#gatecreeper — Public Fediverse posts

Sometimes you need an album that slaps. An album to lower the type of smackdown to make The Rock jealous, an album that brings out the joyful superlatives and meme-tier descriptors. Swedish death is the lynchpin of this idea, the undying zombie of subgenres, the style that spits in the face of innovation and artistic wankery in the name of digging further and further into still untapped and worm-riddled pockets of the grave soil. Somehow this sound was exhausted in scope years after its inception, yet it simply refuses to crawl into its own coffin as every new moon more bands pick up the Dismember’ed remains of the founding fathers to prove that it was this, specifically, Jack Black was referencing when he said: “You can’t kill the metal.” Gravecrawler (who, appropriately, are actually from Sweden) are the next to offer up their skulls for the skull throne with their debut album Nidus, and my friends, if you love to worship at the altar of the hm-2, grab your hymnals, because this right here is a rabid, bloodthirsty beast.

As is well documented through the genre’s history, good Swedeath lives on two elements: its production and its riffs. Nidus has both in spades, with a mix that is fat, burly, and deranged, flinging weepy leads and rotting remnants of entrails in equal measure. There are only so many ways in the English language to say “you know what to expect”, and short of my writing something like “무엇을 예상해야 할지 아실 겁니다.”, it’s hard not to sound plagiaristic of every other review ever. Guitars buzz away with the roaring hm-2 tones, atmosphere oozes through the riffcraft, and the superiority of the CHUG-G-G-G-G reasserts itself in all its resplendent aggression. Though starting out with an emphasis on the violent part, moods and melodies take shape as Nidus unfurls. “Primordial Sludge” has a main refrain lashed forward at a marching pace, pushed by Sebastian Olsson’s ever-shifting drumming, drenched in reverb and power. On the opposite side of the coin, “Manifest Entropy” drips a haunting atmosphere, using the best elements of modern Decapitated to run from stuttery chord progressions to leads that reek of melancholy and disdain.

What sets Gravecrawler apart from the glut of Swedeath is their grasp of the spirit of the formula: meaner, bigger, and better. Key lynchpin Billy Lundevall is one of the major ingredients, with his vocals equally diseased, wet, and powerful. Striking a key balance between the gurgles of Pharmacist and Cattle Decapitation’s Travis Ryan, his voice is no cookie-cutter death growl, elevating the music to new heights of disgust and energy. Look no further than “Primordial Sludge” to hear him oscillate between his two greatest extremes, flinging vocal narrations which shift between screeching crackhead goblin energy and vomit-spewing belches. Compositionally, guitarist and bassist Jesper and Roni pull from multiple influences, flirting with whiffs of Dark Tranquility melody (“Bogs of Torvus”), straightforward Vader curb-stomping thuggery (“Contagion”), and even foul slam experiments in “Carrion Soil.” Nidus is a refreshing album where every track comes with a highlight of riff or air-guitar moment, all the way down to the requisite grand finale of the concluding track “Nothingness Awaits.” In fact, this is the only real complaint I can muster; the final two tracks put so much stock into their well-composed atmospheres that they somewhat undo the memory of all the arterial blood spray that came before, though they’re both quality songs unto themselves.

And the sound? Saints alive, the sound. Gravecrawler got it right on their first try, with the entirety of Nidus being open and spacious, even on my streamed listen. The bass is a constant presence, mixed and produced with the care and affection of Cryptopsy, with enough tonal presence to make William Murderface weep with jealousy. Drums echo and thunk with extreme prejudice, and the guitars don’t put so much emphasis on the traditional tones that they come across as isolated and thin (looking at you, Frozen Soul), instead sounding dummy thiccc and full throughout the album. This mastery of care for the overall package renders Nidus at once an exemplary example of the genre without doing much to try to get outside of its constraints, with fantastic results.

