Deafheaven polarized a lot of metal fans, or at least used to around “Sunbather”. I’ve always been somewhere in the middle, considering them a quality band while not being a huge fan. They’ve grown on me over the years though. Here’s my rundown of the Deafheaven discography, ranking all their albums.
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- Stefan Nordström
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Deafheaven full-length discography
- “Roads to Judah” (2011)
- “Sunbather” (2013)
- “New Bermuda” (2015)
- “Ordinary Corrupt Human Love” (2018)
- “Infinite Granite” (2021)
- “Lonely People with Power” (2025)
Deafheaven albums ranked from worst to best
6. “New Bermuda” (2015)
It’s not easy to follow up a hugely successful release like “Sunbather”, and this album doesn’t quite succeed. “New Bermuda” is alright, but I find many of the melodies, progressions and ideas rather predictable. It just doesn’t have the fire of the band’s best work.
Fav track(s): “Come Back”
5. “Roads to Judah” (2011)
I haven’t listened to this album much previously, and it was a mistake. Some lovely shoegazing going on here right off the bat. Captivating melodies, even though the band definitely hadn’t completely found their thing yet. It’s a solid album that I’ll gladly return to. Also, wiiild drumming!
Fav track(s): “Tunnel of Trees” & “Violet”
4. “Infinite Granite” (2021)
This one’s largely a left turn into the more shoegazy side of the band. Lots of clean vocals, and the non-stop blastbeats are nowhere to be found. But what is here is plenty of atmosphere and vibe. I understand it’s not the Deafheaven most of the fans love. I quite enjoy it though.
Fav track(s): “Great Mass of Color” & “The Gnashing”
3. “Sunbather” (2013)
“Sunbather” was the album that made Deafheaven blow up, and its not hard to see why. It’s very much in the times musically, as Alcest and blackgaze in general was having a huge peak, and Deafheaven pushed many of the stylistic ideas to the max. Much like I felt back in 2013, this is a quality album with nice melodies and cool atmosphere, but I still don’t love it.
Fav track(s): “Dream House” & “Vertigo”
2. “Ordinary Corrupt Human Love” (2018)
This is the Deafheaven album I’ve listened to the most over the years. I’d say it remains a favorite in 2025, too! There’s just a lot of emotion to the songs on this one, and they’re using a broader musical pallette than before. Also, many of the shoegazy moments have lovely Slowdive vibes. Strong happy/sad emotional spectrum that hits me pretty hard at times.
Fav track(s): “Near” & “Honeycomb”
1. Lonely People with Power” (2025)
It’s pretty unusual for a band to peak this late, but I believe Deafheaven did. The band trims a lot of fat on this album, going for more direct, memorable compositions with a strong drive. This is done without losing the signature dynamics and emotional impact. Additionally, the production job and vocal performance is probably also the best.
Fav track(s): “Magnolia” & “Heathen”
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If you’re spending your time reading Deafheaven discography rundowns, you’re probably into atmospheric metal music? How about giving my progessive death/doom metal band Soliloquium a shot? Just like Deafheaven, the music focuses on variation, dynamics and emotional impact.
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