Review GATECREEPER “Dark Superstition”

Despite having started their metal endeavors in 2013, Gatecreeper has only released two full-lengths to date. Now, 3.5 years after the release of “Deserted”, the Arizona-based band is back with a bang.
“Dark Superstition” is the title of the death metal powerhouse’s third studio album, which features ten thrilling death metal anthems, and even though the wait has been long, the fans’ patience will be rewarded.

The new effort from Gatecreeper shows a young band at work that is passionate about their music and has created a longplayer that is fueled by the spirit of Scandinavian Death Metal (“Mistaken For Dead”) a la Dismember and Entombed. It is a raw piece of music that offers extreme metal with a very solid rock vibe.

The opening track of this album is called “Dead Star” and it is a very melodic riff that kicks off this heavy tune. Roaring guitars and the harsh vocals of frontman Chase H. Mason harmonize well and are the trademarks for the typical Gatecreeper sound. It’s immediately apparent that the five-piece band has the right tools to blend heavy sounds, hellish growls and a sense for melody into a great fusion.

With songs like “Flesh Habit” and especially “The Black Curtain” the band even adds some gothic vibes to their sound, which is more of an enrichment than a threat to their musical expression. When I first heard the songs, I thought of bands like Paradise Lost.

Mighty and heavy is how the slower paced “Masterpiece of Chaos” creeps into the listener’s mind before the breaks add another dimension to this song that is as hot as hellfire.

I mentioned the rock vibes and “Superstitious Vision” is a song that carries a lot of them.

“Dark Superstition” is an album that shows the richness of a genre that is often reduced to blazing speed and deep growth. The closing track “Tears Fall from the Sky” shows that things can also be approached with a broader mindset. In almost six minutes Gatecreeper demonstrate that versatility and hellish power are no contradiction. What a grande finale.

The first two albums served as a springboard for the band to not only sign to Nuclear Blast Records, but also to solidify their position in contemporary death metal. It’s great to see that young bands still have a chance to establish themselves in a genre that has seen many bands come and go over the last three decades.