Rating: 9.3

Country: USA

Release Date: 2005

Track list:
1. Iron Hammer
2. The Leech
3. Feast Of The Dead
4. Ask No More (Pentagram Cover)
5. Stitched Back From Deth + 2 hidden tracks

Band Website: The Gates of Slumber

The Gates of Slumber - Like A Plague Upon The Land

Karl Simon- Guitars, Vocals
Jason McCash- Drums
Charles Brown- Bass
Gabriel Harley- Keyboards

If you're anything like me, you've probably become increasingly dismayed with the liberal abandon with which the word ‘'doom'' is used in today's metal climate. I don't mean to nitpick or anything, but I fail to realize how “doom” has evolved from the likes of Pentagram, Sabbath, Buffalo and Cirith Ungol into utter borefests like Thergothon, airy pseudo-intellectual fluff like November's Doom/any number of post-My Dying Bride sob-sponges, or the hordes of ultramodern, spiffy-clean abominations that have been spewed forth from the bowels of the stoner rock boom. It's not that I hold anything against stoner rock, at its best, it is some of my favorite music ever, but the lines between Fu Manchu and Revelation have always been incredibly distinct, and it upsets me somewhat that these distinctions are blurring in the wake of doom's recent surge of popularity. It's almost as though “doom metal” has become as much of a commercial catchphrase as “elitist black metal”, bandied about by individuals who have never cultivated any sort of sensitivity for its meaning.

Thankfully, bands like Gates Of Slumber ensure that I can remain on my pedestal and continue my assaults against the abuse of D-O-O-M. A steadfast member of the international brotherhood known as the Circle Of True Doom, Gates Of Slumber are torchbearers of a quickly dissipating art form, encapsulating and projecting the very essence of doom, as originated by Black Sabbath circa 1970. Lumbering, ponderous, trampling, bludgeoning riff-driven music, the sonic distillation of “doom” and all the anguish, spite, and yeah, gloom that has traditionally entailed the word. I can't even explain how excited I was to get this fucking thing in the mail, and just like the new Reverend Bizarre and the new Cathedral have this year, this was worth every second spent anticipating its recording, its release, its arrival in my mailbox.

Yeah, riffs. LOTS of riffs. Monumental, epic, bestial riffs soaked in ungodly amounts of low-end and overdrive, all suitably simple in construction but OUTRAGEOUSLY effective. While I hesitate to assert that Gates Of Slumber is the most unique band to peddle this style, I have a feeling that they are somewhat less concerned with being a Confessor than with erecting monolithic mountains of sound that attest to doom metal's irrepressible vitality in late 2005.

As such, there is great emphasis on balls-out HEAVINESS here, and each instrument sounds horrifyingly HUGE in the mix, the power trio cranking out a dense, suffocating spew of thunderous sludge that belies their three-piece setup. The bass sound here is fantastic, lots of drive and gain to create a filthy, downtuned yet sharp and punchy undercurrent that crawls insidiously beneath the insistent, hammering riffs and agile solos issued forth by Karl Simon. Drums sound great and believable, the bass drum sounding very full and the cymbals sounding rich and crisp in the mix. If there is one complaint that may be lodged, I do somehow feel that the considerable cleanness of the vocals, when placed in context with the acrid filthiness of the guitars and bass, could benefit slightly from some effects and weirdness. Still, this is a very minor gripe, and Karl Simon's anguished Wino-circa-Vitus strains certainly boast enough emotional depth and conviction to override any such shortcomings, and I tend to prefer vocals to be as clean as possible, so…I have no idea what I'm talking about.

Musically, I would draw a definite parallel to both Reagers and Wino-era Vitus, the band harnessing the oppressive drone and leviathan slither of Vitus' 'self-titled' with the hazy tunefulness of 'Born Too Late' and onwards. Additionally, the Celtic Frost aesthetic that permeated their previous stunner of an LP, 'The Awakening', manifests itself in the simplicity and earthiness of the minor chord riffing, though one is tempted to suggest more tangible links to forbears like Winter and Dusk. There is a real primordial, barbarian quality to the music here, something that is accentuated by the fact that the bass really fucking asserts its presence throughout, almost smothering everything else in the mix. Being a doom bassist, I cannot help but APPLAUD the bold accentuation of the low end throughout this record- it is the low end that propels and catalyzes all the unearthly sounds here, and what results is some of the heaviest fucking music I've heard in quite some time.

