Photos and words by Samantha Skapin

Last Sunday I had the chance to check out Greet Death kick-off their tour at The Foundry in Lakewood. Known for their unique blend of post-rock and shoegaze, I was excited to finally see how it transferred to their live sound.

Low Animal

Touring alongside Greet Death for this run was up-and-coming band Low Animal. If I were to describe Low Animal, I’d say it’s like if Daughters, Chat Pile, and Pile all got together and had a baby. With that said, I was stoked to check them out. Fresh off the release of Bedlam Hiss earlier this month, the band seemed eager to perform these new tracks live and brought incredible energy to the stage. 

Watching Low Animal was a thrill; guitarist Patrick Greenwood flung himself around the stage while vocalist Conor McKenzie whipped his mic stand with abandon. They played standout tracks from Bedlam Hiss, including “Slow Kill,” which quickly became a crowd favorite. A glance around the room revealed many heads bobbing in unison, a testament to their infectious energy and sound.

The band closed their set with the same enthusiasm they started with, as Greenwood jumped into the crowd to play guitar while writhing on the floor. It was refreshing to witness such high energy from an opening act, and I think the crowd felt the same, with many attendees approaching band members after their set to let them know how much they enjoyed it.

If you’re planning to see Greet Death on the rest of this tour, please, for the love of God, arrive early enough to catch Low Animal. You can check out Bedlam Hiss here. 

Greet Death

Next up was what we were all gathered at The Foundry for. I have tried (and failed) many times to see Greet Death over the years. From shows in house basements to 2,000 capacity level rooms supporting Say Anything, I have always had something come up where I couldn’t attend. When I saw they would be kicking off their upcoming tour in Lakewood, I took it as a sign that this was finally my chance, and they did not disappoint.  

“Walking out” to Dr. Don’s “Seattle State of Mind”, they started the set strong, playing two tracks off of their 2019 release New Hell. “Circles of Hell” was a perfect intro track with guitarist/vocalist Logan Gaval catching the crowd’s attention with his raw vocals that led into their signature heavy (and fuzzy) guitar tones. It was clear the packed room was excited to hear these tracks, with lots of cheers and yells, especially when the live debut of fan-favorite “Crush” was played.  

Greet Death played songs spanning their discography but treated the Lakewood crowd to two unreleased tracks from a foreshadowed forthcoming release. These tracks fit like a glove into the rest of Greet Death’s discography. The band checks off everything with these songs – beautiful, fuzzy tones, thought-provoking lyrics, and the signature Greet Death vocals that you know and love. You could tell this got the crowd excited to hear more from this release.

They finished off their set with “You’re Gonna Hate What You’ve Done” (with a playful switch of the refrain to Blink 182’s “I Miss You”) and a new single released last Friday titled “Same But Different Now”. According to my last.fm, I have already listened to this song 20 times. When I say it was the perfect closer to the set, I mean it. The end of the single descends into chaos, with one of the coolest riffs I’ve heard in a long time, with Gaval screaming, ending the set with a bang.

Overall, Greet Death’s sound translates perfectly, if not better, live. The reaction of the room to these unreleased songs was an indicator that whatever Greet Death releases next, it will be received well. If you have the chance to see them live, don’t miss out. I can guarantee you’ll walk away with a renewed sense of appreciation for the power of a good fuzzy guitar. You can check them out on the rest of their tour here