If you thought you were glad Saint Vitus is back together and touring, your joy can’t possibly compare to the trad-doom revelry on Indianapolis trio The Gates of Slumber’s fifth album, The Wretch (Rise Above/Metal Blade). A self-acknowledged “return to form” for the band, The Wretch is dark and almost equally weighted emotionally as it is tonally, and the songs deal with a range of pains both existential and physical, but one can’t help but feel in listening that for guitarist/vocalist Karl Simon, bassist Jason McCash and newfound drummer J “Cool” Clyde Paradis, there isn’t a bit of the proverbial “pig in shit” happening as well. It’s hard to pull of doom this good without knowing how much you love Sabbath, Vitus, Pentagram, Trouble and the rest of the genre’s forebears.

Doubtless the addition of Paradis as replacement for “Iron” Bob Fouts (now of Apostle of Solitude) is part of what has allowed The Gates of Slumber to make a stylistic turn from the barbaric metal of their last two breakthrough offerings, Hymns of Blood and Thunder (2009) and Conqueror (2008), and Simon himself agrees in his liner notes. Paradis handles the slow material excellently, accenting the riffs and playing off McCash’s bass with both power and fluidity, and given his apparently propensity for touring, I’d be hard pressed to call him anything less than a perfect fit for what The Gates of Slumber are doing on The Wretch. As someone who had to see the band live before really understanding the appeal of their albums, it was always the doom side of their sound I enjoyed the most (big surprise), and so the eight songs here, even the shorter, faster cuts like “To the Rack with Them” and “Coven of Cain,” are a welcome shift toward the downtempo, beyond the melancholic and into the truly depressive.

For Simon and McCash, that’s the aforementioned return to form, but it’s worth noting that although The Wretch may tread ground The Gates of Slumber have covered before (as have many others), the album is hardly more redundant than is called for. Simon pulls out his best Wino impression on the “I Bleed Black”-esque opener “Bastards Born,” but rather than think of it is a ripoff or something being passed off as original, it’s so obvious an homage and so clearly heartfelt in its tribute that I’m completely along for the ride from the start. And for what it’s worth, The Wretch sounds fantastic. The album was produced by Jaime Gomez Arellano at Orgone Studio in London, and there’s just the right balance of separation between the instruments and cohesion of the album as a whole. McCash’s bass tone is a constant high point – again, something that factors in right away on “Bastards Born” – and Simon’s vocals are balanced well in the mix, clearly displaying his growth as a singer, but not at the cost of pulling attention away from the Iommian riffage on “The Scourge ov Drunkenness.”

Whatever speed the song, The Wretch maintains its heft, and clocking in at a well-rounded 55:55 (who’s counting?), it can be a lot to take in a single sitting. Seriously. Even if you go in for traditional doom and gloom, there’s a lot about The Gates of Slumber’s material here that’s just hard to take. There isn’t so much a monstrous plod to the grooving progressions as there is a hopeless skulk. It comes in the second half of “The Scourge ov Drunkenness” (does it ever) after the opener and is contrasted by the more rocking “To the Rack with Them,” but it’s never completely gone from the atmosphere of the album. Paradis seems to keep that feel to his playing despite any tempo changes, and where some drummers might inject needless fills into transitional riffs and start-stops, he sits back and allows Simon and McCash’s contributions the necessary breathing room. “To the Rack with Them” is all the more effective owing to this. The song is neither showy nor silly, and it seems to be coming to a halt in each alternating riff cycle of its verse, so that even with the quicker tempo, it maintains its downer sensibility.

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It took me a while to catch onto Indianapolis doomers (they’re almost too big to be called “doom” at this point) The Gates of Slumber, but now, watching them make good is both refreshing and reaffirming that there is life out there for this scene. Before the ink on their latest album, Hymns of Blood and Thunder is even dry, the trio, which includes a new drummer, are on the road with Cathedral and already talking about a follow-up, which is set to be recorded in the UK this month.

The PR wire had plenty to say on the subject:

The Gates of Slumber will enter England’s Orgone Studios with producer Jaime Gomez Arellano (Ghost, Angel Witch) later this month to lay down tracks for their forthcoming new album. The follow up to the Indianapolis trio’s critically acclaimed LP Hymns of Blood and Thunder will see a Spring 2011 release via Rise Above Records.

The Gates of Slumber recently announced the addition of new drummer, “Cool Clyde” Paradis into their ranks. A New Orleans native and Hurricane Katrina survivor, Paradis joins The Gates of Slumber hot off stints in Sourvein, Substance Abuse and the New Orleans blues act T-bone and The Rhythm Makers.

