To be a gatekeeper in metal is generally frowned upon as elitist these days, to the point where my favorite Awenden / Feminazgul shirt has the phrase “impale the gatekeepers on spears and leave them posted alongside your path as a warning to others” on the back. 

Gatekeeper from British Columbia whom we will be discussing today are much more likely named after some weird, Terry Brooks-esque gnome who stands guard over a vine-strangled gate in some mostly forgotten past rather than referring to dusty, internet chuds who want to keep black metal bigoted or homphobic, or scene cloutsters who will tell a kid who likes Korn that he isn’t allowed at a show.

Continuing with glory-riding epic heavy metal releases that feature art with vaguely gatelike or natural elements sort of beckoning or maw-yawning for adventurers, like The Sword were travel agents, Gatekeeper offer well written melodic heavy metal fit for many a tabletop roleplaying soundtrack. Certain moments of this release are just next-level metal might. The band prove actions are louder than words by being louder than life itself and very talented. This alone is enough to win anyone over gravitating to their brand of metal. 

I wish the very clean production had a bit less super bright feel and loud drum sound at times and more of a vintage, Uriah Heep ala The Magician’s Birthday type retro feel or was a touch dirtier like most Slough Feg or Cirith Ungol‘s magnificent Forever Black. That said, the record certainly conveys the power and might of the band and if you like pristine production it sound huge and amazing. 

The title-track charges admirably with an upper mid-tempo pace and a balanced sense of pro-vocal restraint versus pure fervor. ‘Twisted Towers’ seems to reference the strange spires on the artwork and will likely swing just a bit harder live, full of top-notch guitar heroics, rallying “woahs” and piercing highs. 

‘Nomads’ would be my choice for a single, memorable vocal refrain hooks and just beastly levels of musicianship from everyone involved and a stunning, thunderous bridge and post-bridge that ranks as maybe the best thing the group has ever pulled off. Jeff Black and Adam Bergen‘s guitars defy gravity and Thomas Torma particularly creates percussive earthquakes on this song. 

‘Keepers Of The Gate’ is clearly meant to serve as a mini-anthem for the band itself, darkly majestic in the opening surge of riffing and fully determined to convert you to the band’s metallic crusade. The band manages Manowar-worthy metal cheerleading with such conviction that it transcends cheese and instead buries hooks and a sharpened axe directly between your eyes. The pre-solo build up section sort of hearkens to the rapid-fire intensity of Manowar’s ‘Outlaw’ and gives way to jaw-dropping and deftly woven lead work that is drool worthy before a halftime, heartfelt dirgy section to die on the battlefield for. The song ending insanely high war cry literally sounds like Tyler Anderson is some insane paladin nutting after slaying a chromatic dragon. 

All I can say is that any fans of the band will be hugely pleased as you can tell the group worked extremely hard to create something that would stand the test of time and document their sound. I cannot admonish that, even if personally I am a bit more of a fan of a rougher, more edgy live sound than “studio” sounding documents. This, however, is a professional time-capsule song collection and not a beer-soaked meeting hall out of Beowulf where anything goes. It is a focused, golden-helmed conquest. 

Buy the album here:

https://gatekeeper.bandcamp.com/album/from-western-shores

8 / 10 

MORGAN Y. EVANS