Although hailed in doom circles (and rightfully so), The Gates of Slumber are a rather curious case of a band. They formed in the late ’90s, a dark time for traditional doom, and managed to exist outside of the hipster stoner/doom craze of the late ’00s/early ’10s, up until their 2013 split. Come the untimely passing of longtime bassist Jason McNash not long after said split, and the subsequent death of drummer J. Clyde Paradis, it seemed The Gates of Slumber would never open again. However, if being a metalhead in the ’20s has proven anything, it’s to expect the unexpected.
Aided by fellow Indianan doom-mongers Chuck Brown (drums) and Steve Janiak (bass) of Apostle of Solitude fame, TGOS founder Karl Simon has resurrected the beloved doom outfit, treating us to the band’s first outing in 13 years, The Gates of Slumber. Admittedly, Simon hasn’t been completely absent from the doom metal scene. From the ashes of TGOS rose Wretch (named after TGOS’s then final album), who released a stellar self titled album in 2016 and played no shortage of shows across the Midwest. For all intents and purposes, once could say Wretch was to TGOS what Heaven and Hell was to Black Sabbath. That being said, it’s cool to see Simon revive his initial brainchild for another go around.
Despite their decade plus absence, TGOS waste no time at all doubling down on all things dark and doomy, kicking off this colossal affair with the ruinous “Embrace the Lie”. It’d been so long since I’ve listened to TGOS that I forgot how close vocally Simon resembled prime Wino. Couple this with some absolutely lumbering riffage and you’ve got a recipe for an unrelenting doom album. “We Are Perdition” continues the devastation, its chorus managing to sneak in some slick grooves while the verses travel at a downright miserable crawl.
While the lion’s share of cuts on here can be categorized as doom metal dirges, there is a pair of palette cleansers in my choice cuts, “Full Moon Fever” and “At Dawn”. “Full Moon Fever” grooves about with a Sabbathian swing and blatantly Iommi-esque riffage, further emboldened by a breakdown bordering on death/doom. “At Dawn” continues the catchiness. Despite its grim nature, it rocks hard, thanks to its simplistic neanderthal chug. Rounding it all out is the dreadful “The Fog”, which is followed by “The Plague”, the latter coming off as a distance cousin of the Saint Vitus epic, “Born Too Late”.
I’ll be the first to admit that doom metal albums, even good ones, tend to bore me. I know, I know. Go ahead and sue me now ya dope smokers. However, at 6 songs and a little over 35 minutes, The Gates of Slumber gets the job done, cutting out the fat and never overstaying its welcome. If you’re on the hunt for low and slow riffage, venomous vocals, and some old school power trio goodness, look no further than The Gates of Slumber. Here’s to hoping they stay open for good.
7 out of 10
Label: Svart Records
Genre: Doom Metal
For fans of: Saint Vitus, The Obsessed, Wretch
Leave a Reply