Gates of Hell Records

Receiver – Whispers of Lore Review

By GardensTale on November 14, 2023 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, 45 comments

“Despite Iron Maiden being my entry point into metal, NWoBHM has never really been a mainstay in my catalog. Maybe it’s because so few bands could live up to my first flame. Maybe it’s because after my Maiden voyage, I dropped right into the rapids of melodic death metal and it took a while before I rediscovered the appeal of not having harsh vocals. Whatever the case, traditional metal frequently languished on my personal side-line, and it doesn’t deserve that. Perhaps I can make some amends shining a little spotlight on Receiver, a new band with an old sound, hailing from the ever-contested island of Cyprus.” Defend the Isle of Olde!

Maule – Maule Review

By Huck N Roll on January 31, 2022 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, NWOBHM, 29 comments

“I’m starting my year off on a positive note. In my Top Ten(ish) column (along with many others) one commenter opined about our lack of love for melodic stuff. I really took that statement to heart and decided that for January it’s only traditional and glam metal for this olde cat. So here we go, with a new creation born on Canada’s west coast, Maule. Touting themselves as part of the new wave of traditional heavy metal, they intend to gallop their way into our hearts with churning rhythms, rousing choruses, and rather pleasant Canadian personalities.” Take off, eh?

Blazon Rite – Endless Halls of Golden Totem Review

By Steel Druhm on May 25, 2021 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, 24 comments

“As spring slowly gives way to a hopefully post-Covid summer, thoughts turn to sunshine, sand, and SWORDS! Yes, summertime is when a young man longs to launch campaigns of conquest and quaff strange brews from the skulls of mortal enemies. Philly-based trve metal ensemble Blazon Rite timed their debut full-length to hit right when the urge to pillage begins to take hold, and Endless Halls of Golden Totem promises olde timey, proto-metal worship hopelessly stuck in the early 80s with Cirith Ungol and Manilla Road influences present and accounted for.” Don’t count your totem until they’re defiled.

Sölicitör – Spectral Devastation Review

By Holdeneye on April 27, 2020 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, Speed Metal, 93 comments

“2019 was a dream for me when it came to reviews: nearly 20% of the albums I covered were released by bands within 150 miles of my house, and of those several can be found in my own Puget Sound area of Western Washington. Quayde LaHüe and Mortiferum impressed me, and the now infamous “Skelator Incident” induced heretofore unseen levels of arousal and nearly resulted in my actual firing from this site. Naturally, I couldn’t resist the temptation to grab the debut of Seattle’s Sölicitör.” Criminal sölicitatiön.

Traveler – Termination Shock Review

By Huck N Roll on April 24, 2020 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, NWOBHM, Speed Metal, 44 comments

“We here in Calgary have the reputation of being a bunch of gas-guzzling, oil-loving, separatist-bent, racist rednecks (95% incorrect 92% of the time), but we also have some excellent bands. Woodhawk, Wake, Chron Goblin, and Gone Cosmic, to name a few. Local upstarts Traveler look to join this exalted pantheon of local heavy music gods, and their debut, last year’s Traveler, was a fine first step.” Olde trails.

TerrifianT – Terrifiant Review

By Huck N Roll on February 17, 2020 in 2020, Belgian Metal, Gates of Hell Records, Heavy Metal, Reviews, Speed Metal, Heavy Metal, Speed Metal, 27 comments

“Nothing lasts forever. Despite having a very sweet opening run to 2020, I knew that I’d come back down to earth. Three ‘very good’ albums in a row, featuring strong songwriting, production, and vocals, was honestly more than I could have hoped for. Eventually, the system will reset itself, and something mundane will drip down the basement pipes to my desk. Enter TerrifianT, who, yes, capitalize that last ‘T.'” Terror with a capital T.

Skelator – Cyber Metal Review

By Holdeneye on June 13, 2019 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Speed Metal, Thrash Metal, 88 comments

“I stand before you today to confess two great sins. First, I was not allowed to watch He-man growing up, so you will not be treated to the appropriate level of jokes that this band name demands. Alas, I’m neither the writer that you want nor the one that you deserve. Secondly, despite living in the Seattle area for my entire life, I had never heard of local band Skelator until stumbling upon them in the promo bin the other day. I was far too busy with real life circumstances to take on a review for this week, but the combination of the band’s location and my physiological response to hearing the advance track required me to reprioritize my life.” Cause you had to be a He-Man, dincha?

Pulver – Kings Under the Sand Review

By Master of Muppets on May 22, 2019 in 2019, Gates of Hell Records, German Metal, Heavy Metal, Reviews, Heavy Metal, 44 comments

“Things have been rather hectic here at the Hall as ov late. N00blings are blossoming into semi-functional writers, eagerly frittering about with their promos clasped to their chests and causing general chaos as they run amok. Adding further confusion to the fray, THE SYSTEM… IS DOWN; our website maintenance platform has been as cooperative as Julian Assange, thrusting our fabled Sentynel into a battle that has left vast digital bedlam in its wake. Amidst this sea of gleefully scurrying hordes and flames, order is nowhere to be found. In all this madness, I heard a voice cry out, choked and rasping from ash and years of hobo wine: ‘One of you overrating bastards better cover Pulver, or I’ll see to it that Madam X haunts you to the end of your Jørn-forsaken lives!'” Consequences and repercussions.

Chevalier – Destiny Calls Review

By Eldritch Elitist on May 7, 2019 in 2019, Finnish Metal, Gates of Hell Records, Heavy Metal, Reviews, Speed Metal, Heavy Metal, Speed Metal, 38 comments

“Speed metal is something of an oddity in the vast expanse of metal subgenres. Where most styles have endured through the decades, speed metal was more of a stepping stone to the birth of thrash than anything else, its caffeinated take on heavy metal giving way to something crunchier and more easily classifiable. Perhaps this was for the best, as I can’t think of a single instance where speed metal ever matched the best that either trad or thrash metal has to offer. This hasn’t stopped what I’ve decided to dub the Sneaky Scandinavian Speed Metal Revival, however.” No one expects the SSSMR!

Traveler – Traveler Review

By Huck N Roll on February 25, 2019 in 2019, Canadian Metal, Gates of Hell Records, Heavy Metal, NWOBHM, Proto-Metal, Retro Metal, Reviews, Heavy Metal, NWOBHM, Retro Metal, 52 comments

“Another month, another retro band dropping an album on our doorstep. Do we need more retro bands? Actually, we need more of every kind of band, if they’re capable of writing great songs. That will be the key here, as local (to me) boys Traveler aim to blow the lid off the retro/proto scene with eight songs of caffeine-injected, high-energy metallic romps down memory lane. In this case, if that lane had a name, it would be Manilla Road (see what I did there?).” Olde but still getting around.