Formats: Digital
Release Date: 09 Feb 2024
Tracklist:
1. The Awakening
2. Let The Night Become Your Guide
3. Till Death Unite Us
4. A Place Called Home
5. Gates Open
6. I, The Intellectual
7. We Are No More
8. Death
9. Northern Dark
It's been a little while since I last felt the urge to write here and a long while since I last featured new music from Finland. Cue death/thrash duo Gates Open and their debut album Voice After Silence, which was officially released digitally in February via Inverse Records. Gates Open was formed in 2023 by Jere Neejärvi (guitar/bass/drums) and Tommi Manninen (vocals), who were previously members of melodic death metal band Down Into Silence.
Album opener ‘The Awakening’ was first released as a single back in June of last year. Thankfully, Gates Open didn’t go down the route of just releasing every song (that makes up an album) as a single, which is an odd trend amongst new bands currently. The song is a strong way to kick off Voice After Silence though, with it’s exhilarating thrash metal tempos, melodic guitar work, snarling harsh vocals and even a nod to industrial music too.
The album’s second single was ‘Let The Night Become Your Guide’. I like how Gates Open unleashed their first two songs as singles. Whether they’re the strongest choices remains to be seen as we make our way through the album, but judging by the moodier atmosphere and the more than articulate guitar solo, this song is certainly one that catches the ear.
Dare I say that Gates Open remind a little of Children Of Bodom. A big name to be compered to but their sound and delivery on ‘Till Death Unite Us’ could easily sit on a Bodom album. There’s nothing subtle about it and nor should there be. Sometimes, good old ripping death/thrash is all that’s needed. There’s a direction change on ‘A Place Called Home’ as Gates Open slow things down after a nice melodic intro. It has a folk-like/symphonic undertone too, much like that of viking/folk metal bands Ensiferum and Finntroll. It certainly shows that the traditional Scandi sound is still alive and well.
The song that bares the band’s name draws you back into more familiar uptempo territory, while also encompassing black metal influences and synths too while, ‘I, The Intellectual’ follows with a much more heavily layered approach musically. The pace of ‘We Are No More’ is out of this world, especially during the opening bars. It’s the percussion that creates that pace and it carries on throughout the song, adding an extra layer of extremity to the recording. The succinctly titled ‘Death’ is apt as well because it leans much more towards death metal, which Gates Open perform brilliantly in their own style.
Closing out their debut with ‘Northern Dark’, Gates Open provide one final high-octane blast of quality death/thrash. Finland has always had a unique and experimental take on extreme music, and while Gates Open do tap into that sound on Voice After Silence, they also pay great homage to the more straightforward death metal sound the aforementioned Children Of Bodom and also Norther. This is a strong debut overall and Gates Open will surely go on to develop their sound further. A great starting point.
You can stream and purchase Voice After Silence digitally via bandcamp below:-
Gates Open - https://www.facebook.com/gatesopenband
Inverse Records - https://www.facebook.com/inverserecords
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