“The new music is taking on a more troglodyte doom metal feel,” The Gates of Slumber frontman/guitarist Karl Simon. “With Clyde now in the band, the feel of things was bound to change; he’s not only a different drummer, but from a totally different school of thought with regards to the drums. It’s no secret that Saint Vitus‘ shuddering doom crawl was the root that inspired this band and we’d both felt that over three albums we’d taken the raw epic feel as far as we could. Now, it’s time to get back to basics, shed some of the bulk and get ugly again. No warriors this time, no acoustic guitars, no keyboards, no lofty Nietzschean ideals. Just black bile and a bit of the old “White Magic/Black Magic.”

The Gates of Slumber are currently in the midst of a European tour as hand-picked support for legendary doom rockers, Cathedral. The trek will run through 11/20 in Paris, France. Additionally, the band have been confirmed as one of the featured acts for the 2011 Roadburn Festival, set to take place April 14-16 in Tilburg, Netherlands.

The Gates of Slumber tour dates:
11/11 Pratteln, Switzerland Z7
11/12 München, Germany Backstage
11/13 Pinarella di Cervia, Italy Rock Planet
11/14 Rome, Italy Init Club
11/17 Madrid, Spain Heinekin
11/18 Barcelona, Spain Razzmatazz 2
11/19 Belfort, France La Pouderie
11/20 Paris, France La Nouveau Casino

Here’s to the weekender. Friend of the working band, boon for the fanbase and in some cases, the only time anyone not in a given act’s locality ever gets to see them. That’s not the case with Indianapolis doomers The Gates of Slumber, but I’m nonetheless going to take advantage and check them out as they swing East this coming weekend, new drummer in tow. Ever vigilant, the PR wire has this:

The Gates of Slumber has announced autumn US tour dates in support of its critically-lauded album Hymns of Blood & Thunder. The Indianapolis power trio will kick off the string of shows on Oct. 14 in Richmond, VA, and will perform in Baltimore, Brooklyn, NY, and Pittsburgh over the course of the short run of dates.

The upcoming tour dates will also serve as the introduction of The Gates of Slumber’s new drummer, “Cool Clyde” Paradis. A New Orleans native and Hurricane Katrina survivor, Paradis joins The Gates of Slumber hot off stints in Sourvein, Substance Abuse and the New Orleans blues act T-Bone and the Rhythm Makers.

The Gates of Slumber tour dates:
10/14 Richmond, VA Triple Triangle Lounge
10/15 Baltimore, MD Sidebar Tavern (* As part of Defenders of the Old fest w/ Revelation, Acid Queen, October 31, etc.)
10/16 Brooklyn, NY Union Pool (w/ Hour of 13)
10/18 Pittsburgh, PA 31st Street Pub

I was on some other stoner rock blog or site somewhere the other day (really, I don’t remember which one it was), and I saw something that called Indianapolis — from whence The Gates of Slumber hail — the new hotbed of American doom. Now, don’t get me wrong, I think The Gates of Slumber and Apostle of Solitude are just ducky, but come on. Really? I’ll maybe grant you that the Midwest in general has a vibrant and developing crop of bands, but I don’t think 20 years from now we’ll be talking about the Indiana scene with the kind of reverence with which we now speak of Maryland. Maybe I’m wrong.

Whatever the case, The Gates of Slumber are headed west for a run of dates that will take them into June, playing with the likes of Slough Feg and the ubiquitous Black Cobra. The tour is sponsored by All that is Heavy and Hellride — not The Obelisk, thanks for asking — which this poster confirms:

The deal was basically that I was going to drive back from Maryland to catch one of two shows, though even as I made my way out of Sparks where I’d been staying, I wasn’t 100 percent sure which. Short story shorter, Pentagram in Philly won out over Mighty High/The Brought Low in Brooklyn, and given the events to be detailed in the second part of this review, I’m glad it did.

We’ll get there.

I’d never been to the Starlight Ballroom before, but its name being so similar to Jersey‘s own Starland Ballroom, I was perhaps prejudiced against it from the start, even if only on a subconscious level. Any regular attendees out there should be well familiar with pre-made excuses for being an asshole. Well, there’s another one.

Serpent Throne was on when I walked in, the native instrumental stoner act chosen from out of the ether to open the show. It was early, around 8:30, and the place was mostly empty. The Solace guys were hanging out in the crowd, The Gates of Slumber too. Both bands waiting their turn to kick ass as the audience grew in number and intoxication.

