Beyond The Gates
Zodiac

Only a few months have passed since the release of "The Inhumanity Of Human Mind" on Satanica Production by the Padua-based Beyond The Gates, who never want to stop and are back in full form with the brand new Zodiac (In the meantime, the band also recorded an EP with an unreleased track and three remastered songs.). Zodiac, as you might suspect, features lyrics centered on the zodiac, from which the main concept draws inspiration, creating a plausible story teetering between hate and love, in which every listener could easily see themselves.
Musically, the proposal has almost entirely changed from previous albums, exploring more of what is offered by American metalcore and the progressive style of Dream Theater, a band the duo claims to have been significantly influenced by during the writing of the songs, reaching the edges of rock. A stylistic variety that will make purists of death metal nauseous, especially after hearing some of the extreme modernities that comprise the various tracks.

The album starts with 'Aries', an excellent song that reminds me of In Flames' 'Soundtrack To Your Escape', modern and sharp, with an expressive chorus.
'Taurus' is furious, direct, and crazy, an excellent showcase of death metal with 'core elements. 'Gemini' consists of two different parts, the first very metalcore, with the chorus snatched from the already mentioned In Flames, the second much more punk-hardcore and entirely in Italian (finally, a death band that does a song in their mother tongue!).
It moves on to 'Cancer' which allows less space for rhythm to give more to melody, here too the output is in Italian and manages to squeeze out a few tears. 'Leo' ranges between moments of pure aggression and very melodic interruptions, and a classic clean chorus with phrases repeated in growl.
'Virgo' is staggering. I mean, this track seems like a true ballad, then it turns into a punch in the gut with brutal-grind riffs and vocals, then finishes its course among almost pop choruses, and guitars that seem to improvise in a jam set. It encapsulates all the madness of this studio band.
'Libra' seems like the undisclosed sister of Leo, the right balance between an aggressive side and the other...!
'Scorpio' is so strange it can't be defined. It strongly resembles something crossover heard years ago, even for the cadence of words, meaning the spoken part, because then it moves on to hit with growl and falling guitars.
With 'Sagittarius' it's possible to notice how much this band knows how to change from one song to the next. Here the death influences are much more pronounced, with the melancholic soul that could pinpoint a band like Insomnium.
Capricorn is the last slap that the Btg reserves for us, a fast one that draws on metalcore, with an extremely angry chorus and an interlude in Italian that recalls the 'Soul Crisis' EP for its own brutality.
In the finale, the bright and unsettling 'Aquarius' serves as an intro for the ballad 'Pisces' which has nothing of death metal, nor even metal. Perhaps on the borders with progressive and melancholic rock. It's a song that perhaps not everyone will like, that knows how to melt, make you reflect, and hit right in the heart.

Definitely a more complete and refined album than the two previous ones, and it would be even more beautiful if the sound quality were superior, in fact, the mix wasn't the best, although a small improvement was noticed. The Btg maintains high expectations with a great and complex method of writing and the ability to recreate strong emotions both with the music and with the concept lyrics. What is still missing is an adequate audio production that could bring every aspect of the band's music to the forefront, deliberately positioned once again in the underground, but that could aim higher with a small qualitative leap in post-production. You can't expect more from two guys recording at home with a one hundred euro sound card. It's already a miracle that such a well-shaped Zodiac came out.