Sounds like every song on Sunbather

sounds grim bro

that was cool

looking forward to being told how much better this is than an average bedroom black metal demo for the next eighteen months

these guys fucking suck. really no way around it sorry

I don't really like the way his vocals sound...maybe i'll like it more on the album

I dig it. Post black metal shows are weird.

say what you want about them, I thoroughly respect George Clarke for his seemingly genuine intensity

Black metal/shoegaze pioneers

Sounds like every song on Sunbather [2]
The drums sound identical to Sunbather's.
The song isn't bad though, but it isn't amazing.

This thread is doomed

I love their albums, but these guys do suck live. At least at this performance. Also, the singer has always been super awkward looking.

Sunbather Pt. 2

man that guys vocals suck a lot

maybe thats why they mix them so low on their albums

Wow. I'm so glad I didn't pay to see this band a few months back.

Premiering songs live is such a bad ideas for these guys

And it's crazy how quickly they're going to go from being praised for carving out a great sound on their debut to being criticized for not changing it enough

their sound on sunbather was so contrived and sugar coated anyone with a true sense of musical ingenuity or integrity would immediately recognize how much "DFHVN" is a trendy rip off from other bands pages.

Pardon me, but you wouldn't happen to be saying that Pitchfork isn't an expert on all things black metal?

experts on nothing but giving bloated scores to shit albums that their putrid readership would of course devour

lol edgy

their sound on sunbather was so contrived and sugar coated anyone with a true sense of musical ingenuity or integrity would immediately recognize how much "DFHVN" is a trendy rip off from other bands pages.

does sound like a sunbather b-side. theyll need to switch up their formula a bit to stay relevant/interesting.

you dont. you just listen to music you like that shapes your perspective and then give your opinions
on a music site such as this, moron.

jam Black Monolith instead of this

i think the reason people are so heavily against this band is because theres no real reason why they are as popular as they are.

1. they arent unique (there are a lot of bands that did what they do way before they did)

2. those bands that did it before them did it better. hell by the time roads to judah came out lantlos had already done that style better AND moved onto different things (and thats just one example)

3. their fanbase doesnt recognize any of this. because of the crowd they appeal to (this, for lack of a better word because i hate using it, "hipster" crowd who are trying to appropriate outsider music culture for a multitude of different reasons) dont really care about the history that led up to this band forming, so they tend to think that they are the first and the best at it, and because they play metal, a subculture that is violently opposed to appropriation by outside sources, they get tons of shit all the time.

i dont think this band is really any good, but i dont actively hate them (i honestly dont care about them at all). but there are reasons who they get all the shit they do.

yea but i enjoyed sunbather

agreed w/hyp

Yes, Deafheaven is part of a movement that has its beginnings back with Weakling (both bands are from San Fran and this was very centered on the West Coast before it spread to Europe).

Still, I absolutely love Deafheaven and no doubt that is largely due to my listening to shoegaze, screamo, and black metal.

.neon is overrated. SunBatHer is overhyped (but still good). DFHVN play a style of music that isn't really meant for large crowds like this, so of course the whole thing is going to seem weird.

I think they still have room to grow without abandoning the whole blackgaze thing; they said years back while they were touring/writing for Sunbather that they'd written a >15 minute song (which probably got broken up into a track and interlude), so they can definitely stretch their songs out a bit if they feel like it. And they could always go for a more raw approach, if the shiny reverb guitars start to sound too samey.

Gross, the audio quality is horrible, not even worth listening to.
I'll wait for the studio version

0:48 drummer face

"their sound on sunbather was so contrived and sugar coated anyone with a true sense of musical ingenuity or integrity would immediately recognize how much "DFHVN" is a trendy rip off from other bands pages."

wow

song sounds like it could be really cool. waiting for that studio version

"their sound on sunbather was so contrived and sugar coated anyone with a true sense of musical ingenuity or integrity would immediately recognize how much "DFHVN" is a trendy rip off from other bands pages."

very euphoric

Weird, I heard this on the live stream and sounded a lot better, these cut up videos have way worse sound quality. Also hella excited for the studio release of this.

These guys are almost as polarizing as BTBAM. I liked it personally but I'm not going to listen to it often.

Also people need to calm down. Yeah it's not groundbreaking but good music is good music.

I was getting hype over all these comments then I realized I'm not even a deafheaven fan, I'm a fan of Sunbather. This song was okay.

I dunno...seems ight.

Excuse me while I completely rewrite this article

I'm sure it sounds better recorded rather than live

Sounds like his voice is already starting to go..

Personally I thought it was more melodic than anything else on Sunbather. That awesome riff at 1:52 surprised me a lot. Its kind of odd that people expect them to sound more different than they did on Sunbather. You just can't expect a band to jump genres between albums.

"You just can't expect a band to jump genres between albums."

