Year : 2013
Style : Heavy Metal , Power Metal
Country : Germany
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 176 mb
Bio:
SACRED GATE is a traditional heavy metal band from Mönchengladbach, West Germany, formed by Nicko Nikolaidis (guitars), Jim Over (vocals), both of Greek origin, and Holger Zimmermann (drums) in March 2008, but the musicians were not newcomers. They had been previously playing together in MADE OF IRON (formed in 1999), which originally was a cover band of Iron Maiden, but then started writing original material.Still as MADE OF IRON they released the first self-titled demo in December 2002 and the second demo "King of All Kings" in March 2003. In October 2003 Anger Of Metal Records released their 7'' EP "Made of Iron" which included the songs "Made of Iron" and "Fight for the Cross... Die for Jerusalem", that are still included in the SACRED GATE live sets. The first and only, again self-titled, full-length album of MADE OF IRON was released in December 2004 by the Greek label Sonic Age Records.Three years after the split of MADE OF IRON, the band members (except for the bass player) decided to have a fresh start, under the name of SACRED GATE. In October 2008 Peter Beckers joined, responding to an internet announcement of Nicko that the band was searching for a bass player. Christian Wolf joined the band in April 2010 and replaced Holger Zimmermann on the drums.SACRED GATE headlined several local shows in Germany, including a mini festival Metal Night Neuss.On 18th of November 2010 the band entered the Metallurgy Studio in Mönchengladbach and recorded 9 songs for their debut CD. However first, on 24th of September 2011, the band released their self-produced EP "Creators of the Downfall" that received very good critics and reviews from all over the world. The EP contained 3 studio songs (which would later be found on the band's first full-length) plus 3 live cuts.Meanwhile SACRED GATE caught the interest of Metal On Metal Records, that upon listening to the full album, titled "When Eternity Ends", offered the band a deal to release it in April 2012.A few weeks before the album release date SACRED GATE recruited the second guitarist, Rainer Schaffranietz (who played in a traditional heavy metal band METAL SWORD in the early '80s). He played three shows with SACRED GATE, but in the end the band decided to part ways with him."When Eternity Ends" was released on April 27th and is a perfect album for all those who love their metal the way it was back in the day: classic and without experimentations. Jim's charismatic vocals, dynamic, melodic and full of passion, Nicko's extravagant guitar work with fantastic solos, mighty riffs and double lead harmonies, Peter's remarkable bass lines and Christian's solid power drumming are the trademark of SACRED GATE. The catchy choruses, the impressive song structures and the intelligent lyrics prove the musical ability and potential of the band. The album received many great reviews and was most often compared to the works of IRON MAIDEN (especially circa "Seventh Son...") and to ICED EARTH.At the end of 2012 SACRED GATE recruited Björn Walde as the second guitar player. Before the official announcement was made in January 2013, Björn had played two concerts and with this battle test proven to be a the right and fitting choice. More shows were soon scheduled - the band was confirmed for 3 German festivals in 2013: Rage Against Racism in May, AUE Open Air in July and Metallergrillen in August.In the meantime, the work on the follow-up to "When Eternity Ends" continued. Many songs had been written much earlier, so the recording process of the second album started quite soon after the debut was out: in October 2012 and finalized in just one month.The sophomore album, entitled "Tides of War", scheduled for April 19th 2013 release through Metal On Metal Records, is a concept album about the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC. Not a surprising choice of subject, considering that 2 founding members (vocalist Jim and guitarist Nicko) have Greek origins. The new album is undoubtedly a more mature, more epic and more confident effort showing the band crystallizing their own style, and moving away a few steps from their main influence, IRON MAIDEN. The tale about the Spartans' and their allies' heroic fight for freedom is told in a really compelling way, not only through words, but also through music, with strong, melodic but rough vocals, outstanding guitar work and rock solid rhythm section.