In the second part at least, I also count myself. And though it started innocently enough with living the High Life, all smiles and laughs and appreciation for what was to take place on the stage, by the time The Gates of Slumber were finished and Pentagram were getting started, my buzz had morphed into that special kind of belligerence and nastiness that’s both embarrassing and shameful. I was at the show with a friend whose patience I’ve tried far more times than intended. It’s hard to be an asshole.

I’m getting ahead of myself. When Jersey natives Solace were on stage, it was still the land of smiles and good times. As ever, Solace were amazingly heavy, the double guitars sounding massive through the surprisingly large Starlight Ballroom, and Keith Ackerman‘s destructive force on the drums not to be forgotten. It wasn’t the best I’d ever seen them (though if you asked me what was, I don’t think I’d have a specific answer; likely it occurred in a smaller room), but they gave a great showing as few bands can.

All the while, more beer. Hadn’t been my original intent to drink myself to a point much past sobriety, but I did, and while The Gates of Slumber were on stage, once again impressing is a way that I’m beginning to see more and more as their own, I and my compadre began handing out fliers for a show of our own back in Jersey that’s coming up. Seems simple enough.

We went outside and put them on cars, came back in and put them on tables, etc. Normal flier protocol. By the time The Gates of Slumber finished, the word had been spread. Soon, shortly after Pentagram went on, a young woman in a Kill Hannah hoodie (minus points) came up to my friend holding several of the fliers and said, “Are these yours?” He said they were, and was promptly told that we couldn’t hand them out inside the building because they advertised another venue.

Sounded like bullshit to me. And even more right then. I’ll cut to the end (in no small part for my own sake) and say I didn’t make enough of a scene to get kicked out, but having paid $25 for a ticket and already spent over $100 on beer and merch, leaving some pieces of paper around at the show didn’t seem too much to ask, especially when the “other venue” being advertised was more than two hours away from the Starlight Ballroom. But you know, some situations just don’t call for being a dick.

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And if I may say so myself, that’s pretty badass. Here’s the PR wire infos:

Two of doom metal?s most acclaimed acts will team up for a two week US tour this winter as the legendary Pentagram joins forces with celebrated ?True Heavy Metal? band The Gates of Slumber. The 11 city tour will launch on January 15, 2010 in Springfield, VA.

Pre-sales for the Pentagram / The Gates of Slumber 2010 US tour go on sale Friday, November 13 [Gads! That’s today! –ed.]. The initial routing for the trek is as follows:

January 15 Springfield, VA, Jaxx
January 16 Philadelphia, PA, Polaris
January 17 New York, NY, B.B. King Blues Club
January 18 Richmond, VA, The Hat Factory
January 21 New Orleans, LA, The Howlin’ Wolf
January 23 Atlanta, GA, The Masquerade
January 26 Des Moines, IA, Vaudeville
January 27 Madison, WI, High Noon
January 28 Cleveland, OH, Peabody’s
January 29 Detroit, MI, Blondie’s
January 30 Chicago, IL, Empty Bottle

Indianapolis trad doomers The Gates of Slumber have their sound in the key of epic. On their latest album and first for Rise Above Records, Hymns of Blood and Thunder (reviewed here), the trio craft a heavy metal classic in the grand tradition of both the grand and the traditional. Guitarist/vocalist Karl Simon, bassist Jason McCash and drummer “Iron” Bob Fouts capitalize in every way on the success of 2008’s Conqueror, as though this album were built on the foundation of its predecessor. As Simon reveals in the extensive interview below, in many ways it was.

Speaking of revelations (no, this isn’t a Christian thing), at the very beginning of our interview, in what would normally be mundane cordialities not worth printing, Simon and I wound up discussing how he makes his living. Given the noble nature of his work and the fact that I think it’s an interesting read, it’s staying in. You can decide the relevance for yourself.

In either case, please enjoy the Q&A after the jump.

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Just about everything concerning Indianapolis traditional doomers The Gates of Slumber is heavy, from their look (there is nothing more metal than a skullet, and I say that completely without irony or facetiousness) to their riffs, to the artwork and medieval brutality of their lyrics. Seriously, these guys are fucking metal. No counterpoint necessary.

I wasn?t a big fan of Conqueror, their last album, which was released by Profound Lore in 2008 and turns out to have been their breakthrough, but after spending some time with their Rise Above debut, Hymns of Blood and Thunder, and particularly after seeing them live with Zoroaster on the North America is Doomed Tour, I?ve been given a new context in which to understand and appreciate what they?re doing. When these dudes rock out like Candlemass, it?s not retro silliness or hipster bullshit. They might just be the guys who wear Cirith Ungol shirts and actually own the records.

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