The Gates of Slumber – The Wretch

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Indianapolis natives The Gates of Slumber have to be one of the most frustrating bands in metal today. Their sound is immediately recognizable and unique while still hearkening back to the doom greats like Pentagram and Saint Vitus whose altars they worship at, but they’ve only ever managed to release one indisputable masterpiece in 2008′s Conqueror. That album is one of the finest slabs of doom to come out in the past decade, but they’ve never quite reached its level of Robert E. Howard-influenced magic before or since. The Wretch may be the closest they’ve come yet. It sees the band riding the line between short, punchy heavy metal anthems (To The Rack With Them, Coven of Cain) and punishing, long-form doom (The Wretch, Iron And Fire) as well as they ever have, and frontman Karl Simon’s guitar solos and trademark gruffly clean vocals are in top form. Nearly the entire album is an improvement on the often meandering Hymns of Blood And Thunder, even as it builds on some of the new ideas that that record brought to the table. Perhaps most importantly, this is the only time in The Gates of Slumber’s career apart from Conqueror that they’ve released an album where every song is good. Moments of some of the longer compositions drag, but all in all, The Wretch is a satisfying collection of tracks rarely matched in this nearly-great doom band’s pantheon.

Written by Brad Sanders
More: 2011, Albums, Doom Metal, Quick.Play Reviews, The Gates of Slumber