There are lots of bands that do this though.

this slaps hard

the sound is terrible. you can barely hear the guitars and when you can they sound like mud. his vocals are all right. maybe all the touring has taken its toll. they should wind down a bit and take some time off. i saw them with pallbearer last june and it was really something. they both sounded incredible.

I thought the live vocals were great. They seem to have a bit more edge to them in a live setting.

i love this band but his vocals sound weird live. probably because he puts so much distortion and reverb on his voice in the studio that you can't even hear his actual voice anymore on the recording.

Singer certainly has some stage moves alright

the best part of their live videos is always the crowd, its endlessly entertaining

that "pit" is pretty sick

Man, you and Deviant sure are hardasses. I've bet you've laid out more kids at shows than your average white boy.

Glo-sticks are a hell of a weapon

i tripped over these guys sitting in a circle smoking a j at an enslaved concert one time

i said my bad and they were like "its cool bro"

Lol, I love how polished and preppy they look for being a partially black metal influenced band

That pit was so fucking awkward. Deafheaven makes me want to chill, not bash people senseless and flail about.

I used to hate on these guys and now I they speak to me.

Lol, I love how polished and preppy they look for being a partially black metal influenced band

this band is pretty good once i get past the disgusting sputnik/internet/hipster hype train. i hate Steven Hyden posting this as his favorite record of the year and proudly displaying his love for "black metal" because of it lol

I didn't care for these guys until I saw them live. No one part of a song is really impressive, but the songs as a whole I can appreciate if that makes any fuckin' sense whatsoever.

"You're missing the point entirely."

You're taking my comment too seriously sir.

You're correct. I've been thinking about that comment since I read it.

people complaining about bad vocals on a black metal band itt

yea but i enjoyed sunbather

this band actually slays live, and translate their intensity far better in person than in studio, but like nearly all bands that don't play stadium rock, they are incapable of making such magic happen on a huge stage in broad daylight.

They are great live, but not in a festival setting. Saw them in this really small bar venue, and it was amazing. Much more them.

I think the reason his vocals bug me is because they're so much louder than everything else, and doesn't really blend in the way black metal vocals usually do

I've seen Deafheaven live three times and they were great every single time.

i sometimes wish these dudes had a normal-sized following for a black metal band. the endless cycle of hype/backlash is exhausting, and the association of their name with hordes of rabid, mostly unversed fans and harsh, mostly reactionary critics has made the idea of them far less appealing to me. all the hysteria and hyperbole drowns out the less extreme discussion acknowledging their potential as well as their shortcomings. which is a shame, because they're a capable group of players, and at least to my ears they perform their music with an admirable conviction. they definitely walk on ground broken by other bands before them, but i don't think it's unfair to say they've carved out a nice stylistic identity for themselves somewhere between black metal, hardcore/emo and post-rock, and they definitely satisfy some of those 'needs' for me. they're not the only notable band playing bm/shoegaze/post-rock, but why can't they be just another among many?

Deafheaven is amazing at smaller venues. Their show at The Magic Stick in Detroit was beautiful, tight, and intimate for the smaller group of fans that were there. The small feeling makes their sound even more enthralling. Not sure I would ever want to see them live at a huge festival like this. The lead singer really fed off of the close fans at our show and this one seemed more distant due to the length away from the crowd.

I have only seen them in small venues so maybe they are just better in smaller venues.

floor > stage

yea p much what sniper said

they definitely walk on ground broken by other bands before them, but i don't think it's unfair to say they've carved out a nice stylistic identity for themselves somewhere between black metal, hardcore/emo and post-rock, and they definitely satisfy some of those 'needs' for me. they're not the only notable band playing bm/shoegaze/post-rock, but why can't they be just another among many?

vocals are bit wee weird

Deafheaven is one of the best bands ever...sputnik loves to hate popular bands...

haha

they should do an album on cassette to get back some bm cred

Sweet dig Ov

it does rule

honestly getting so much second hand embarrassment from these vocals

I don't think the words 'Deafheaven' and 'best bands ever' should ever be used in the same sentence again

Deafheaven is pretty alright but do not compare to some of the best bands ever.

tbh i really love this band but the one thing i love more than them is watching black metal enthusiasts shit themselves over their popularity

Just watched the Dream House vid, and the vocalist looks and sounds hilarious

deafheaven and their fans always look so out of place when I see them
like it's some kind of hilarious parody
makes me laugh everytime

I never have been into this type of metal, but really like these guys, especially Sunbather.
I'm not going to sit here and say theyare the best at what they do because I don't know and honestly don't care.
I don't see what's wrong with that.
Just because Sunbather was on my AOTY list last year doesn't mean it needs to be on anybody else's.
Get over it, elitist pricks.

PS I thought this performance was awful.

