The Gates of Slumber
Hymns Of Blood And Thunder

One imagines them in their dusty little room writing and rehearsing. Three big and hefty men who, at first glance, might look like thrashers or advocates of a dirty, raw hard rock in the Bloodrock style. Yet, The Gates of Slumber play doom metal, and the adjectives dirty and raw still fit well to describe their music.

Hymns of Blood and Thunder is the fourth album by the band from Indiana, composed of Karl Simon (vocals and guitar), Jason McCash (bass), and Bob Fouts behind the drums. A unique feature of this band is their way of combining, in compositions that are sometimes monolithic and other times more direct, the slow pace of classic doom, the melodic acidity of Cirith Ungol, and in this latest chapter, released last year, also stoner rock. It’s precisely the mix of these different influences that, in my view, makes Hymns of Blood and Thunder the trio's most successful album. There are aggressive songs almost in a thrash style, others purely doom in their unmistakable style, more melodic ones, all in an alternation that gives the album greater accessibility.

The fourth full-length opens with "Chaos Calling", a metallic ride of rare power where the graceless voice of singer Karl Simon stands out. However, the song also shows the band's "new face": a more melodic twist is seen in the song's central break. "Death Dealer" is instead a real bullet of heavy/thrash metal, which, although enjoyable, does not reach the heights of the opener. After a start perhaps a bit outside the normal stylistic canons of the trio, the duo "Beneath the Eyes of Mars" and "The Doom of Aceldama" bring the musical discourse back to the previous albums: two substantial and valid songs. Particularly the second, which represents the first sonic dolmen of the album, embellished by a captivating guitar, reminiscent from afar of the epicness of Manilla Road's memory. A continuous crescendo that makes this track one of the most successful episodes in the band's career.

The sweet instrumental "Age of Sorrow" serves both to break the album in two and to show us another new facet of The Gates of Slumber: that of pure melody. So after yet another excellent epic/doom/heavy song comes the second sonic "dolmen" of the platter, titled "Descent into Madness". A "windy" start, then the guitar unloads riffs as hard as titanium with the singer's corrosive voice. But what amazes the most, besides excellent songwriting and the ability to evoke emotions in this journey into hell, is the psychedelic vein of the solo, which about four minutes from the end gives us the most beautiful moment of the entire album.

Finally, carried by the sweet notes of "The Mist in the Mourning", reminiscent of those medieval ballads to be sung around a campfire, the album flows towards the end, giving us a work that reaches great levels. Hymns of Blood and Thunder is the union of the purest and most underground heavy metal, but at the same time is also made of heavy and obsessive rhythms that very much approach thrash. The base remains that of their "trip" doom, but a touch of psychedelia here and there, combined with an unexpected breath of delicacy, makes this album one of the best CDs of the genre in the past five years. Rating 4 and a half.

1. "Chaos Calling" (5:29)
2. "Death Dealer" (4:23)
3. "Beneath The Eyes Of Mars" (5:59)
4. "The Doom Of Aceldama" (8:35)
5. "Age Of Sorrow" (2:50)
6. "The Bringer Of War" (4:44)
7. "Descent Into Madness" (10:45)
8. "Iron Hammer" (3:47)
9. "The Mist In The Mourning" (2:21)
10. "Blood And Thunder" (4:35)