Gatekeeper – From Western Shores
March 23rd, 2023
Traditional Heavy Metal / Power Metal
Cruz Del Sur Music
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
If you’ve been reading this blog for some time you’ll know that I was a big fan of the first Gatekeeper record, 2018’s East of Sun. I really dug that record’s old school heavy metal vibes combined with the lyricism surrounding ancient mythology and fantasy series like the works of Robert E. Howard. Power metal doesn’t always hit for me, and it’s often a very particular feeling, but Gatekeeper nailed it in strides. Here we are in 2023, five years later, and Gatekeeper are back with another new offering, this time featuring the vocal talents of Tyler Anderson who replaced Jean-Pierre Abboud. Of course Anderson isn’t the only fresh face this time around. The band has also recruited Adam Berger to fill the shoes of former lead guitarist Kenny Kroecher.
Though having gone through the rigors of a lineup change, the band has survived and is back perhaps stronger than ever with this epic and vibrant sophomore release. Indeed the curse of the sophomore slump seems to itself have been mythologized with this release given how absolutely stellar this record is. From beginning to end this album offers up nothing but melodic-yet-gruff riffage accompanied by pulse-pounding drums, glorious vocals and a general “we’re never going to give you a moment’s rest” vibe. The introduction and main riff of “Death on Black Wings” might be one of my favourite moments in music so far this year.
Anderson fits comfortably into the role of lead singer here, and though it can’t be said that he truly replaces Abboud, he certainly brings his own flair to this album, one that I think suits it perfectly. No doubt drawing upon some of the famous melodic metal vocalists of yore such as Rob Halford and Ronnie James Dio, Anderson’s vocals are full of high pitched expression and frequent use of a Halford-esque scream so high that it threatens to shatter glass. It’s magnificent and exactly what I clamor for when it comes to this style of power metal that bleeds over into the New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal.
The guitars and bass on here, provided by Jeff Black on rhythms, Bergen on leads, and David Messier on the low end, are just out of this world. There have been so many absolutely killer NWOTHM releases in the past few years that I am forever flabbergasted that new ones keep getting released that just absolutely blow my mind, and this is one of them. The riffs feel so fresh despite drawing upon the pastiche of metal’s ancient history for influence and inspiration. No doubt Black, Bergen and Messier grew up listening to a fuck ton of Iron Maiden and Mercyful Fate, because the flourishes on here are both awash in that old school style yet don’t feel worn out at all.
The drums, once again, performed by Tommy Tro, are excellently composed and executed. There’s a surprising amount of variety in the percussion on this record. Despite power metal being known as a genre consisting almost exclusively of epic, fast, almost thrash-style drums, the percussion here is very tasteful. Some songs, like the aforementioned “Death on Black Wings”, are of course lightning fast, akin to something played by a drummer like Scott Travis of Judas Priest. Other songs, like the slow, moody, and crushingly heavy cut “Shadow and Stone”, feature plodding drums that utilize double bass drums accelerating with a rowing motion, along with long, drawn-out hits of the crash cymbals.
The production on here is also really damn good. It’s not overblown or overproduced like most modern power metal that comes out of major labels like Nuclear Blast. Rather, true to the music’s spirit, this album feels like something that came out of the past, like some relic of the 80’s dug up by heavy metal archaeologists. The instruments are clear enough but they sound dusty, like they were recorded on analog. There’s also an appropriate amount of reverb on everything here, especially the vocals, which helps give the record that boost of grandiosity that these songs no doubt deserve.
I can’t believe how good this album is. In all honesty it’s biggest issue is that it feels a bit front-loaded since the songs that I enjoy the most are all right at the beginning of the album (save for the absolute banger that is “Twisted Towers”). That’s not to say that the later cuts don’t enthrall me. They do. It’s just that these first three songs are so damn good that everything else has a hard time topping them. Like I said in the beginning, power metal has a hard time catching my ear, but this is one record that certainly did the job for me. Don’t miss out on this one. This is some Grade A quality riffage from this British Columbian quintet.
Final Verdict: 9/10
Awesome
Favourite Tracks:
“From Western Shores”
“Death on Black Wings”
“Shadow and Stone”
“Twisted Towers”
~ Akhenaten
Where Strides The Behemoth? 