In the year of our Lord 2026, it might seem absurd to insist that “just another Swedeath album” is glorious, but it is, I am, and I’m not apologizing. Gravecrawler has offered up a debut which has captivated and engaged me, while constantly sending me away with broken teeth and covered in beer and bodily fluids. A keen ear for production and songwriting, beguiled by their youth, has announced these Swedes as a force to be reckoned with, and with some fine-tuning, they will be ready to catapult themselves alongside the Gatecreeper’s and LIK’s. Check this out.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: n/a | Format Reviewed: Stream
Label: Independent Release
Website: Album Bandcamp
Releases worldwide: August 7th, 2026

An age-old challenge for critical houses like ours is that, while they simultaneously represent a cohesive vision, each editor should have their own unique voice. As time passes, writers come to AMG and go like so much beef through a meat grinder. All this faffing about to say, we have vastly different opinions, and as senior writers drop bands, new blood comes in to offer a fresh perspective. To this end, our Dear Hollow did not have a glowing opinion of Fuming Mouth’s previous album, Last Day of Sun. For me, it was one of my favorite albums that year and a record I spin frequently to this day. It was a conceptual cavalcade of crushing riffage, emotional asides, and Radiohead-esque interludes all wrapped in the blanket of melancholy that is surviving cancer. Mark Whelan’s epic battle with the dreaded disease inspired their best work, and represented a band at their most powerful, driven, and potent. With their latest, The Ringing Bell, does this inspiration give their latest life? Or are we calling the pallbearers?

If Last Day of Sun was the atmospheric slow-burner, The Ringing Bell is the bludgeoning, neanderthal club. Fuming Mouth’s patented brand of death-infused hardcore in the vein of bands like Gatecreeper, Creeping Death, and Venom Prison is alive and well on their latest record. A more direct analogue to their initial release, The Grand Descent, their latest is efficient, brutal as hell, and full of a downright stupid amount of knuckledraggery. Mark Whelan remains the star of the show with his absurd number of chunky grooves and cragged riffs that fill the record, as well as his Nails-inspired vocals with their trademark frothiness and fuzz. His cleans (while only appearing on a single track this time) remain ethereal, forlorn, and spacious, making the title track an absolute highlight; melding a potent concoction of hardcore death with atmospheric cleans. Jay Weinberg (yes, previously of Slipknot fame) is the newest member, and his style and taste seem much more suited to an act as natural-sounding and raw as Fuming Mouth. His rhythmic drumming, rollicking fills, and snare abuse are more at home within hardcore than the chaotic nu-metal of Slipknot.

For those who felt Last Day of Sun was a letdown, The Ringing Bell will surely please you. There is no shortage of bulldozing riffs, explosive vocals, and blistering drumming. Tracks like “Self-Exhumed”, “Barbian Scourge”, and “Respect Mortality” are sure to topple crowds and maim concertgoers at Fuming Mouth’s next show. Mark Whelen’s divisive clean singing is all but cut from the record, and the album comes in at a slim thirty-four minutes. For many, it will be the antidote to Last Day of Sun. For me, while still a strong record in its own right, I couldn’t help but feel let down by The Ringing Bell. Gone is much of the creativity, replaced by simplified lyrics that feel downright silly at times and a detrimental dedication to destruction. The album bleeds together, and I felt myself hoping and waiting for songs as creative as “The Silence Beyond Life”, “Leaving Euphoria”, and “Postfigurement”. It was a genuine relief when the title track came on and held hints of what made Last Day of Sun so damn affecting to me even to this day.

The Ringing Bell is solid, well played, full of great moments, and genuinely heartfelt in its execution. The production is spot-on with the perfect amount of raw grit and depth, letting the hardcore hit and the death disturb. Kurt Ballou’s mixing is on point as always. Despite these positives, I found the record disappointingly shallow compared to their last album. Song after song follows the same themes of fighting back and positivity in the face of adversity to the point of silliness. I appreciate the message, and it is especially rare in the genre, but it feels childish juxtaposed with the lyricism and emotion of Last Day of Sun.

The Ringing Bell is a tale of two tastes. Those who loved their previous record may find it lacking, especially compared to contemporaries like Gatecreeper’s Dark Superstition or Tribal Gaze’s Inveighing Brilliance. But if you hated Last Day of Sun, The Ringing Bell is here to resurrect your love of Fuming Mouth. Either way, it is a solid record, but whether or not it is truly great depends on your taste for all-out destruction versus the more thoughtful musings of their previous work.

