Just in on the PR wire is the good news that Indianapolis traditional doomers The Gates of Slumber have finished their new album, dubbed Hymns of Blood and Thunder. The way I see it, this is the make or break record for these guys, where they either fall into trendy retro lameness or basically become this generation’s Saint Vitus. Should go without saying where my hopes lie. Here’s the abridged press release:

Critically acclaimed ?True Heavy Metal? band The Gates of Slumber has completed work on its new studio album, Hymns of Blood & Thunder.? The album is slated to drop in North America on September 13, 2009 via Rise Above Records.

Recorded in Chicago?s Semaphore Studios with producer Sanford Parker (Nachtmystium, Pelican), The Gates of Slumber unleashes its holy grail in the formidable Hymns of Blood & Thunder.? A mighty document of both powerful songwriting and instrumental skull-crushing, the album is heavy and chillingly bleak; in an almost unrelenting way that hasn’t been heard since Judas Priest‘s heyday (Sad Wings of Destiny, Sin After Sin, etc.).? Displaying a powerful focus and direction and demonstrating a very compelling emotional range, THE GATES OF SLUMBER have upped its levels of both technique and melody, resulting in an album that is at once frighteningly dark in its effect, tight in its grooves and unrivaled in its sheer power.

The final track listing for Hymns of Blood & Thunder is as follows:

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