Origin: San Francisco, California, USA  
Genres: Black Metal, Alternative Metal
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Page online: October 1, 2016
Last update/review: August 26, 2021

Deafheaven

Deafheaven are not the first band to blend ambient shoegaze elements with black metal (in some respects it's a sensible pairing), but 2013's Sunbather certainly made it seem that way, the album racing to the top of critics' best-of lists and gaining the band quite a following (and, predictably, some detractors that question the metal-ness of the effort). It can be a tough listen, with five songs over 9 minutes in length, and at times it sounds like two different bands at work, with several of the songs being outright black metal (like the title track) while others are meandering soundscapes that sometimes take a bit too long to develop. Yet the accolades are not undeserving, Sunbather is well-crafted and well worth a listen. To the band's credit, they did not rest on their laurels for the followup, New Bermuda. Just as the band's previous output was a bit different from Sunbather, so is New Bermuda markedly different from its predecessor, going for a far more aggressive approach, toning down the ambient parts and in fact also lessening the traditional black metal aspect of the band, even though the album overall is far more aggressive in its approach. This is still a pretty young band and they've already shown a tendency to branch out in different directions, so it'll be interesting to see where they go next.

Current Members

George Clarke

vocals

Kerry McCoy

guitars

Shiv Mehra

guitars

Chris Johnson

bass (ex-Masters Of Reality, Sanctus Infernum)

Daniel Tracy

drums

Former Members/Guests

Nick Bassett

guitars

Derek Prine

bass

Stephen Lee Clark

bass

John Kline (guest)

drums RIP: February 12, 2012, diabetic coma, age 25

Trevor Deschryver

drums



Discography


Libertine Dissolves  EP
2011
  1. Libertine Dissolves
  2. Daedalus
  • George Clarke
  • Kerry McCoy
  • John Kline



Roads To Judah  
2011
  1. Violet
  2. Language Games
  3. Unrequited
  4. Tunnel of Trees
  • George Clarke
  • Kerry McCoy
  • Nick Bassett
  • Derek Prine
  • Trevor Deschryver



DW Live Series 08  LIVE
2011
  1. Violet (Intro)
  2. Libertine Dissolves
  3. Unrequited
  4. Language Games
  5. Exit:Denied
  • George Clarke
  • Kerry McCoy
  • Nick Bassett
  • Derek Prine
  • Trevor Deschryver



Sunbather  
2013
  1. Dream House
  2. Irresistible
  3. Sunbather
  4. Please Remember
  5. Vertigo
  6. Windows
  7. The Pecan Tree
  • George Clarke
  • Kerry McCoy
  • Daniel Tracy



New Bermuda  
2015
  1. Brought to the Water
  2. Luna
  3. Baby Blue
  4. Come Back
  5. Gifts for the Earth
  • George Clarke
  • Kerry McCoy
  • Shiv Mehra
  • Stephen Lee Clark
  • Daniel Tracy
2015 Readers' Album #41




Ordinary Corrupt Human Love  
2018
  1. You Without End
  2. Honeycomb
  3. Canary Yellow
  4. Near
  5. Glint
  6. Night People
  7. Worthless Animal
  • George Clarke
  • Kerry McCoy
  • Shiv Mehra
  • Chris Johnson
  • Daniel Tracy



10 Years Gone  LIVE
2020 Sargent House
  1. From the Kettle onto the Coil
  2. Daedalus
  3. Vertigo
  4. Language Games
  5. Glint
  6. Baby Blue
  7. The Pecan Tree
  8. Dream House
  • George Clarke
  • Kerry McCoy
  • Shiv Mehra
  • Chris Johnson
  • Daniel Tracy



Infinite Granite  
2021 Sargent House
  1. Shellstar
  2. In Blur
  3. Great Mass of Color
  4. Neptune Raining Diamonds
  5. Lament for Wasps
  6. Villan
  7. The Gnashing
  8. Other Language
  9. Mombasa
  • George Clarke
  • Kerry McCoy
  • Shiv Mehra
  • Chris Johnson
  • Daniel Tracy




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