Rating: Good
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Triple B Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Official Site
Releases Worldwide: July 17th, 2026

Jos vetäis alkulämmöt tällä.

#gatecreeper #tuska2026

Ba’al – The Fine Line between Heaven and Here Review

By Angry Metal Guy

By: Nameless_n00b_605

Post-anything is a tough genre to pin down. Does the music eschew genre trappings, rightfully identifying as post in the way it challenges previous norms? Or does it draw from the well that identifies as post, infusing itself with spacey tremolo riffs, heavy atmosphere, and lengthy, non-traditional tracks? If the Sheffield UK post-metallers Ba’al have anything to say, it is the latter. Ba’al showcases some real talent and variety with epic song structures and quality attempts at sampling numerous genres throughout this LP. But, with The Fine Line between Heaven and Here, I ask myself after each track, if variety is the spice of life, why does this album end up sounding so predictable?

Ba’al as a unit is impressive. Nick Gosling’s guitar work is superb, deftly switching genres on the fly, and there is skill to Ba’al’s ability to be a chameleon. Joe Stamp’s vocals are equally agile, as he seamlessly transitions from throat-searing black metal screeches to raspy death metal howls, all while infusing the more emotive elements of the album with heart. Each of these is served well by The Fine Line between Heaven and Here’s production, allowing the post-rock interludes to breathe while the massive riffs hit hard. My only real qualm is that the lovely bass that is present on their previous LP Ellipsism, is hiding away beside standout moments such as on “The Ocean That Fills a Wound.” While all the individual elements are strong and make for a cohesive track filled with variety, the band continuously returns to that same well across the album. Tracks begin to blend into one, amorphous serving of genre-blended pea soup. The first track feels the same as the last from an emotional perspective, leaving the album feeling one-note despite the variety on display.

Ba’al consistently combines black metal, post-rock, and death metal infused with hardcore (think Fuming Mouth, Gatecreeper, and Creeping Death, etc.), and even some indie rock musings across their second LP. The previously mentioned opening track, “Mother’s Concrete Womb,” encapsulates what Ba’al is doing and sets expectations for the rest of the album. Emotional piano and post-rock musings lead into more typical black metal sections that bring to mind blackgaze stalwarts Deafheaven. Ba’al surprises and delights with the sudden introduction of the aforementioned hardcore death elements. These moments are a highlight, and massive, chunky riffs make frequent appearances across the album.

The track “Well of Sorrows” is a perfect microcosm of how The Fine Line between Heaven and Here misses the mark. Eleven minutes long and sandwiched with interstitial post-rock that feels part Russian Circles and part God Is an Astronaut. No particular element hits as hard as its genre inspirations. The black metal sections are competent, the death metal riffs are groovy but lack memorable hooks, and to tie a neat bow on all of this, Ba’al consistently resorts to emotional clean singing and borderline spoken-word segments that made me think more of The National’s Alligator and Boxer era. The clean moments are effective in tracks like “Mother’s Concrete Womb,” “Wax Gorgon,” and “The Ocean That Fills a Wound,” but they can be grating and… very British (Joe Stamp’s accent comes through heavily here), for lack of a better word. This part of the album will be divisive, I imagine, and your mileage may vary.1

Ba’al is not without talent or promise; The Fine Line between Heaven and Here is a hair’s breadth away from greatness, a fact that only highlights where it falters. The Tracks “Legasov,” and “Waxwork Gorgon” are examples of tighter song structures that get right into the good stuff with memorable opening riffs and a lot of the fat trimmed from the post-rock and black metal elements. The album could cut at least fifteen minutes to give it more impact. Even the cleans should stay, but I would love to see them lean more into melody and less into spoken word or downright wailing like on “Well of Sorrows.” The intro of “The Ocean That Fills a Wound” starts in the right place with lulling, rhythmic vocals leading into a brutal explosion of blasting black metal.