Album:
Sacred Gate are a four-piece power metal act hailing from Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia Germany. Metal-On-Metal Records, Italy\’s finest merchants of underground true metal, have recently released TIDES OF WAR, the second full length album from Sacred Gate following up last year\’s \”When Eternity Ends\” LP and the self-released debut EP \”Creators Of The Downfall\”.TIDES OF WAR opens with a brief synthesized orchestral interlude leading into the slamming mid-tempo heavy metal thunder of \”The Immortal One\”. I found a lot of musical comparisons to Iron Maiden on the band\’s last LP \”When Eternity Ends\” but this track reminds me more of later era Running Wild than anything else. The crushing riffery of the title track follows and really showcases the soaring vocal range of lead singer Jim Overs. This tune has a slight Middle Eastern feel. Around the 4:18 mark Jim briefly incorporates a cleaner approach supplementing his gruffer approach and some progressive guitar breakdowns add to the dynamic range before the thematic sledgehammer riffs reprise towards the end of the track. \”Defenders (Valour Is In Our Blood)\” is an anthemic, up tempo rocker that will have you banging your head from the word go. The infectious dual lead guitars remind me of \”Screaming For Vengeance\” era Priest. \”\”Gates Of Fire\” opens with a double kick German power metal onslaught before giving way to galloping riffs and an infectious chorus that you\’ll find yourself humming when you least expect it. \”Never To Return\” is next and slows things down in favor of an acoustic nylon stringed guitar power ballad. This is a really well composed number unlike anything else on the disc, adding some variety to the mix. The all instrumental \”The Final March\” is an exercise in melodic metal mastery, with many twists and turns and some tasteful soloing from axeman Nicko Nikolaidis. \”Spartan Killing Machine\” is sure to go down as a live favorite. This song has the kind of chorus that makes you want to bang your fist in the air and push the person in front of you hard enough that they spill their beer everywhere. The pounding battle cries of the drums of war are employed on \”Path To Glory\” another battlefield call to arms summoning the battalions of steel to metal victory. Many of the tunes on TIDES OF WAR, this particular song included, are built around a monster chorus, and what else would you expect from the motherland of beer halls than a strong sing-a-long chorus that you and your buddies can belt out after a few? The album comes to a close with the epic \”The Battle Of Thermopylae\” a song that clocks in at just under thirteen minutes. Riff after riff of classic eighties heavy metal greet the listener as this progressive and extremely ambitious track further branches out ultimately covering a vast amount of musical territory in the process. If there was a lone track on the album that bared the strong Iron Maiden influence of the band\’s last album \”When Eternity Ends\” it would undoubtedly be this song.All in all, this is a solid offering from Sacred Gate. The album\’s production handled by Andy \”The Spartan\” Funke at Metallurgy Studio is top notch and very well produced. The cover artwork by artist JP Fournier is alright but far from being of the greatest covers on the Metal On Metal Records roster. It fits with the theme of the album title fine but probably could\’ve been more evolved had they gone with a different artist. The booklet is laid out very nicely as is the case with all Metal On Metal Releases – lyrics, band photo\’s, credits etc. all on full color glossy panels. The most important thing I can reference regarding TIDES OF WAR is this is the sound of a band coming into their own. On their last LP I recognized their enormous devotion to all things Iron Maiden and no one should fault this, but this new album finds a more mature sounding metal band that does not really need to copy other bands that much if at all. Sacred Gate have found their own unique niche in the pantheon of metaldom on TIDES OF WAR and I think we could all expect great things from this German outfit in the future.
Line Up:
Jim Overs - Vocals (2008-present) - See also: ex-Made of Iron
Peter Beckers - Bass (2008-present)
Nicko Nikolaidis - Guitars (lead) (2008-present) - See also: ex-Dark Creation, ex-God Among Mortals, ex-Made of Iron
Christian Wolf - Drums (2010-present)
Tracklist:
01. The Coming Storm 01:50 instrumental
02. The Immortal One 05:57
03. Tides of War 06:01
04. Defenders (Valour Is in Our Blood) 04:39
05. Gates of Fire 04:47
06. Never to Return 04:43
07. The Final March 05:53 instrumental
08. Spartan Killing Machine 05:22
09. Path to Glory 05:24
10. The Battle of Thermopylae 12:51
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