing, some tension, a bit of excitement, because these are great songs, I just want them to get my blood racing a bit more than they are.
Still, through mid-paced war anthems like “Masterpiece Of Chaos”, emotion-drenched At The Gates-meets-Asphyx crusher “Caught In The Treads”, and arena DM like “Superstitious Vision”, it's clear Gatecreeper have their sound nailed down pretty hard here, and Dark Superstition is a raging DM death march.
