Catching Up: 2020 Part 3

Here we are again with another sampling of five releases from 2020.  Let's just dive in.

GATECREEPER: AN UNEXPECTED REALITY

I was kind of disappointed by this one.  All of the elements are there for a great death metal release.  Gatecreeper's style of death metal seems very rooted in Dismember style Swedeath.  If I had to pick a favorite Swedish death metal band, Dismember would be near the top.  And I loved the previous full-length releases from the band.  So, I really don't know what it is that did not quite resonate with me.  It is an EP technically, even though there are eight tracks, only one of them lasts longer than a minute and a half.  Maybe that's the issue, it is much more of a hardcore/death metal release than a real death metal album, though there are some real riffs.  I am not sure what to make of the track "Superspreader" given that this release came out in the midst of COVID either.  I just wanted more from this band that has impressed me so much in the past.  

MR. BUNGLE: THE RAGING WRATH OF THE EASTER BUNNY DEMO

This really is not a NEW full-length.  It's a re-recording of the first Mr. Bungle demo from 1986 with a couple extras thrown in for good measure and a couple tracks moved around.  Most of the original lineup returns with Mike Patton (Faith No More), Trey Spruance and Trevor Dunn, but they are joined by Scott Ian (Anthrax) and human metronome Dave Lombardo (Slayer, Testament, virtually every other band).  Because this is a re-recording of a time before the band started fusing a lot of other elements and going completely bizarre in sound, the release comes across as a much more straight-forward thrash metal assault, albeit with a few surprises and the same sense of humor.  So those looking for the avant-garde sound of their three 90's releases best look elsewhere.  Patton remains one of the most compelling vocalists in metal and turns in a terrific performance on this release but does not exhibit his incredible range.  I think this is a worthwhile listen, and as a general thrash metal fan, I really enjoy it, but I could see die-hard Mr. Bungle fans not caring for it much.

NITE: DARKNESS SILENCE MIRROR FLAME

Nite got a little of buzz going for them in the metal scene for a bit with their 2022 release.  This one seemed to go a little more unnoticed though.  Much of the buzz centered around a description of them as black metal with hair band solos.  That is not entirely accurate really.  The band is made up of members of Dawnbringer, Satan's Wrath and High Spirits and is more of a traditional metal band with black metal influences, most obvious in the vocals.  This is a fun release that unfortunately doesn't really stick with the listener long after listening.  The solos sound great and the songs are impressive, but it just does not really sink in.  It's a good debut and the talent is obviously there for future releases, but it is a work in progress.  I will say the 2022 release is much better.

SKELETHAL: UNVEILING THE THRESHOLD

French death metal band Skelethal does a terrific job of blending old-school Swedish death metal influences with newer influences to craft an outstanding modern death metal classic.  The Dan Seagrave-looking album cover helps too.  This is one of my absolute favorite death metal releases of the year.  Between the Swedeath-inspired buzzsaw guitar riffing, croaking vocals and artillery blast drumming, all of the elements are there for this band to ascend to legendary status among the death metal genre.  This is just the band's second full-length release and they have already made a major impression.  I did pick up their 2024 release and just got it in yesterday.  I am looking forward to more of the same.  I admit I did get this band mixed up with similarly-named, also terrific death metal band Skeletal Remains, but I have gotten past that.

TEMPLE OF VOID: THE WORLD THAT WAS

I get Temple of Void and Venomous Maximus mixed up.  I am going somewhere with this.  I get them mixed up because they both play variations of doom metal and I discovered them around the same time.  I think I bought my first albums by both bands in the same order in fact.  Venomous Maximus has since broken up, but Temple of Void is still going strong.  The issue is that whenever I buy a new Temple of Void album, I think I am getting Venomous Maximus and their takes on doom metal are very different.  VM plays more of a traditional heavy metal style and it is catchy as hell, whereas Temple of Void is a death/doom style.  Don't get me wrong, they are damn good at it and their music sounds decayed and evil while crawling along like an eldritch abomination, it's just never what I am expecting to get.  That's my problem, not theirs.  This is one of my favorite releases from the band, second probably to Lords of Death.

Gatecreeper: Deserted (2019)

Desert-born death metallers Gatecreeper took the death metal world by storm with their debut Sonoran Depravation.  Their crusty, d-beat-brand of Dismember worship was fresh and chaotic, with just enough originality to resist falling into the trap of being a copycat.  And so it was that Gatecreeper's sophomore release was highly anticipated.

I want to start by saying I do enjoy this album quite a bit.  That being said, it is something of a step backwards for the band.  The Dismember influences are still very much intact and some of the songs do a fantastic job of capturing the crushing, chaotic nature of the legendary Swedish band.  Songs like "Barbaric Pleasures", "Puncture Wounds" and the appropriately-named "Ruthless" are guaranteed to break some necks.

