Gatecreeper - Sonoran Depravation

By Craig Hayes. Now that Bolt Thrower has been officially laid to rest, I guess it’s only a matter of time before every death metal whippersnapper wielding a few warmongering riffs is going to be hailed as the inheritor of Bolt Thrower’s crown.

By Craig Hayes.

Artwork by Adam Burke

Now that Bolt Thrower has been officially laid to rest, I guess it’s only a matter of time before every death metal whippersnapper wielding a few warmongering riffs is going to be hailed as the inheritor of Bolt Thrower’s crown. Truth is, no one is ever going to come close to occupying Bolt Thrower’s position in the pantheon of death metal. Nor are they going to better the buzzsaw blitzkrieg of Nihilist, Dismember, Grave, or early-Entombed and Obituary. Those bands laid unshakeable musical foundations. But that doesn’t mean a young band can’t plant their flag in the soil, raise the axes, and strive to cleave and disembowel like Bolt Thrower at their best.

That’s pretty much what Arizonian death metallers Gatecreeper have done on their storming debut, Sonoran Depravation. Gatecreeper’s first full-length contains nine tracks of bruising, low-end death metal that’s delivered with a thick old school accent –– so that’s check, check and check in the influenced by Bolt Thrower box. Gatecreeper also gouge giant doom-drenched grooves on Sonoran Depravation, and that ensures the album is catchy as hell (check and check, again). There’s also a heap of ye olde HM-2 fireworks to enjoy on trampling tracks like “Craving Flesh”, “Sterilizing” and “Patriarchal Grip”. And with Sonoran Depravation being produced by Ryan Bram, and mixed by famed studio wizard Kurt Ballou, neck-breaking songs like “Rotting As One”, “Flamethrower”, and album closer, “Grotesque Operations”, hit like a tonne of fucking bricks.

All of those elements above are reasons why Gatecreeper’s first full-length is a roaring success. But none of them are the prime reason why it utterly smokes the underground competition. What really makes Sonoran Depravation such a sterling debut is its clear crossover appeal. In fact, if you’re looking for the chief connection to a band like Bolt Thrower (or plenty of other death metal progenitors, for that matter) then you only need note that Gatecreeper’s sound features a mountain of sledgehammering crust.

Now, admittedly, I am totally biased in deciding that Gatecreeper's punked-up punch is their best attribute. I just happen to love filthy death metal that’s indebted to vintage crust and hardcore (see Bolt Thrower’s smashing debut, In Battle There Is No Law!). There's a reason why Bolt Thrower are the death metal band that punks respect most. It’s because they cut the bullshit, and got straight to the pummelling and punishing point, and Gatecreeper do exactly the same.

Gatecreeper sets the dial on 11 throughout Sonoran Depravation, and rages from the very first second to the very last, and it’s all jam-packed with a frenzied sound and attitude that’s seen Gatecreeper understandably find fans in both the metal and punk camps. No question, Bolt Thrower’s crown will always remain untouchable. But there’s also no question that when a band like Gatecreeper brings heavy duty weaponry like Sonoran Depravation into battle, they can stand proudly alongside the toughest and most iconic warriors on the shield wall.

Gatecreeper - Gatecreeper

Written by Matt Hinch.

Artwork by JGA.

Far from the bitter cold of Sweden lies Gatecreeper. This Arizona group must yearn for the land of cheap furniture and meatballs as they take a large chunk of their influences from the Swedish death metal scene for this self-titled EP. And this is good.

Running down their list of influences all the checks are made. Guitar sound of a buzzsaw set to Dismember. Check. Deathly, mean and gnarly vocals Unleashed upon their victims. Check. Unrepentant Carnage leaving a mass of bodies Entombed forever. Check. I can hear some Trap Them as well but much of that is tonal. As where Trap Them predominantly goes full throttle, Gatecreeper drags the pain out over mid-paced riffs and creeping sludge pacing.

Gatecreeper pulses with menace and a ground-and-pound approach. The listener finds they're being pulverized by a darkness and sneering hatred. It's a formula and sound done many times before but that's no complaint when done well and with conviction.

Muscular riffs stick like fly paper as you're driven to bang your head with a consistent cadence not likely to send it rolling across the floor but enough to make it ache the next day. Somewhere in that slick sweat and spit you'll find subtle little licks, a bit of gallop and even some guitarmonies.

Gatecreeper is a beefy EP. Thick on tone and flavoured just right for fans of skull-bashing Swe-death. The band is just getting started and Gatecreeper has laid a pretty good foundation for them to build on.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]