The variety and talent end up being a double-edged sword for Ba’al, as what starts as impressive quickly grows predictable. If you like what Ba’al is serving up, you will have a nearly 63-minute slab of post-black metal to nourish you, but if the initial track isn’t for you, don’t expect the rest of the album to change your mind. Despite my negativity, it is from a place of love. Ba’al is an undoubtedly talented band on the cusp of true greatness. If they can edit their songs a little and lean into their best qualities, the next album may be a genre great.2

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Road to Masochist
Websites: baalbanduk.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/baalbanduk | instagram.com/baalbanduk
Releases Worldwide: July 18th, 2025

#2025 #30 #BaAl #BlackMetal #BritishMetal #CreepingDeath #Deafheaven #FumingMouth #Gatecreeper #GodIsAnAstronaut #Hardcore #Jul25 #Metalcore #PostMetal #Review #Reviews #RoadToMasochist #RussianCircles #TheFineLineBetweenHeavenAndHere #TheNational

metalhead fam and beyond, do you know about the #thrash band Dead Heat? Just came across their EP Endless Torment and it is banging :blobrainbow:

FFO: #PowerTrip #Enforced #Gatecreeper

https://deadheatca.bandcamp.com/album/endless-torment

Arch Enemy announce three dates “down south” as part of HUGE Euro-tour

Swedish metal legends Arch Enemy confirm they're set to ignite stages across Europe on their new “Blood Dynasty” headline tour in autumn/winter 2025.

Joining them on their unrelenting metal crusade are the mighty Amorphis and Eluv

https://www.moshville.co.uk/news/tours/2024/11/arch-enemy-announce-three-dates-down-south-as-part-of-huge-euro-tour/

#ToursLiveDates #Amorphis #ArchEnemy #Eluveitie #Gatecreeper

Heard on stage yesterday "Tomorrow you're going to have to go to church, and confess to the priest that you spent Saturday banging with the creeper"! #metal #deathmetal #damnation #gatecreeper

I haven't posted my current #AOTY2024 list in a while now, and there has been some activity.

I really liked #ClovenHoof and #Gatecreeper, also the new #Eels album gets better with each spin.

What's currently in your top 10?

#TomsMusic #TomsAOTY2024

#DeathMetal and I, we have an "it is complicated" relationship.

There's a 95% chance that I like the riffs.
But there's only a 50% chance that I like the vocal style (looking at you Bolt Thrower).

Now the new Gatecreeper, that is something I can enjoy in full 🤘

🎵 Oblivion by #Gatecreeper
https://song.link/y/WBTzomvlNyg

#TomsMusic #NowPlaying

I'm really enjoying the new #Gatecreeper album, "Dark Superstition". Decent. #DarkSuperstition #metal #MeloDeath #DeathMetal #HeavyMetal #RockMusic #Rock #HornsUp 👿🤘

New Gatecreeper album is out. I'm halfway through track 2 and it's really good (if you like this sort of thing. which I do). https://open.spotify.com/album/7BhpoTy951vKzT7xeQJg9e?si=nL6s6yINTEe0NvdQHk6lAQ #gatecreeper #deathmetal #metal

#TheMetalDogArticleList
#MetalSucks
Sh*t That Comes Out Today – May 17, 2024
Featuring new releases from Botanist, Kerry King, and Pallbearer. The post Sh*t That Comes Out Today –

https://www.metalsucks.net/2024/05/17/sht-that-comes-out-today-may-17-2024/

#CognitiveAbhorrence #Gatecreeper #DarkSuperstition #KerryKing #FromHellIRise #Pallbearer #MindBurnsAlive #Ufomammut #Hidden #AltarOfGore #UnderTheCrookedClaw #Botanist #Aristolochia #Combichrist #CMBCRST #CoreyTaylor #Extortionist #Jinjer #LiveInLosAngeles #MartyFriedman #Slash

#TheMetalDogArticleList
#MetalInjection
The Weekly Injection: New Releases From PALLBEARER, KERRY KING & More Out Today 5/17
Plus releases from Cognitive, Gatecreeper, Intervals, Mary Friedman, Jasta, Jinjer, and The Last of Lucy.

https://metalinjection.net/upcoming-releases/heavy-new-releases/the-weekly-injection-new-releases-from-pallbearer-kerry-king-more-out-today-5-17

#NewReleases #Cognitive #Gatecreeper #Intervals #Jinjer #KerryKing #MartyFriedman #Pallbearer #TheLastOfLucy

A very excellent way to finish the working week and get ready for the weekend, new Gatecreeper!

