THE SEVEN GATES

Angel of Suffering

Heavy Artillery

7.5 / 10

Track listing:

01. Angel of Suffering
02. Pressure
03. Gehenna's Sword
04. All is in All
05. The Serpent's Wheel
06. Selen
07. Quake of the Hammer
08. Temple of Ashes
09. No Salvation
10. Kingdom of the Lost

Now we're talking! Old-school-influenced death metal with a song-centric approach is the way of France's THE SEVEN GATES on "Angel of Suffering". Many death metal bands refer to their music as brutal, yet melodic, but how many of them release albums with song individuality and anything more than guitar harmonies to carry a tune? Then again, death metal is a varied subgenre and there is no one right answer, now is there?

For those unaware, THE SEVEN GATES grew out of the demise of DAEMONIUM, AKENATON, and the mighty MUTILATED. Perhaps such a resume is the reason that "Angel of Suffering" is devoid of any fat around the edges, the riffs are well honed, and the songs are designed to bounce around the skull for a while before blowing out the other ear. The band borrows most heavily from early American death metal, particularly MORBID ANGEL in the guitar work and, to some degree, songs structures. From time to time I hear a hint of early KRISIUN as well (list to machine gunner "Temple of Ashes"),although it is probably redundant to state, considering the influences are largely the same. In any event, "Angel of Suffering" is filled with big, crunchy riffs and plenty of grooves, at times also reminding of the organic vibes of Chile's THORNAFIRE. To use just a few examples, "Quake of the Hammer" is all sinister cadence and Azagthoth-ian licks; "No Salvation" rides a thick, serpentine riff and is powered by earth-shaking double-bass (with blast beat surges),and "Kingdom of the Lost" has a decidedly "Altars of Madness" feel in parts, as well as a closing death-march riff that chills to the bone. It all drips with the evil of the ancient ones too, always an appealing quality in my book.

At the risk of needless hyperbole, let's just say that "Angel of Suffering" is a song-first death metal album that kicks a whole lot of old school ass, even if it offers virtually nothing in the way of originality. "Angel of Suffering" is all DM heart and soul, not to mention a nice addition to the impressive Heavy Artillery roster.

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