The Gates of Slumber Hymns Of Blood And Thunder mp3

From the outset, The Gates of Slumber’s goal has been to take a sledgehammer to the original riffs of their influences like Black Sabbath and Saint Vitus.

Numerous albums, demos and compilation appearances built the Indianapolis trio a strong following in Europe over this decade. It wasn’t until last year that their third full-length, Conqueror, served as their first domestic release. It earned critical acclaim, landing on year-end best-of lists from the likes of Decibel magazine and The Village Voice.

Now The Gates of Slumber are poised to capitalize on that success with Hymns of Blood & Thunder. Out Sept. 29 on Lee Dorrian’s Rise Above Records, it takes this band’s hellhound sound to logical new heights.

The disc was recorded in full analog by Sanford Parker. It has the chasmal production values you’d expect from him. The rhythm section of bassist Jason McCash and drummer “Iron” Bob Fouts resounds with thundering precision more than ever. And the blackened, sorrowful soul that frontman Karl Simon exudes from both his voice and guitar is even more pronounced.

That’s especially the case on the lonesome, bastardized blues of tracks like “Descent Into Madness.” It blends perfectly with the lumbering ferocity of opener “Chaos Calling” and “Death Dealer”’s sinewy gallop, all of which never lose their penchant for melody. Even mood pieces like “Age of Sorrow” and the creepy chants of “The Mist in the Mourning” serve to accentuate the rest of the album’s battering-ram effect.

Those looking for calculus-level measures and abrupt time changes — along with other scene evolutions — won’t find it here. Hymns of Blood & Thunder belongs in a time capsule. It’s heavy metal in its purest form, before it split into a hundred sub-genres. It formidably proves these viking-looking dudes know what made people bang their heads and throw horn signs in the first place.

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