Deafheaven are often decried as “hipster black metal” for their amalgamation of the genre-trademark banshee shriek with the dreamy guitarwork of shoegaze: “blackgaze". To the credit of their critics, our first observation upon entering Max Watts was that this crowd did lean toward the “lanky dudes in My Bloody Valentine shirts” side of the hipster-black metal spectrum. “I’m more here for the shoegaze” were the words of one audience member.

Deafheaven’s hipsterdom has never bothered us too much. In his recent book, Tonight It’s a World We Bury, Bill Peel suggests that bands who innovate on the black metal formula, pushing the boundaries of the genre, exploit the “deterritorialising vectors” latent within to “springboard toward something else”– something transformative in the vision it posits for music. Deafheaven are the go-to exemplar for transforming blackgaze: the artistry of their 2013 breakout album Sunbather took the genre from the underground to the pages of indie music sites everywhere, to the point that even this once innovative genre can now feel passé.

Yet, Sunbather has defied this slip into the mediocre mush of the blackgaze it inspired–it’s still a record we spin regularly. Hence why when the Bird’s Robe Collective announced that Deafheaven were embarking on a national tour of Australia to mark the release of their latest album, Infinite Granite, there was no questioning whether we would be in attendance.

The night kicked off with a series of acoustic vignettes from our first opener, Suldusk: a Melbourne act who blend atmospheric black metal with the cavernous intimacy of neofolk. Emily Highfield’s vocals leapt and scurried around acoustic guitars and the deep bass of a djembe, alternating siren-like between clean and shrill. With only the one 2019 album, Lunar Falls, under their belt, there wasn’t too much of a backlog to draw from, but for the thirty minutes they were on-stage, Suldusk held the room with their spectral sound.

Twenty minutes later, hitting the stage was Closure in Moscow, another Melbourne act known for their proggy, melodic take on alt rock, reminiscent of the 2000s. Visually, this was a fun set: bassist Duncan Millar decked out in overalls and a bucket hat, vocalist Christopher de Cinque in fluorescent yellow shorts and a Berserk tee as he danced with all the goofy energy of a kid at their school disco. In front of us were what appeared to be a committed contingent of Closure fans, headbanging hard as they yelled the lyrics to practically every song that was played–an enthusiasm which was a pleasure to experience. Although the dynamism of this set, as well as Christopher’s sustained high-register vocal acrobatics and the often complex instrumental passages, were admirable, we also couldn’t shake the sense that Closure clashed with the sonic and thematic cohesion of the night. Their playful antics and funky pop-prog sound flipped the foreboding atmosphere Suldusk had set up on its head and failed to provide a smooth tonal entry into Deafheaven, a band renowned for their emotional intensity.

Yet, there’s no opener that would be able to rob the room of the energy that Deafheaven brought thirty minutes later. Kicking off with ‘Black Brick’, one of the heavier efforts off 2019’s Ordinary Corrupt Human Love, George Clarke immediately dominated the stage with the guttural growls he unleashed over Daniel Tracy’s breakneck blast-beats, the all-black garb and intense stare he levelled at the audience making him appear genuinely demonic.

The next few tracks were varied pickings from their more traditional blackgaze albums, Sunbather and New Bermuda, including the ten-minute title track of the former. Deafheaven shine here: the room stands entranced before the hardcore crescendos we’ve come to love them for.

Following these standouts, Deafheaven announced they were going to play some tracks off of Infinite Granite. Amongst these was also ‘Worthless Animal’, a song from Ordinary Corrupt Human Love.

I don’t want to seem like that guy at the back of the room yelling for a band to “play their older stuff”–however, unfortunately, I must report that the more clean and melodic offerings from their recent work were where things lulled the most. Not only were they less sonically interesting and less capable of getting the crowd going, but they ran counter to the aesthetic the band were trying to project with their performance. How are we meant to take George seriously as a chilled-out shoegazer when he looks like he belongs in one of Melbourne’s fine BDSM establishments? The crowd appeared unsure of what to do in these moments: people who were headbanging earlier were standing around awkwardly, like they were waiting for something heavy to come back on.

Such is the dilemma of any blackgaze band. You’re forever stuck between two very different sounds, two very different aesthetics and two very different camps of fans. I don’t begrudge Deafheaven’s decision to want to try something new and I respect that touring bands need to promote their latest album. However, I must say that I envy those who will get to witness Sunbather in full at Dark Mofo.

Perhaps it is the difficulty of striking this balance which let this strange undercurrent of passivity permeate the crowd for much of the night. Metal shows are known for their mosh pits–hell, it’s half the reason we go. Yet, a mosh didn’t arise until the epic climax of ‘Dream House’ during the encore. Otherwise, the crowd was mostly placid, barely making contact with each other. And while this mosh at the concert’s conclusion was a beautiful moment–those heavy tremolo guitars spiralling around the room as my skull finds its way to a stranger’s jaw–even this was coloured by the fact that most were disinterested in the mosh, not even bothering to shove wayward moshers back into the pit. Maybe that’s just the way it is when you’re trying to mosh with indie kids.

Nobody can dispute Deafheaven’s technical proficiency. They’re a tight unit of a band who have not only conquered two distinct genres of music but forced them to function together as a superior whole. And when we left the concert, we remarked in unison how impressive George is as a vocalist, keeping up the growl for an extended set and making seamless switches at will to his clean register. Of course, credit must also be paid to Daniel on drums and their three guitarists, Kerry McKoy, Shiv Mehra and Chris Johnson, whose effects pedals make the whole blackgaze thing work.

Still, their set in Melbourne, impressive as it was in many respects, did reaffirm the belief of that black metal purist in me: Deafheaven are at their best when they go hard.

You can check out the dates for Deafheaven’s ongoing tour of Australia here.