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Ali Welford enjoys a masterful display of atmospherics and dynamic prowess; where furious gallops feel earned as opposed to obligatory. It’s Deafheaven
Image by Idene Roozbayani
Those noisy detractors who’ve dogged Deafheaven throughout their career have been awfully quiet of late. That’s because, over a decade on from their seminal if divisive opus Sunbather, the San Francisco, CA fivepiece may just have gone one better. Not only is sixth album Lonely People With Power arguably their strongest record to date; it’s also set a new bar for the ‘blackgaze’ fusion for which they remain poster boys.
Epitomising that crossover appeal, the group’s biggest Newcastle show to date features supports reflecting the scenes they coalesce. Filling the shoegaze brief are Zeruel, a trio from Baltimore, MD enjoying their maiden excursion overseas. Deep, cavernous atmospherics perhaps make a greater impression than their songwriting, but that’s not necessarily a drawback when you sound this massive, nor when sparingly deployed weapons like your vocalist’s screams can so effectively scythe through the monolithic murk. Austin, TX’s Portrayal of Guilt, meanwhile, are a black metal sledgehammer for the heavy purists, marrying pummelling blast-beats and blistering riffage with the crusty gnarl of noise rock. Their quickfire assault passes in a flash – ugly, bruising, and frequently thrilling.
Despite their longer set time, Deafheaven arrive with a similar haste. Their opening salvo, Doberman, is nothing short of monumental; a formidable flex and distillation of their arsenal, from a band unafraid to lay all their cards on the table from the get go. Those standards scarcely slip across the next 90 minutes, in a set which – with the notable exceptions of classics Sunbather and Dream House, plus New Bermuda favourite Brough to the Water – is overwhelmingly weighted towards material from Lonely People With Power.
It’s a masterful display of atmospherics and dynamic prowess; where furious gallops feel earned as opposed to obligatory, tonal contrasts stretch far beyond quiet/loud cliches, and George Clarke’s shrill hiss adds an authoritative, imposing focal point. It’s not through extremity nor compromise that they’ve reached the top of their field – rather their ability to stir those elements into moments of overwhelming, transcendent and even emotional power. With Ameythst, they reach another plain entirely, building a crescendo of such surging intensity that it’s almost a relief when the song’s initial resonating chimes return to stymie the Onslaught. It’s the sound of a band refusing to rest on their laurels, for whom a footnote in the annuls of metal history is patently insufficient. If the record itself wasn’t enough, tonight is an emphatic show of strength from a band at the peak of their powers. When even those naysayers are retreating underground, a place among the greats surely awaits.
