Gates to Hell

Gates to Hell is a death metal/hardcore band based out of Louisville, Kentucky. In the 5 years since the band's formation. They’ve already gotten the honor of touring and opening for bands like Kruelty, and most recently Frozen Soul. A tour in which I had the pleasure of seeing very recently on July 23rd. And Gates to Hell brought a very energetic and fun set. Filled with stage divers, circle pits, and other crazy moshing antics. About a month before the show took place I decided to listen to this band's self-titled debut album. Which is a quick beatdown of some nasty hardcore-infused death metal.

Now calling this album an album personally is a bit of a stretch. I mean this release only runs for 17 minutes. So for me, this feels more like an EP. But to make this easy let’s just call it their debut album. Gates to Hell right from the start showcases their groovy and violent sound. Filled with ruthless riffing, obnoxious vocals, and short songs that feel like grindcore-style song lengths. This album leans very much in a hardcore direction. You can tell by the way some breakdowns are introduced and how some grooves groove. But overall it’s a nasty blend of death metal and hardcore intensity.

The production of this release is tasty and raw. The drums have a perfect punch and pop to them, and the vocals have that hardcore upfront sound. The guitar tone especially has this nice fuzzy texture and chainsaw-like feel. Which gives this record an aggressive tone. I like how the bass sounds as well, overall this record has a good production that fits the sound this band is playing. It makes the death metal elements flare and the hardcore beatdowns hit harder.

When the death metal elements pop up it’s usually in the vain of those evil tremolos. Or they introduce a very energetic and pummeling double bass section alongside palm-muted guitar riffs. As to which side this album leans more towards I feel like this is a more hardcore-driven album. But also rooted in death metal music enough to where it’s not a 100% hardcore album. You also get some thrashy drum beats and riffs here and there.

Vocally this is record way more hardcore-like. But that doesn’t mean the vocals are bad. Ryan Storey has a very aggressive and snarl style that is very commanding. His voice isn’t necessarily low and usually is higher. But he occasionally goes lower during a breakdown or slower movements. He also has these very tasty higher shrieks. Ryan also has a good sense of enunciation. You can follow along and hear a majority of the lyrics here.

Honing in on the guitar work it’s very engaging and hook-laden. There are tons of crunchy palm-muted riffs, breakdowns, and thrashing notes. For the majority of this album, it’s mid-paced. This album leans heavily into those 2 step riffs and hardcore breakdowns. But there’s also a good blend where they throw in some pinch harmonics, and implement these nice osdm guitar tremolos. The riffing on this album is aggressive, engaging, and very satisfying to listen to. In these very short songs, Gates to Hell makes it work and throws in all these fantastic ideas and components.

The drums once again like the guitars have tons of hardcore influences. You get those hardcore build-ups where the drummer hits the toms to build tension. Before the music snaps into a slow gut-punching breakdown/rhythm. Death metal rears its ugly head in the drumming in the form of blast beats and chunky double bass. Turnovers and frantic fills are also cleverly executed. Making the drums a very powerful force in Gates to Hell’s sound.

Overall this debut album is a very solid offering. While I wish this release was longer Gates to Hell makes these short songs work. There’s so much flavor and texture in these 1-2 minute songs that it works. It’s ruthless, heavy as fuck, and very enjoyable. Each song is groovy and memorable. This album took a minute to click with me because I’m not one to fuck with a more hardcore approach to my extreme metal. I’m more used to death metal outweighing the hardcore elements. But this album grew on me, and I’m happy that I managed to catch these guys live with Frozen Soul earlier this week. Give this monster a listen.

FFO: Corpse Pile, Sanguisugabogg, Creeping Death, 10 to the Chest, Fuming Mouth