#Gatecreeper #deathmetal #newReleases #bandcamp

Dark Superstition from Gatecreeper

https://gatecreeper.bandcamp.com/album/dark-superstition

29 New Songs Out Today
https://www.brooklynvegan.com/29-new-songs-out-today-36/

#brooklynvegan_category_music #Music #Backxwash #Been_Stellar #Coliseum #Dj_Snake #emma_anderson #Gatecreeper #Hana_Vu #John_Grant #Kate_Nash #Kenny_Wollesen #LATRALA #Lush #Man_Man #Martha_Skye_Murphy #memorials #New_Songs #New_Tracks #One_Step_Closer #Pearl_Jam #Peso_Pluma #Richard_Thompson #roy_montgomery #Smo #Tendertwin #This_Is_Lorelei #Tom_Skinner #Wild_Yaks

Tour news: Nation of Language / Blonde Redhead, Unwound, Gatecreeper, Pat Benatar, All Your Friends fest, more
https://www.brooklynvegan.com/tour-news-nation-of-language-blonde-redhead-unwound-gatecreeper-pat-benatar-all-your-friends-fest-more/

#brooklynvegan_category_music #Heavy_Metal #Music #tour_dates #All_Your_Friends #Billy_Talent #Blonde_Redhead #Dashboard_Confessional #Fall_Out_Boy #Final_Gasp #FRESH #Gatecreeper #Jarhead_Fertilizer #Jimmy_Eat_World #mya #Nation_of_Language #Ogbert_the_Nerd #Queens_of_R_B #SWV #The_All_American_Rejects #Total #tour_post #Undeath #Unwound #Xscape

Gatecreeper announce new album ‘Dark Superstition,’ share “The Black Curtain”
https://www.brooklynvegan.com/gatecreeper-announce-new-album-dark-superstition-share-the-black-curtain/

#brooklynvegan_category_music #Heavy_Metal #Music #Dismember #Fred_Etsby #Gatecreeper #Kurt_Ballou

Gatecreeper return with new song “Caught in the Treads”
https://www.brooklynvegan.com/gatecreeper-return-with-new-song-caught-in-the-treads/

#brooklynvegan_category_music #Heavy_Metal #Music #tour_dates #Gatecreeper

New #Gatecreeper single! 🤘️ #deathmetal

https://songwhip.com/gatecreeper/caught-in-the-treads

New Gatecreeper single 'Caught in the Treads' does NOT disappoint. The guitar tone is set on like, CHAINSAW and the vocals, the drums-- these guys have grown, even. 🔥 🤘

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wlPEoBmFGE

#metal #DeathMetal #Gatecreeper

#TheMetalDogArticleList
#MetalInjection
GATECREEPER Finishes Recording First New Album Since 2019
Recorded with Kurt Ballou.

https://metalinjection.net/upcoming-releases/in-the-studio/gatecreeper-finishes-recording-first-new-album-since-2019

#Gatecreeper #MetalRelease #NewAlbum #2020 #MetalInjection #RecordingStudio

Heard about the #RegionalRiffs hashtag @Banur started via @HailsandAles's post about it. I'm currently stuck in Arizona, so my pick for here is Gatecreeper. An insanely heavy and great death metal act outta Phoenix - right in my backyard.

This is their album Deserted (get it? From the desert?) Anyway.

https://gatecreeper.bandcamp.com/album/deserted

#metal #DeathMetal #arizona #phoenix #az #PhoenixArizona #PhoenixAZ #Gatecreeper #desert #deserts #Deserted