The Gates of Slumber - Stormcrow
When it comes to traditional Doom Metal, it all boils down to how good your singer is. That’s an awful lot of pressure to place squarely on one contributor’s shoulders, but that’s the inherent nature of the beast. After all, we probably wouldn’t even be having this discussion if it had been Frank Stallone doing the vocals on Black Sabbath. This newest installment in the perplexing Scion Audio Visual EP series is actually my first taste of this group who hail from just a few hours south of Metal Curse headquarters, but given their unashamedly clear-cut intentions, these five songs are probably as good a place to start as any. Musically speaking, these Hoosiers are as sure-handed as anyone at the Sabbath-worship craft. The aptly-titled “Death March” begins the ceremony with slow-motion, heaviness-enhanced Iommi homage. Everything is expertly executed right down to the all-pro, prosthetic-fingertip solo. “Driven Insane” staggers into Stoner Doom territory, yet still firmly emulates the masters of reality… that is until the song speeds up at 3:31 and the ensuing riff sounds way too much like “You Really Got Me” by The Kinks. “Son of Hades” and “Dragon Caravan” are there to remind us that Bluesy Rock structures are indeed the roots that grow beneath the Black Sab foundation, while “Of That Which Can Never Be” closes the EP out at the more funereal pace of its opener. So let it be written, so let it be done, The Gates of Slumber are as adept as the next Electric Wizard in line at invoking the feel of Birmingham’s dark sons. Unfortunately, it’s all rather irrelevant (please see first sentence of review). Karl Simon isn’t the worst Doom singer I’ve ever heard, but I can’t honestly say he’s good enough to warrant middle-of-the-road status, either. He flat-out sounds like a bloated, off-key Gene Simmons. That’s fine if you’re doing “I Love It Loud” at the local Karaoke pub, but for material this gloomy, it’s a real shot in the foot. Factor in some occasionally goofy lyrics and vocal patterns on the more up-tempo jams, and we now have a formidably insurmountable hindrance. A shame considering how many of the-best-Black-Sabbath-riffs-Black-Sabbath-didn’t-write are wasted. Frank Stallone might actually have been a step up in this case.
(0) Comment(s)
Page 1 of 1 pages