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I came across Gates of Winter through a podcast. The
song I had heard was 'Winter Flight', a song that, in one
word, made me feel 'released'. And that's the kind of feel
I got throughout the whole album. Right from the start of
the album, one can tell that this band's intention is go
STRAIGHT for the listener's mood. Their songwriting is VERY
emotion-oriented, something that I find lacking in most
progressive metal bands, who are busy showing off their
technical prowess and superior education in music. ***
Gates of Winter may not come across as progressive
to someone who's definition of 'progressive' is based on
music by bands like Dream Theater and Andromeda. No. Don't
expect ridiculously brain-jarring time signatures and beat
skips OR virtuosic technique. So what makes them progressive?
Well their ability to change rhythms frequently and constantly
make the listener feel like he/she is part of the story
they are trying to tell. And they CAN tell stories. Case
in point: the 'Burning Kingdom' trilogy. The way the 1st
part, 'A Dark Affliction' begins, sets the tone running
for part 2 and finally closes with the instrumental part
3 that shares its name with the album title, bears testimony
to their storytelling prowess. ***
Another highlight of this album is that there is never
a dull moment. This is something that many progressive metal
bands have not been able to master. Gates of Winter ensure
that their songs do not drag on unnecessarily, clocking
at 11-15 minutes JUST for the sake of being called 'progressive'.
Hence one never feels that the same riff is being repeated
for too long, or that the lead guitarist can stop his 5-minute
long wankery already. Also, this band has a VERY solid backing
rhythm. None of those 'falsely promising-sounding intro'
problems here. ***
All in all, this is a wonderful album. The production
though, DOES give away the fact that it is self-released
because of the unusual prominence of the bass. No matter,
it is still a piece of art. No matter what kind of a bad
day one has had, one can be assured that he will feel total
bliss for those 49 minutes and 44 seconds that this album
runs for.
A few of my favourites: -
Winter Flight
-From the Flesh
-Burning Kingdom II-
Heavenly Insurgence -
Omega
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