Deafheaven’s 2013 breakout album Sunbather garnered high praise from countless music outlets, including Rolling Stone (#1 Metal Album of the Year) and notoriously finicky Pitchfork (#6 Album of the Year). And numerous personal friends couldn’t stop talking about it. I didn’t quite “get” the album or the band’s sound (I’ve since grown to love Sunbather!). Their latest studio effort, New Bermuda (Anti-), is a different story for me. I don’t know, maybe it’s because I knew what to expect, but this new record immediately sunk its claws in and hasn’t let go.
Despite being familiar with Deafheaven’s much debated sound, which shall henceforth be called “metalgaze”, I didn’t know what to expect from their live show. I hadn’t stumbled across any fan or festival footage, or read reviews of past shows. A nearly impossible feat in today’s world, but definitely a refreshing way to experience new shows.
Arriving at downtown Denver’s Summit Music Hall Saturday night just before door time, I was surprised to find no line of fans wrapped around the building, no “SOLD OUT” sign at the box office, no fingers in the air, desperate for a miracle ticket. Maybe it was Yob across town at Hi-Dive that stole from this show, but the Summit was surprisingly un-full (Man, would this have been an intimate show at Bluebird!). If Deafheaven was disappointed about the sparse crowd, they certainly didn’t show it on stage.
Let’s just get straight to the point. This is the George Clarke show. From the opening notes of “Brought to the Water” the enigmatic frontman prowled the stage with intensity, summoning the crowd to come closer, climbing over the barrier on two occasions to scream into the faces of ecstatic front row fans, and riding on top of the crowd. The rest of the band seemed perfectly content showing little emotion or movement while storming through New Bermuda in its melodic, technical entirety.
What stands out to me most about this band is the extreme contrast between the music and Clarke’s vocals. At the same time, harsh and entrancing. Sure, this was a sparse crowd, but George Clarke had this room in the palm of his hand (literally, a few times). Despite Deafheaven’s polarizing sound, it’s a shame that a vast majority of Denver metal fans really missed out on this show.
SETLIST
Brought to the Water, Luna, Baby Blue, From the Kettle Onto the Coil, Come Back, Gifts for the Earth
Sunbather, Dream House
TRIBULATION
Tribulation’s opening show was impressive. And it was a SHOW. The band whipped and thrashed around the stage, faces painted black and white. Smoke from burning incense rose from the corners of the stage, and hanging candles adorned Johannes Andersson’s mic stand. I’m not a fan of every Norwegian metal band, but I’m attracted to something about Tribulation’s dark and brooding sound, with Andersson’s guttural vocals and the clean, technical guitar playing by Adam Zaars and Jonathan Hultén. Their latest studio release, The Children of the Night (Century Media Records), has been in heavy rotation, and seeing them live has made me even more of a fan. Definitely a band I’ll be following more and looking forward to seeing live again.
Deafheaven and Tribulation continue their 2015 US Fall Tour through late November, heading through the Midwest and Northeast, followed by stops in Texas and New Mexico before closing out the tour with two nights at the Roxy in Hollywood, CA.
Heads up, Colorado metal fans! Deafheaven and Tribulation will be joined by Yob November 17th in Albuquerque. Make that trip if you can, ABQ is within striking distance and absolutely worth the drive for this triple bill!
Buy Tribulation Children of the Night