Unfortunately, too many of the songs settle into a mid-paced groove, rather than the neck-snapping whirlwind of riffs of the aforementioned songs.  The result is an album that mostly sounds safe.  Death metal is many things, but it absolutely is not supposed to be safe.  It is a perfectly fine album, but it does not push any boundaries and the album suffers compared to the band's debut.

Again, I do enjoy this album, though it is not nearly as impressive as Gatecreeper's debut.  I saw the band live and they do recapture some of the lost energy on these songs live.  A live album would be an interesting release from the band.  Hopefully this is just a sophomore slump and the band will come back all guns blazing on the next one.

Gatecreeper, Exhumed, Necrot and Ungoliant in Omaha: November 21, 2019

A few weeks ago, it looked like I would not be able to attend this concert.  Originally I was scheduled for a shoplifting jury trial on November 22.  While I was not terribly concerned about needing to present much of a defense (there was actually virtually no evidence tying my client to the crime), I still did not much feel like getting home between 1:00 and 2:00 a.m. before doing a jury trial.  But luckily the prosecutor eventually realized he had nothing and dismissed the case.  So, I got to spend the evening at the Lookout Lounge watching a bunch of death metal bands.

UNGOLIANT

Ungoliant is a black metal band from Omaha that I have seen once before.  I enjoyed them then and this time, I think they were even better.  The band had a new bassist, who appears to be very young.  The songs were all tight and powerful.  The band has been one of the better local bands I have seen in the last several years.  Unfortunately, they have very few releases (three demos) and none of them are very easy to find.  I have my eyes open.  A new release would be nice though.

NECROT

I have seen Necrot before as well.  They were one of the opening bands when I saw Suffocation and The Black Dahlia Murder.  I thoroughly enjoy everything I have heard from Necrot and the concert was no different.  They are an explosive band live, with a lot of energy and some dark and heavy riffwork.  Necrot's sound is more of an occult death metal band and their album from 2017 was in my top five albums of the year.  I am still waiting on a follow-up.

EXHUMED

I have never really been the biggest Exhumed fan.  Possibly because they do not really stand out from a bunch of other grindy gore-obsessed death metal bands.  A lot of their primary characteristics also describe groups like Aborted, Impaled and others.  I have a couple of their albums, but I always mix them up with Impaled in particular.  But, holy shit I will remember them now.  They were massively impressive live.  Their three vocalists play off each other quite well, with each one having a distinct style.  The band was also the most visually impressive of the night, using two television screens showing trailers of old school horror movie classics and also having a man dressed in bloody scrubs take the stage several times to spray fake blood, and generally pump up the crowd.  They played the most songs of the night and were probably the highlight of the show due to their energy and some terrific songs.  I will be paying more attention now.

GATECREEPER

After Exhumed's flurry of activity, Gatecreeper was a bit of a letdown.  Not to say they were bad, completely the opposite, they just could not keep up the energy level after Exhumed practically destroyed the place.  Gatecreeper's new album is one of the better albums of the year and they played a number of the best songs from the album.  They were impressive in their own way and the songs "Desperation" and "Flamethrower" in particular are ones which are absolutely crushing live.  Gatecreeper has been making some major noise in the metal underground and they absolutely deserve it, but based on the relative stage shows, I just feel like the wrong band played last.  

Gatecreeper: Sonoran Depravation (2016)

This is technically the second time I have acquired this album.  I bought it a couple of years ago but apparently lost it during the course of moving into my new office (a lot of CDs found their way into my office and just stayed there).  I enjoyed it quite a bit, so I wanted another copy.  And since I never covered it on the blog, it works out to get it in here.

Gatecreeper is pure Swedish death worship.  In particular, Gatecreeper worships at the altar of the great Dismember, taking some of their d-beat riff-o-rama and expanding upon it.  Gatecreeper is primarily interested in the more melodic-leaning middle-era Dismember stuff.  Though Dismember was never exactly melodic, they just incorporated a bit more in some of their material.  Massive Killing Capacity is probably the album I would point to as the primary reference point.  Throw in a little Bolt Thrower and that is a pretty good idea of what Gatecreeper sounds like here.

There is nothing terribly original here.  Gatecreeper is another in a long line of bands trying for that old-school Swedish death metal sound.  Obviously I referenced Dismember.  The songs are loud and heavy, with very little breathing room.  But Gatecreeper generally does a better job of playing Swedish death.  Just look at "Desperation" for an example.  It is fast, intense, and has a terrific riff at the center.

There are a lot of bands trying hard to sound like the old Swedish death scene when Nihilist, Dismember, Grave and others were starting out.  Not many pull it off as convincingly as Gatecreeper.  There is a reason I have now bought this album multiple times.