The Gates of Slumber’s rise from local act to worldwide recognition rests largely on the friendship of guitarist/vocalist Karl Simon and bassist Jason McCash. Hailing from Indianapolis, Indiana, Gates established a reputation as one of the Midwest’s hardest hitting exponents of the Sabbath school of metal while incorporating a variety of other influences into the mix. Gates, however, stood apart. Unlike many other bands of this ilk, Gates never merely regurgitated their debts in paler forms than their predecessors. Simon and McCash, accompanied by a succession of collaborators over the years, invoked those influences while still filtering them through their own distinctive personalities and experiences to individual results. Their last studio release before disbanding and McCash’s death, Stormcrow, is a five song EP ranking among their best work.
The
opening track “Death March” has a massive guitar sound anchored by McCash’s
sternum rattling bass and “Iron” Bob Fouts’ casket nail pounding on drums.
Songwriting for the band once meant a healthy dose of fantasy lyrics
accompanying the arrangements, but Gates’ subject matter changed and, more
often than not, grounded its focus in everyday horrors and sorrows. “Death
March” namedrops the classic Saint Vitus classic “Dying Inside” and it’s no
accident; the unsentimental depiction of addiction and dissolution owes much to
songwriters like Dave Chandler. Gates, however, prefers an immense heavy fist
over Vitus’ jagged slicing and the riffing leaves you woozy. The arrangement
alternates between quiet passages and bulldozing blasts from Simon, but his
voice has more than enough lung power to match the volume. Simon, however, isn’t
all power and an ability to stay in key – there’s some effective phrasing here
that puts over the lyrical despair.
“Driven
Insane” has an extended, mid-tempo instrumental section before listeners hear
Simon’s voice for the first time. The laidback pace of the early section
melodically transforms for the second half and takes on a sharper, abbreviated
edge. The riffing has a hypnotic effect you can’t ignore; everything is
measured, deliberate, and inexorable. The tempo picks up for a particularly fiery blast deep into the song before launching into the song's final verse. Simon’s vocal melody is even better here
than we hear on the EP’s first song, but the subject matter isn’t quite as
specific. The inexorable pull of instrumental breaks in Gates’ music shows up
in good form with this song; it’s a three piece never missing the seemingly
necessary second guitarist because there’s a rhythm section doubling Simon’s powerful
guitar at key points. Make no mistake, however, that McCash and Fouts add to
the arrangements in meaningful, sometimes subtle, ways.
If
you can hum it and it’s heavy, they will come. “Son of Hades” drives this point
home. It builds up an early head of steam before mowing over listeners with
memorable riffing, dramatic shifts, and another strong Simon vocal melody
complementing the arrangement, but perhaps the most interesting moment comes
with the song’s quasi-coda. “Dragon Caravan” doesn’t find the same stride heard
in earlier tracks, but features some of Simon’s best lead guitar on Stormcrow.
The track changes gears in its final section and invokes an unmistakably
funereal atmosphere. The gloom doesn’t clear on the EP’s closer “Of That Which
Can Never Be”. It’s an outright dirge submerged in a desperate, apocalyptic mood
coming through quite clearly in its vocal, lyric, and lead guitar. McCash and
Fouts make it all possible for a final time. This is a fine Gates of Slumber song
and many much bigger, defunct bands would like to claim they reached its level
of quality with their last studio track.
Despite
personal turns, the band’s music remains and Stormcrow is a more than
respectable, if unexpected, final curtain on their studio career. It will
likely remind longtime listeners of the band’s music, intrigue them with their
development, and win over any first timers who love metal like this. This is a
small gem burning with a passionate, personal glow.
Grade: A-
Grade: A-
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