Thy Gate Beyond: Enemy At The Gates

Thy Gate Beyond are a long established Italian Speed/Thrash Metal act with a desire to keep things simple. Good, but simple. If you're a fan of Thrash the way it was pioneered by the mighty Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax and you still hanker for simpler days when a band was content to turn their amp up to eleven, place their foot firmly on the monitor and riff as though their very lives depended on it, then Thy Gate Beyond will be a band you'll want to investigate. From that list of the "Big Four" the At The Gates album leans heaviest on early Slayer for inspiration (if a blatant copying of a style can really be classed as inspiration...) although first two album Anthrax is never far away either. Add to that a juggernaut of Overkill and a Satanising of Mercyful Fate and really you could drop into this album at any point and feel right at home.

Suggesting that Thy Gate Beyond are even close to being in the same class as the leaders of this original pack would be complete fantasy, but then to deny that I haven't thoroughly enjoyed the blast from the past they serve up, would be an equally large fallacy. The album's title track bludgeons from the outset, while "Back From Thy Gate Beyond" borrows heavily from the staccato style the 'Tallica made their own with "For Whom The Bell Tolls". While a tad more theatrical flash hints at a dash more of King Diamond's old band mates on the more refined "For Whom The Storm Evokes". It is however the wonderful chant along of "Under Iron Skies" that claims best track honours through the merits of having irresistible spoken gargled vocals. To be honest, vocally things are far from original but in this day and age of growls and screams, the unashamedly old school approach is surprisingly refreshing. "Bonus" track "Parabellum" closes things out in fine style, although even with its inclusion this CD is only ten shortish songs in length. Another welcome nod to the past.

If you're looking for bands willing and able to push genre boundaries and invent new innovative musical fusions, look away, as Thy Gate Beyond are old school. They're good at it and they're loving it!

Track Listing
1. 1942
2. Enemy at the Gates
3. The Blade in My Flesh
4. Back from Thy Gate Beyond
5. For Whom the Storms Evoke
6. My Brain Is Dead… Reactivate It's Too Late
7. Under Iron Skies
8. The Culprit Chaos
9. Horror Paradise
10. Parabellum

Added: June 14th 2013
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: SG Records
Hits: 2326
Language: english

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