Review: “Voice After Silence” by Gates Open

“The world is a dark place. Gates Open tells stories about the darker side of the world and mankind, life and death. The gates are open, but where, you decide.” ~ Gates Open

What happens when two men with prior convictions in Down into Silence decide they want to write Melodic Death Thrash once more? They form a new vessel for their creative needs and call it Gates Open before laying out a blueprint for World domination. Hailing from Seinäjoki, Finland vocalist Tommi Manninen and multi instrumentalist Jere Neejärvi have been living, breathing, writing and recording music together since 2007 even though this project only officially came to life in early 2023. So what’s the promise? It’s of a record that covers a multitude of sins based on a Melodic Death Metal foundation with moments of Thrash and Black Metal nuances…

While they may brand themselves a Death Metal act, as opening cut “The Awakening” races out of the gate like Satan’s Pitbull after a bite of your fatted calf muscle there are distinctive flavours of the “Women And Children Last” era Murderdolls and Children Of Bodom. That rears its ugly head in the pounding drums, the pacing and energy of the rhythm guitar onslaught and song structure, which speaks volumes of the talents of multi instrumentalist of Jere Neejärvi, the point of difference being the brutal and yet catchy vocals from Tommi Manninen. It’s Black n’ Roll and it ain’t for the faint of heart or weak of mind. Chugging riffs bring “Let The Night Become Your Guide” to life like a corpse re-animated from beyond the grave by an otherwise lethal dose of adrenaline. A lyrical narrative that sounds like a low budget horror movie story works well while Neejärvi pulls out the first solo of the record in style and there is no two ways about it, these are songs that deserve a live audience. How they are going to go about doing that will certainly be interesting because there are no weak points in the armour of Neejärvi, his drumming in particular being very impressive. Rattling the bones with jackhammer footwork and sinister riffs “Till Death Unite Us” has the barbed edge of intent, another story told by the light of the full moon with venomous tongue. There is an air of familiarity about the riffs on this one which gives the song an instant appeal while the tempo makes it addictive listening, a spoken word moment and blistering solo the icing on the metaphorical cake.

A mid tempo cut that threatens to burst into flame at any given point “A Place Called Home” feels like it should come with a music video shot in a cemetery under the light of a full moon. Manninen’s strength of vocal performance as well as story telling capabilities shine ahead of a tasteful solo at the beating black heart of this one, the duo once again proving that they have what it takes within them to create some classics without any further assistance. The song named after the band (or vice versa?) “Gates Open” changes things a little with some clean guitar moments that allow the bass to come to the forefront of the sound in during verses. That adds a little melody while pushing the sinister atmospheric element a little more, the heavier ending and creak of the rusty gate a nice touch. “I, The Intellectual” has a blitzkrieg bounce about it with a slick groove laden main riff that is a headbangers delight, the face melting solo exactly what was needed to give it that searing moment of intensity. Repeating the earlier spoken word trick allows the final verse to hit that much harder while the tongue in cheek lyrics and Finnish accenting give this one bags of charm.

A chant-a-long chorus ensures that “We Are No More” stands out like a hammer smashed thumb, the whirlwind of percussive battery and scorching rhythmic dynamic making the hairs stand up on the back of the neck. Frenetic without being loose, the catchy nature of this beast will find you coming back for more time and time again because this one is more addictive than the latest designer drug and would have been well suited to being either an opening cut or title track. It’s that good. A palate cleansing moment then brings in “Death“, a cut which hits like a battering ram on a dealers door at dawn. Sombre and moody, Manninen’s scathing vocals bite like a vampire at the neck, the heavier mid cut rhythms and slick solo giving the dirge laden moments a real lift before the final onslaught rattles the cage. Last but by no means least “Northern Dark” closes the morgue chamber after singing the toe tag on this corpse in blood. A razor sharp and punchy little poison pen letter, this may not be a grand finale in the conventional sense but it does have the boldest solo and is a distinctive stone cold winner. All of that means that strangely enough the song from which the band take their name is arguably the only weak link on a record that sounds like the smell of fresh napalm in the morning. There is nothing quite like it, is there? [8.5/10]

Track Listing

1. The Awakening
2. Let The Night Become Your Guide
3. Till Death Unite Us
4. A Place Called Home
5. Gates Open
6. I, The Intellectual
7. We Are No More
8. Death
9. Northern Dark

“Voice After Silence” by Gates Open is out 9th February 2024 via Inverse Records with pre-orders available over at bandcamp.