Indiana's true doom metal legends The Gates Of Slumber return with a new album, out on Svart Records in November. The self-titled album is the band's first full-length offering since The Wretch from 2011, and its first taste, "Embrace The Lie", an ode to the lying news media and political talking heads, has just been unleashed.
The Gates Of Slumber was formed by Karl Simon in 1998. Various people were in and out of the group between 1998 and 2001 when the Blood Encrusted Deth Axe demo was recorded with Jamie Walters of Boulder on drums and Dr. Phibes/Athenar (later to form the cult black metal band Midnight) on bass. In 2003, Jason McCash took over the bass duties and was a long-time member of the band until his untimely demise in 2014, after which Simon decided it was time to call it quits. That was until 2019 when the renowned metal festival Hell Over Hammaburg wanted to bring the band back on stage to perform at the festival's 2020 edition. Simon reformed the band with its original member Chuck Brown on drums and Steve Janiak on bass and got back to work. "We'd been asked several times to play Hell Over Hammaburg. But there was no 'we' to play. The germ of the idea started. We started re-learning songs from the first LP. It wasn't too long into the rehearsals that we started coming up with new songs", states Simon.
After a reunion tour was finished, Covid kicked in to slow down the process. Half of the album was already written but the remaining half took its time, and the songs were left to stew in their juices. With bastard heavy songs honouring the doom metal greats Saint Vitus and Penance, straightforward bangers, lyrics inspired by the Black Death and John Carpenter's The Fog, The Gates Of Slumber is a truly crushing album and a must listen to any doom metal fanatic.
The Gates Of Slumber will be available on Svart exclusive black/white marble vinyl, limited transparent blue vinyl, black vinyl, CD, and digital platforms on 29 November. Link
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"I find it really bizarre, because right after the concert, you're already on the internet. I mean, come on. It's very different from how it used to be, but it's fine." - Anja Huwe
"It's my kind of duty to provoke people and to make sure they feel something — to dance, cry, do whatever they feel. I do motivate them, because that's my purpose." - Chris Corner
"Goth people want to have fun sometimes too. I guess if your listening time is 99% dark, sad songs or evil black metal songs, sometimes you want 1% joy, and here I come." - Franck Hueso
"There's much more detail in our music now than 20 years ago. It's also much easier nowadays because you can do many things at home." - Morten Lybecker
