Gatecreeper

Gatecreeper formed in Arizona as a ferocious traditional death metal outfit whose fusion of doom and death recalls the style of Grave, Obituary, Entombed, and Dismember. After delivering two well-regarded releases on Relapse, the band signed with Nuclear Blast and issued the hard-hitting 2024 album Dark Superstition.

The group originated in 2013 with vocalist Chase Mason, guitarist Eric Wagner, bassist Sean Mears, and drummer Matthew Arrebollo at its core. Before linking with Relapse Records, the quartet self-released a series of EPs and splits. Their first full-length, 2016’s Sonoran Depravation, was produced by Ryan Bram at Homewrecker Studios and mixed by Kurt Ballou (Converge, Nails, Black Breath) at God City Studios. A split LP with Take Over and Destroy followed later that year, and in 2018 they shared another split LP with crossover/thrash unit Iron Reagan. The band’s sophomore album Deserted arrived in 2019. An Unexpected Reality, an adventurous yet relentless 17-minute EP, surfaced in 2021.

Gatecreeper made a sideways transition to Nuclear Blast ahead of their third album. Dark Superstition, released in 2024, introduced melodic touches while preserving the full force of their death metal roots.