By and large, death metal is renowned for its technicality. You only have to look back at Death, Atheist, and Cynic if you want to marvel at some of the most proficient playing in aggressive music. And then you have Gatecreeper. While still an incredibly accomplished group of musicians, the Arizona band deal exclusively in aural brutality than intricate, prog-infused riffs.

It was that what drew me to Gatecreeper. Just when I thought my days of pure aggression were behind mine, their debut album ‘Sonoran Deprivation’ pushed me right back through the door. It is a first-class lecture in how to pull off ignorant heavy hardcore, with a modern death metal twist and sound original. Imagine, if you will, Obituary and Merauder coming together and you are about half way to the intensity of Gatecreeper.