Newsflash, Death Metal is cool again guys! Bands like 200 Stab Wounds, Frozen Soul, Fuming Mouth and Celestial Sanctuary appear to be paving some sort of new way. Towing a line between the modern and extremely popular Hardcore scene and OSDM. Is that a good thing? I mean it aims to bring together scenes and it perhaps opens eyes on both sides but sometimes that clash can be irritating. Taking the politics out of it all though some of these new Death Metal acts prove excellent (I can do without the Hardcore), I particularly like Frozen Soul and the band we’re speaking about today Gatecreeper who offer us their latest album Dark Superstition through Nuclear Blast.
Opening up with almost At The Gates levels of Melodic Death comes Dead Star. Despite the other surrounding brutality and abrasive vocals Gatecreeper show us a more delicate edge. It’s by no means a bad thing, in fact it adds a realm of memorability and strong riffs. The kind you may even find in The Black Dahlia Murder. Keeping up some of this melody is Oblivion which really gives off some mega At The Gates energy, not really something I would generally associate with Gatecreeper but it seems to be a good fit for them. I’m not saying this isn’t something that has been toyed with before but it seems more apparent here. The Black Curtain continues in this manner, dare I say even showing a Doom-like tone at points. The song comes across with a strange depressive air, honestly I’m pretty down with it. Seeing a more destructive side we get Masterpiece Of Chaos, swapping out some of the melody for more of Gatecreeper’s signature barbarity. It sits well amid the rest of the record and proves that whilst the band seem keen to experiment they haven’t forgotten their roots. Marking the middle of the album and bringing us back to At The Gates is Superstitious Vision. Another catchy riff heavy affair that packs a punch, but may prove a touch too bright for those seeking the grit of earlier Gatecreeper.
So it’s very clear now that the melodic element takes precedence, A Chilling Aura giving us more of the same, but by no means in a bad way. However, does this level of devotion open up the concept of why bother listening to Gatecreeper when you’ve got At The Gates? I guess it shows a newer audience the sounds of the past but I do feel a bit like once you’ve discovered the old classics this may seem less appealing. That said Caught In The Treads might just be the best song Gatecreeper have written. On a personal note I remember the band belting out this anthemic crusher at Bloodstock and it remains one of my musical highlights of the festival from last year. It’s got a bit more power to it than some others on the album and is full of aggressive sing along magic. Giving the bass room to shine some more is Flesh Habit, there’s a certain groove here which I can’t quite decide whether I like or not. You could even describe this song as one of the more commercial on the album, but it’s still pretty decent nonetheless. Mistaken For Dead gives way to something more savage and I’ve got a lot of time for that, sometimes the break you need is something that goes even harder. Finally, we come to Tears Fall From The Sky, which teases us with more Doom style riffs and melancholy, big fan of this direction. Especially when combined with those Melodeath elements. All this said though I think the band might be one clean vocal addition away from swerving too far off the path, they haven’t done it yet but I could see it in their future.
Harking back to my theory that a lot of these new bands just copy old bands I think it’s safe to say that there is a lot of worship going on here. However, worship can be a great thing, I think it just depends on whether you can be bothered to give a new band a chance really. That said, I am slightly in the camp of sticking with the classics. Gatecreeper prove themselves to be an evolving force and one that piques my interest for sure. I wouldn’t want to see the band stray too far from their classic Death Metal sound though. I guess the ultimate line to sum this album up is different but good.
(8/10 George Caley)
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