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Trailblazers of the blackgaze genre, San Francisco based quintet DEAFHEAVEN have proven themselves to be one of modern metal’s most reliable acts, drifting effortlessly from delicate atmospheres to ferocious screams and blast beats. With heavy hitters of the New York hardcore scene PAIN OF TRUTH opening up the night in Bristol’s striking Trinity centre, DEAFHEAVEN delivered a night to be remembered.
Despite only forming five years ago PAIN OF TRUTH have already made a meteoric impact on modern hardcore’s DNA, performing alongside heavyweights such as SPEED, MALEVOLENCE, A DAY TO REMEMBER and DYING WISH as well as releasing split EPs with SUNAMI and AGE OF APOCALYPSE. While their sound may come across a little barebones to fans of DEAFHEAVEN’s melodramatic mix of rabid black metal and swirling shoegaze, their stomping old-school hardcore quickly won over the crowd, churning up a frenzied mosh pit that covered most of the former church’s floor.
Storming through their lightning fast set, the Long Island-based four-piece turned even the most intellectual black metal beardstroker into a spin-kicking, knuckle dragging pit beast. Led by charismatic frontman Michael Smith’s barking vocals, PAIN OF TRUTH mix classic east coast hardcore with metallic breakdowns and just a dash of hip-hop swagger for a brilliantly heavy experience.
Rating: 7/10
It’s impossible to talk about the state of black metal in the 21st century without at least giving a nod to DEAFHEAVEN. Breaking free from the genre’s underground origins full of church burnings and scratchy demos recorded on broken tape machines, DEAFHEAVEN blend in softer, more ambient elements lifted from shoegaze and post-rock, giving their brutal black metal sound a luscious sheen. Off the back of their latest album Lonely People With Power, a return to their more aggressive sound after 2021’s Infinite Granite dropped the screams for a more delicate shoegaze feel, DEAFHEAVEN levelled Bristol’s Trinity with a wall of black metal noise.
Keeping their longtime fans happy, DEAFHEAVEN stuck to their more menacing black metal material, ignoring the controversial Infinite Granite entirely, instead blasting through eight of Lonely People With Power’s twelve tracks as well as a handful of hits from their back catalogue. Confidently striding on stage to the track Doberman, frontman George Clarke’s intense charisma is immediately clear with his sharp screams being heightened by his powerful leaps across the stage and into the audience.
DEAFHEAVEN’s appearance at Bristol’s Trinity came across as a victory lap celebrating Lonely People With Power, digging out some of the album’s deeper cuts such as The Garden Route and Heathen and putting as big a spotlight on them as hits like Sunbather. Although much of their older material was ignored, including albums Ordinary Corrupt Human Love and Roads To Judah, the band’s fiery energy gave a passionate introduction to these newer tracks. Closing out on Dream House and Winona, DEAFHEAVEN honoured both their past and their future with the song that broke them through to the mainstream into their latest release’s biggest hit, ending a night dedicated to one of modern metal’s most important acts.
Rating: 8/10
Check out our photo gallery from the night’s action in Bristol from Tom Bruce here:
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The post LIVE REVIEW: Deafheaven @ Trinity, Bristol appeared first on Distorted Sound Magazine.