It's great

sniper and hype win this thread.

they definitely walk on ground broken by other bands before them, but i don't think it's unfair to say they've carved out a nice stylistic identity for themselves somewhere between black metal, hardcore/emo and post-rock, and they definitely satisfy some of those 'needs' for me. they're not the only notable band playing bm/shoegaze/post-rock, but why can't they be just another among many?

i like his vocals live more than on record, less monotonous, more gr1m

deafheaven is just black metal for people who don't listen to black metal

people need to stop saying that ^^^

i wouldnt even call it black metal if were gonna have a genre fight

its influenced by it no doubt, but it isnt black metal.

i like his vocals live more than on record, less monotonous, more gr1m

deafheaven is just black metal for people who don't listen to black metal

so can we wrap this thread up by saying Deafheaven is balls or what

While the whole "bm for people who don't like bm" is easy to make fun of and with good reason, I don't really think it's inaccurate, I mean it doesn't really mean they're bad or anything (I don't really have much of an opinion on them one way or another) it just means they have a sound that's very much made to appeal to other sources rather than a core black metal fanbase


Lots of people who don't like any supposedly "real" bm like the band, so

that i agree with, but when people say "black metal for non-black metal fans" i feel like it implies the band created a sound based on catering to a certain crowd, which is false

"tbh i really love this band but the one thing i love more than them is watching black metal enthusiasts shit themselves over their popularity"

^^^^^^^^^^^^

man these guys do not translate live well at ALL based off these videos

The guitarists act like they are bored out of their minds.

But they're rad, so I don't really care.

Cant stand this shit!

P.S. Singers face has Serial Killer written all over it!

"i mean, what other bands actually sound like deafheaven? none really. also the best part about all the hate coming their way, is that they probably don't give a fuck. not only because the popularity they've received speaks for itself, but it seems they are enjoying the spotlight while they have it, while not coming off as complete douches"
Which is also quite irrelevant, nobody ever said there's bands EXACTLY like that out there. Just as there's almost no band that sounds EXACTLY like band XY unless it's a complete rip-off. It's never about vastly accurate resemblance, it's about general elements and they way they're implemented. (as has been pointed out by hype)

"i wouldnt even call it black metal if were gonna have a genre fight

its influenced by it no doubt, but it isnt black metal."
This.

"P.S. Singers face has Serial Killer written all over it!"
What an utterly irrelevant and inherently stupid notion.

deafheaven killed it at the magic stick in detroit. seconding that they're best suited for smaller venues.

ctrl F black metal
honestly who gives a shit about genres just listen b happy :^B

The singer offers no redeemable talent whatsoever.

He literally sounds like 95% of all bm vocalists, anyone who says otherwise is trippin.

I think most bm vocalists are less yappy and more raspy, actually. And there are tons of "black metal + shoegaze" bands out there. Maybe there aren't that many that do deafheaven's straightforward "long-winded blast beat sections + shoegaze" style, but there are bands that still sound similar nonetheless.

"that i agree with, but when people say "black metal for non-black metal fans" i feel like it implies the band created a sound based on catering to a certain crowd, which is false"

Yeah, true, I really don't think they set themselves out to become this "Hipster bm" (as some idiots label them) band, they just wanted to make a sound of their own

I think people put too much emphasis in the bm aspect of the band in the first place; They obviously wanted to make something not entirely categorizable, since there's shoegaze, post-rock, hardcore/emo and ambience all over their music, black metal is just a part of it

a big part of it sure but still only a part

I agree with that as well

"I think most bm vocalists are less yappy and more raspy, actually. And there are tons of "black metal + shoegaze" bands out there. Maybe there aren't that many that do deafheaven's straightforward "long-winded blast beat sections + shoegaze" style, but there are bands that still sound similar nonetheless."

Agreed on both accounts. I think the vocals here have something screamo-esque because of that quality. And I think Matt pretty much pointed out the same thing as the latter notion with the example of Lantlos.

'He literally sounds like 95% of all bm vocalists, anyone who says otherwise is trippin.'

a bad version yea

He does not sound like 95% of all black metal vocalists..

I like the album but live it just seems so awkward.

I like the new stuff but I am sure it will sound way better in the actual record.

People care way too much about the band's appearance and compare everything Deafheaven does, to their own typical singular preferences. It's as if you talk about them as celebrities. Just enjoy the music or listen to something else.

i'd rather eat rocks than listen to people talk about deafheaven

Pioneers? what about Alcest?

Y'all will still love this when it comes out on record and you know it

"deafheaven is just black metal for people who don't listen to black metal"

I listen almost exclusively to black metal, with my favourites being Paysage, darkspace and alike.

and I like this band. People act like they are Dimmu Borgir or some other trve shit. Which is getting mighty irritating after a couple of years..

I thought my leggings were pretty tight fitting on me but god damn, that feller over there with the dying cat call has pants that are ridiculously tight. Perhaps, they are cutting off his circulation.

Sunbather 2014 AOTY back 2 back champ

studio version of this is great

they should never try guitar solos ever again

otherwise, i really liked what i heard

song slaps

damn literally just submitted news article on that. but yeah song is dope, new vox are fucking killer.