Deafheaven/Touche Amore/Gatecreeper
by Cerrato9 on 12/17/23Summit - DenverRating: 5 out of 5Show was incredible. Doors at 7, usually have to wait the obligatory hour until start, but Gatecreeper came on at 7:30. Their brand of blackened hardcore had the venue in motion, with frontman Chase Mason's guttural barks igniting the pits. The songs were succinct, precise, and heavy as Kong's Balls. They even graced the crowd with a new song off their upcoming album. Their set had me wondering what could possibly top their performance. Touche Amore arrived shortly after and did their best to prove me wrong. Frontman Jeremy Bolm is a professional ring leader, enticing the crowd with anthemic sing alongs, song after song. It pains me to say this was the first time I've seen them, and they made me an instant fan. The highlight of the show was "Reminders"and Bolm's comment about the "dude with the At the Gates shirt"crowd surfing to their most poppy song. Great stuff. Deafheaven needs no introduction. This being the tenth anniversary of Sunbather, I was hoping (expecting) them to play that classic front to back, and that's exactly what they did. This is the 3rd time seeing them, and they get better each time. How George Clarke gets to that point in his vocal delivery, that consistently, is awe-inspiring. The mix of blackened metal and shoegaze is an incredible live experience, one that any fan of heavy music should check out.
