Grimy, Filthy, Brutal Death—Gatecreeper’s Deserted
Gatecreeper erupted onto the scene in 2014 with a rollicking, despicable debut EP, all Death and Brutality, slaying the (then) present with dollops of the past mixed with some forward-thinking metal. They’ve been busy ever since, releasing several singles, some splits and a full-length back in 2016 that ended up on many a year-end best-of-list. So now they unleash their second full-length platter, Deserted, and once again, they will see their efforts rewarded with more praise and claims of “must-have.” But does the record deserve such praise?
In a short word: yes. This one heaves and throttles, it rampages and leans back, it delivers on nearly all fronts. You want some old-school Florida? You got it. You want some Swedish gallop and filth? Oh, yes most assuredly you’ll get that, too. This album is pretty much just pure Death Metal, no filters, no fancy dressings. They come out and pummel, sometimes using a hammer to smash your face, other times using an entombed knife to dismember your corpse. It all comes together here, forging a communion of styles into a newer, cohesive whole. And yet this is never tribute, or copy, because it has Gatecreeper’s blue-collar personality stamped all over it. This is an album that rumbles and bludgeons while at the same time carving you up with swift, sprinkled melodicism.
Is this the Death Metal album of 2019? Might very well be. They have some stiff competition this year, with a ton of other quality releases just waiting to be discovered (go check out the new Coffins!). It’s almost as if the best of the Death bands all convened and decided they would put out amazing albums this year, a way to say goodbye to a tortured and depressed decade. Is this a glimpse of the metal that is to come? I certainly hope so, because this is tremendous fun. Go get yourself a copy.
Four Buckets of Blood out of Four
Kelly is the author of dozens of stories and dozens of reviews, he likes to write, he likes to read, he likes going to the movies, and he loves to laugh. He hails from the wilds of Kentucky and if you'd like to see more of his work, check out his website: www.kellymhudson.com
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