The new wave of American death metal needs a breakout album, and Dark Superstition is it. Gatecreeper’s third full-length sees the Arizona death metal specialists—vocalist Chase H. Mason, guitarists Eric Wagner and Israel Garza, drummer Metal Matt Arrebollo and bassist Alex Brown—carving out their own path. The band’s first album for Nuclear Blast is more concise, melodic, and memorable than anything they’ve done in the past. “We refined the song structures,” Mason says. “We’re getting better at what we do.” Formed in 2013, Gatecreeper have spent the last decade steadily climbing the death metal ladder. Their self-titled 2014 EP established instant credibility as purveyors of the old-school form. The band signed with Relapse, releasing their full-length debut Sonoran Depravation in 2016 and An Unexpected Reality (2021) which was released via Closed Casket Activities. At once an homage to their desert origins and a statement of death metal intent, the record landed them a 2017 tour with Cannibal Corpse and Power Trip. In 2019, Gatecreeper unveiled Deserted, their ripping foray into self-described “stadium death metal.” It landed at number three on Decibel magazine’s revered year-end top 40 list. When the pandemic subsided, Gatecreeper snagged a slot on the 2022 Decibel magazine tour alongside Obituary and Municipal Waste. These days, Gatecreeper are headliners in their own right, touring globally under their own banner. Presented by El Club. All ages