GATES TO HELL – “Death Comes To All” LP

An adrenaline-soaked dose of heaviness. Since forming in Louisville, Kentucky these guys have been rapidly climbing up the ranks of contemporary Death metal. Interwoven in their brand of metal are a tonne of distant references  to classic old school headbangers – Slayer, Cannibal Corpse, Entombed, Dismember, Immolation –  but Gates To Hell incorporate their influences into a distinct sound of their own (which, sadly, is not as common within death metal, at all, where the reoccurring sameyness can really exhaust your enthusiasm). Band photo = half long hair, half short – hardcore in the DNA, (similar to Nails and Fuming Mouth). Trad death metallers may find the energetic aggression a bit much for their delicate palettes; whereas hardcore fans are going to embrace all the pinch harmonics, breakdowns, grind-blasts and, with ten songs in just 21 minutes, the no-nonsense brevity of this album, too.