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Exclusive Premiere: Heads for the Dead Unleash Pure Evil With “Gate Creeper”

We all come to metal for different things. For some, it’s the visceral rush of anger and aggression that permeates the music. Others approach the genre for its more

6 years ago

We all come to metal for different things. For some, it’s the visceral rush of anger and aggression that permeates the music. Others approach the genre for its more technical merits. But if you approach metal to hear dark emanations belching their way up from a particularly deep pit of hell, you need go no further than Heads for the Dead. Comprising members of Ursinne, Wombbath, and Revel in Flesh, you’ll be hard pressed to find something in the black and death metal worlds that sounds more uncompromisingly evil. This is the type of music I imagine orcs gyrating around a fire to after a successful hunt for man-flesh, and it’s glorious. We couldn’t be more wickedly delighted to premiere the track “Gate Creeper”, from their forthcoming debut record Serpent’s Curse, exclusively here at Heavy Blog.

As mentioned above, the sounds contained on this track reek of pure malevolence and wanton destruction. The opening seconds of “Gate Creeper” establish its sound (and that of the record itself) impeccably well, unfolding into an immediate barrage of riffs and drum work that feels utterly suffocating. The first minute of this track contains very little breathing room, unleashing an enthralling blast of blackened death metal aggression that is more than enough to get the blood pumping. Further into the track, however, the band begin to show their deft songwriting hand, throwing doom-like death metal passages into the mix, transforming the sonic palette of the track into something more varied and engaging. Ralf Hauber’s vocal performance here is simply gruesome, replete with squeals, gurgles, and utterly menacing growls that rival those conjured by Mylingar. It’s a complete package of death and destruction, conjured by veterans of the scene who know how to write a good track.

If the darker and filthier sides of black and death metal are your jam, I implore you to give this track a listen. There are few releases that pummel with this level of vile ferocity while maintaining a sense of sonic variation. Heads for the Dead are here to ruin the world, and “Gate Creeper” is a prime example of how they plan to do it. Repulsive, thoroughly transfixing stuff. Look for the record to emerge September 24th from the darkened corridors of Transcending Obscurity Records, and pre-order it on the band’s Bandcamp page.

Jonathan Adams

Published 6 years ago