Gatecreeper - Dark Superstition (2024)^{Release ID: 52020}

I have skipped a couple of Gatecreeper releases since I reviewed their Sonarian Depravation release from 2016.  Reading their write up on this latest album they encourage the listener to view Dark Superstition as their Wolverine Blues or Massive Killing Capacity moment, promising that like the artists on these albums, Gatecreeper have become tighter and are "doing their own thing".  If I am honest they sound exactly like I remember them the last time and even after four listens I am still no nearer to finding any dramatic nuances to what I already find to be a very endearing sound to begin with.  Where Dark Superstition does draw influence from Entombed and Dismember is definitely still obvious though as those crunchy riffs keep hacking away at the listener with a relentless intensity, accompanied those spewing and gruff vocals that so perfectly capture the old school (Bolt Thrower-like) roots of the band.

I can see we have this tagged as a melodic death metal record on the old Metal Academy which I have to say is a push for me to agree with.  Dark Superstition is melodic I agree but it is not a true melodic death metal release by any stretch of the imagination.  Although I do sense some opening up of the accessibility of Gatecreeper's music I do not think this sacrifices the old school intensity of the band's signature sound.  We still plod through doomy passages as well and this is never better exemplified than on Mastepiece of Chaos which absolutley lives up to its billing.  Whilst i can sense the logic behind the tag on some tracks, this is not Arch Enemy folks.  Where things do stray a little too close to that territory (Superstitious Vision), the d-beat content thankfully maintains the boundary enough for my ears at least.

So then, where's this "tightness" I mentioned earlier?  If I am honest, this is really only shows on album closer Tears Fall from the Sky which is by far the most mature track on show here.  The paired back approach contains rather than blunts the psychotic levels of attack evident on the record to this point.  There is a restrained element to this track that reminds me of Grave with a looming doom element that would not sound out of place on an Asphyx record.  That having been said, Dark Superstition is a record from a band much improved from their 2016 offering.  Their work ethic is obvious to these ears and although they do not rip up the formula of nearly a decade ago by any means they are now clear heavyweights in their division.  I would argue they still lack much in the way of knockout blows but they sure as shit can jab and work the body well enough.