This is much different than most other Hate Forest releases. Instead of a blistering, hateful, BM assault, you get over 30 min of pure atmosphere.

This is much different than most other Hate Forest releases. Instead of a blistering, hateful, black metal assault, you get over thirty minutes of pure atmosphere. I think that stuff like this is interesting to listen to once in a while, but it won't find its way into the rotation often.

The first track, 'Where the Flame is Eternal' lives up to its name. After the sound of a rickety wooden gate swinging open, harsh winds whip and a roaring fire crackles for nearly twenty minutes. The 'song' exudes an aura of complete desolation. The second track, 'In Cold Empty Darkness' has about eight minutes of repetitive riffing with keyboards occasionally fading in and out. When the guitars fade away, the sound of a beating heart will fill your ears for about five minutes. As you can see from this, this is not a tape for people who are easily bored.

'The Gates' is a great release for people who want to imagine they're off in the nothernmost wilderness alone. It can almost only be listened to by yourself in complete darkness and silence. So basically, if you're the type of person who wants straightforward black metal destruction with limited filler, steer clear of this one.

Additional Details

Label: Folter Records

Genre: Metal

Run Time: 32:54 mins

Region: 0

Release Date: 11/08/24

UPC: 4260149121622