The Gates of Slumber to Release Embrace the Lie Nov. 29; Title-Track Streaming
A quick fill from drummer Chuck Brown is all the ceremony The Gates of Slumber need to launch their studio return, as the title-track of their impending sixth album and first in 13 years, Embrace the Lie, soon unfolds with founding guitarist/vocalist Karl Simon dug wholly into the righteous Iommic doom on which the band cut their teeth in the aughts. “Embrace the Lie,” which also opens the record, is the first single to feature the new lineup of The Gates of Slumber, with Brown and bassist/vocalist Steve Janiak, both of whom handle guitar/vocals in Apostle of Solitude, and in its final verse as Janiak takes the lead vocal spot, it hints at new ideas taking shape in the band’s sound that one hopes will play out across the album to come.
The history of The Gates of Slumber is complex at this point, with Simon having put the band to rest in 2013 and the 2014 death of bassist Jason McCash, three years on from their till-now-final studio album, The Wretch (review here). Their 2019 reunion, which Simon discussed here, came after his founding of the band Wretch, which released a self-titled debut (review here) in 2016 and the next year followed up with the Bastards Born EP (discussed here). Embrace the Lie arrives as an endpoint for this winding path, and though The Gates of Slumber are moving forward with new players and a new album, their doom remains as downtrodden as ever, as “Embrace the Lie” hammers home its central thesis: we’re fucked.
The esteemed Svart Records will offer Embrace the Lie on Nov. 29, as the PR wire tells it:
The Gates of Slumber return with a new single out today, upcoming sixth album out in November via Svart Records
“I never intended to pick up with The Gates of Slumber ever again in 2014. While I did start the band and wrote most of the first album it was never intended to be a one man show.” -Karl Simon, 2024
Indiana’s True Doom Metal legends The Gates of Slumber return with a new album out on Svart Records in November. The self-titled album is the band’s first full length offering since The Wretch from 2011. First taste from the upcoming sixth album is out today. Listen to the new single Embrace the Lie, an ode to the lying news media and political talking heads, now.
The Gates of Slumber was formed by Karl Simon in 1998. Various people were in and out of the group between 1998 and 2001, when the Blood Encrusted Deth Axe demo was recorded with Jamie Walters of Boulder on drums and Dr. Phibes/Athenar (later to form the cult black metal band Midnight) on bass. In 2003 Jason McCash took over the bass duties and was a long-time member of the band until his untimely demise in 2014, after which Simon decided it was time to call it quits. That was until 2019 when the renowned metal festival Hell Over Hammaburg wanted to bring the band back on stage to perform at the festival’s 2020 edition. Simon reformed the band with its original member Chuck Brown on drums and Steve Janiak on bass and got back to work. “We’d been asked several times to play Hell Over Hammaburg. But there was no “we” to play. The germ of the idea started. We started re-learning songs from the first LP. It wasn’t too long into the rehearsals that we started coming up with new songs.”, states Simon.
After a reunion tour was finished, Covid kicked in to slow down the process. Half of the album was already written but the remaining half took its time, and the songs were left to stew in their juices. With bastard heavy songs honoring the Doom Metal greats Saint Vitus and Penance, straight forward bangers, lyrics inspired by the Black Death and John Carpenter’s The Fog, The Gates of Slumber is a truly crushing album and a must listen to any Doom Metal fanatic.
The Gates of Slumber is available on Svart exclusive black/white marble vinyl, limited transparent blue vinyl, black vinyl, CD, and digital platforms on November 29th, 2024.
20.09. The Gates Of Slumber – Embrace The Lie (Digital): https://orcd.co/embracethelie
29.11. The Gates Of Slumber – The Gates Of Slumber (LP/CD Pre-Order): https://www.svartrecords.com/en/product/the-gates-of-slumber-the-gates-of-slumber/12760
29.11. The Gates Of Slumber – The Gates Of Slumber (Digital Album Pre-Save): https://orcd.co/thegatesofslumber
https://www.facebook.com/thegatesofslumber/
https://www.instagram.com/thegatesofslumberdoom/
https://www.svartrecords.com/
https://www.facebook.com/svartrecords/
https://www.instagram.com/svartrecords/
Sweet. Looking forward to this album, but lack of Conan The Barbarian inspired art for the album cover is sad.