Deafheaven (+ Portrayal Of Guilt, Zeruel)
DEAFHEAVEN :
The five-piece Deafheaven is known for their unique blend of black metal, shoegaze, and post-rock. Their breakthrough album ‘Sunbather’ (2013) sent shockwaves through the metal world and is regarded by the likes of Rolling Stone and Pitchfork as one of the most important albums of the past 15 years. With their signature overwhelming sound, Deafheaven built a devoted global fanbase.
Deafheaven achieves their distinctive sound by combining blast beats (double bass drums), ‘shrieks’ (high-pitched screams), and black metal riffs with crystal-clear production, walls of guitars reminiscent of MBV and Slowdive, and the atmospheric compositions of post-rock titans like Sigur Rós and Explosions in the Sky. On later albums, such as the Grammy-nominated ‘Ordinary Corrupt Human Love’ (2018), the band further refined their sound.
Four years after the dreamy ‘Infinite Granite’ (2021), Deafheaven returned in early 2025 with ‘Magnolia’, the first single from their sixth album ‘Lonely People with Power’ (2025), both a return to their earlier sound and a career high point. The album received euphoric reviews across the board and led Pitchfork to conclude: “Fifteen years into their career, having long transcended any given genre, set of influences, or fan expectations, Deafheaven sound, more than ever, like nothing other than themselves.”
Deafheaven is also renowned for their powerful and emotionally overwhelming live performances. An absolute must-see for fans of experimental and intense guitar music.
PORTRAYAL OF GUILT :
Predictability is the last thing the Texan trio Portrayal of Guilt is known for. The band blends emotionally intense screamo with scorched noise, hellish black metal, grindcore, and dissonant chamber music, but does so in a completely different way on each album.
Their music is intentionally abrasive, bordering on unbearable, with lyrics steeped in themes of suffering, isolation, and pure underworld symbolism. The group draws inspiration from all kinds of devilish sources, ranging from 90s slashers to the films of David Lynch and John Carpenter, and the symbolism of Dante’s Inferno.
Portrayal of Guilt fits both everywhere and nowhere within the spectrum of heavy music. The band has toured with Pg.99, Touché Amoré, and previously with Deafheaven as well.
ZERUEL :
The mysterious Zeruel from Baltimore describes his music as “dark-gaze/ambient metal”. He blends elements of metalcore, shoegaze, and classical music to create a sound that is atmospheric and elusive, earning him no less than 500,000 monthly listeners and millions of streams on Spotify.