Songwriting-wise, each and every tune here is an absolute winner. “Iron Hammer” builds from spectral whispers of waterfalls and distant birds, swelling into squalls of demonic chants, and then cascades into the most pedal-to-the-metal, URGENT section showcased on this EP. Pulsating, throbbing riffing seeps out the speakers before THAT bass sound punctures everything and knocks the fucking wind out of you. It is here that I discern a distinct parallel with musical kin Yob, who forged a similarly simplistic, yet HEAVY-centered, pummeling approach on Catharsis and Illusion Of Motion (before going more Neurosis-y on the new one, ugh). Of course, Gates Of Slumber are somewhat more traditionally minded than the likes of the equally excellent Yob, but chances are, if you loved Illusion of Motion quite as much as I did, you will break stuff to this most amazing of openers. When “The Leech”, with all its serpentine coils of riffing and plodding rhythms surfaces (fuck, could a song be more aptly named? This is the soundtrack to bloodletting and the excruciating wait for the onset of decay), it is clear that Gates Of Slumber are acutely sensitive to the beauty of ECONOMY in doom songwriting, exploiting each gargantuan riff before replacing it with an equally awesome groove. Vocals here really stand out, like Wino being subjected to ritual torture. Pain, pain, pain!!! DOOM!!!!

“Feast Of The Dead” is pretty much my least favorite track on this platter, and the vocals somehow sound slightly subdued here for some reason. It is here that I take slight issue with the cleanness of the vocals, and I think Karl struggles somewhat to assert power and authority on the lower registers. Oh well, the post-verse riff/groove here is fucking AMAZING, and could very likely be my favorite riff on the entire album, though I think that as a whole the song doesn't stand up to the rest of the material on offer. The solo here, as well, serves more of a textural and dissonant purpose than the largely melodic and exceptionally literate/effective leads wielded on the other tracks. Still, a great song on a great record, just slightly less accomplished and more repetitious than the other numbers. The cover of “Ask No More” really, really fucking nails it. It's always dangerous to take a stab at the immortal canon of Pentagram standards, but The Gates Of Slumber are an alarmingly confident band, and they tackle the task with astonishing aplomb. Imagine if Marty Swaney turned his bass volume up and turned the bass knob to 11, and you'd have something close to this behemoth of a cover, which faithfully reproduces all the disorienting churn of the original, even approximating, in TgoS fashion, the extraordinary warmth of Mr Griffin's original solo.

“Stitched Back From Deth” flaunts the finest goddamn riff here, up there with “Feast Of The Dead”'s stunner. The riff, which surfaces after a surging, lead-adorned passage and drives the rest of the song, absolutely epitomizes the remarkable, beautiful simplicity and honesty of this EP. Likenesses to Celtic Frost are most applicable to this utterly gruesome monstrosity, a riff that somehow manages to sound like a 'Morbid Tales' progression with a late Saint Vitus swing and groove. Those of you with enough patience to stick it out for the entire 38 minute duration of this last track (or, I guess, a good fast forward feature) WILL be rewarded with a very special rendition of a very special landmark in the lives of all doom fanatics (you'll have to find out for yourselves!) as well as another unnamed original track.

If you consider yourself a fan of doom metal, I have no idea why you don't a) already love these guys and b) already own this album. Still, later is better than never, and considering this is limited to 999 copies and comes with a great, fetching round patch (which has already made its way to my patch vest!), I can see few things that deserve your money more than this fabulous mini CD. Gates Of Slumber aren't reinventing the wheel, but in an age where “doom metal” is becoming increasingly diluted and perverted by misguided neophytes, one can certainly be thankful that they are around to keep the wheel spinning.

December 14th, 2005