On Hymns of Blood and Thunder, The Gates of Slumber take us down retro 70's & 80's heavy rock avenue, as they pay tribute to acts like Black Sabbath, Pentagram, and Saint Vitus with ten tracks of doomy metal & hard rock that might lack on originality but still does the trick if you are looking for some crushing sounds. So, if you're in the mood for some bruising stoner grooves, chances are you've come to the right place.
Plenty of huge power chords here and Ozzy influenced vocal wailings, especially on the Sabbath influenced stomp of "Death Dealer" and the slowed down dirge that is "Beneath the Eyes of Mars". There's even a bit of psychedelia here as well, which reminds a tad of contemporaries Witchcraft, that can easily be heard on the creepy "The Doom of Aceldama" and the near 11-minute "Descent into Madness". Just to mix things up a bit, the band even throws in some wild NWOBHM elements on the raging "Blood and Thunder', which is a nice change of pace.
Hymns of Blood and Thunder is a solid retro metal release, though you have to wonder if The Gates of Slumber are a little late to the game here, as this is a style that's become quite crowded in recent years. Despite that, this is a CD with plenty of doomy & groovy tunes to get your freak on with, so indulge if you are so inclined.
Oh, and fantastic cover art on this one!
Track Listing
- Chaos Calling
- Death Dealer
- Beneath the Eyes of Mars
- The Doom of Aceldama
- Age of Sorrow
- The Bringer of War
- Descent into Madness
- Iron Hammer
- The Mist in the Mourning
- Blood and Thunder
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