Gatecreeper - ‘Dark Superstitions’ review
Gatecreeper by Joey Madden
Hailing from the sunny streets of Arizona, Gatecreeper are marking their eleventh year together by debuting on Nuclear Blast Records with their show-stopping new album, Dark Superstitions. Intense, morbidly gothic and with underlying themes of the supernatural, Dark Superstitions sees Gatecreeper truly solidify their style as authentic 21st-century Death Metal legends, worthy of all their acclaim and more.
According to vocalist Chase H. Mason, Dark Superstitions is reflective of Gatecreeper “evolving into doing their own thing”, and I couldn’t agree more. There is a distinct singularity to be found in this album, with its haunting artwork and bone-chilling sound, that sets Gatecreeper apart from the throngs of modern-day Death Metal artists; evident in track number one, ‘Dead Star’, Gatecreeper does not shy away from the incorporation of extravagant and multi-faceted melodies among their chugging guitars and endless drum fills. ‘Dead Star’, as well as other tracks on the album, such as ‘Oblivion’, ‘Masterpiece of Chaos’ and ‘Mistaken for Dead’ are so overwhelmingly filled with a level of intensity that even the most hardcore of metal fans will be blown away by them.
For those listeners who prefer gentler—if such a word could even be applied in this situation—tracks, Gatecreeper has you covered, too. Tracks such as ‘The Black Curtain’ and ‘Flesh Habit’ manage to slightly tune down their ground-shattering sound without sacrificing any of the iconic, supernatural intensity that Gatecreeper establishes for themselves earlier in the album. The 1980s UK goth influences are prevalent but do not outshine that classic death metal sound woven throughout the album.
Gatecreeper continues to enforce their theme of morbidity and the supernatural in ‘Masterpiece of Chaos’, which channels metal classics like Black Sabbath and Venom whilst still upholding the unique Gatecreeper sound. Teetering the verge of Death and Black, ‘Masterpiece of Chaos’ is exactly what it says on the tin—an absolute masterpiece constructed through a combination of drums fast enough to break the sound barrier, guitars that mimic the screams of tortured souls, and vocals sick enough to strike fear into the heart of Satan himself. ‘Masterpiece of Chaos’ is evident as one of Gatecreeper’s most impactful tracks to-date.
‘Superstitious Vision’ manages to combine Mason’s intense vocal techniques with more empowering and adventurous tunes from guitarists Eric Wagner and Israel Garza, as well as a bizarrely unique instrumental bridge that sees Gatecreeper pull away from the hard-hitting pace of the rest of their album. Allowing the melody to carry the section over the riveting rhythm established by drummer Metal Matt Arrebollo and bassist Alex Brown, Gatecreeper create a dichotomy between ‘Superstitious Vision’ and the rest of their music in a flawless manner.
You’re immediately thrust back into the action and chaos with the next track, ‘A Chilling Aura’. With a gut-churning intro and little respite from the pace, Gatecreeper are determined to keep you on your toes with this album. They want your heartbeat to multiply tenfold—they want to see you sweat and hear you pant from endless headbanging and an inability to put the album on pause. Dark Superstitions is not the sort of album you can stop and start at random; it would be a crime to try and block the sheer speed at which Gatecreeper assaults your senses, and risking your immersion would be senseless.
They prove this with the final track of the album. ‘Tears Fall From The Sky’ is a haunting, gothic masterpiece of metal. Each note hangs over the listener like dark clouds on a freezing night, and the vocals worm their way beneath the skin, filling each capillary, vein, and artery with ice. It is the perfect track to end the album with and truly feels like the End Times. With ‘Tears Fall From The Sky’ comes the sense of impending doom brought about by superstitious fears of the Apocalypse—when the ground opens up and the fires swallow us whole, Gatecreeper’s awe-inspiring music will play the world out, as life on Earth is consumed once and for all.
Each of the ten tracks on Dark Superstitions offers up a new and unique interpretation of the genre whilst still working to establish Gatecreeper’s unique sound. Mason was entirely right in his assertion that Dark Superstitions is the album for determining Gatecreeper: after eleven years together, touring the world alongside fellow Death Metal legends such as Cannibal Corpse, Municipal Waste and Obituary, Gatecreeper have well and truly proved themselves to be icons of the modern metal scene.
Dark Superstitions from Gatecreeper is out 17 May via Nuclear Blast Records and is available on all good streaming platforms. Gatecreeper are also set to head out on a Southeast Asian tour soon, covering Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand and more, as well as having confirmed a North American support run with In Flames which covers the East Coast, the Midwest and Texas.
