I have been waiting for this for some time. “From Western Shores”: more or less since 2019, when the Canadian Gatekeeper, that is, released their EP”Gray Maiden”, an appetizing snack that has only come a year since its excellent debut”East of Sun”(I told you about both here). Despite the changes in training – guitar and vocals – the recipe of ours remains consistent with the past, which for those who know them means only one thing: a muscle, rocky and epic cut heavy metal. In short, nothing new under the sun, but despite the latent predictability that emerges from time to time while listening to “From Western Shores”, our ability to keep attention alive must be recognized while remaining within the limits that orthodoxy Trve imposes. This is thanks to solid compositions, with a sanguine and passionate look and equipped with the right verve: enough to arrive more than satisfied at the end of listening. As for the new entrants, Tyler stands out for a less voice forced compared to Jean Pierre, clearer, while maintaining a background roughness that does not make the predecessor regret, while Adam’s guitar gives the quintet a more dynamic attitude and greater fluidity. This translates into a more concentrated work than the debut, with a ladder that despite greater homogeneity and the absence of crazy splinters (like the razors of “Blade of Cimmeria”, which I admit to missing) gains a lot in accessibility without losing too much robustness thanks to the perfect balance between vehemence and emphasis, reminding me of what was done some time ago by the Visigoth.
“From Western Shores”Opens with the sound of the waves that introduce the imposing title track: the rhythms are those marked by the evocative, powerful march, made of male melodies that offer the right to the advent of melodic choirs with an intense heroic perfume. “Death on Black Wings”Opens on a more dynamic riff: our slightly raise the engine rpm to create a beautiful buck, whose Maidenian references are reworked according to a more sanguine taste without losing sight of the melody. With the structured “Shadow and Stone”, on the other hand, the soil of muscle epicity is restored to limestone. The rhythms return square, insistent, skillfully mixing dilated phrasing and proud lyricism with sudden looming hammers. A languid but hopeful arpeggio opens “Exiled King”, Focused on the figure of Harald Hardrada. The piece maintains the features of the warlike march punctuated by rapid triumphal incursions, opening in a central section discharged, halfway between solemnity and dreamy melancholy before returning to the epos in time for the finale. “Nomads”Introduces sporadic emergency notes to the sound material of the Gatekeepers, even within a piece with mild rhythms, almost compassionate. The central slowdown opens to a solo section of effect, with progressive veins, capable of moving from languid indolence to the driving force before giving way to the stentorian ending again. A classically rock riff opens “Twisted Towers”, a proactive piece in which our people abandon the usual warlike task to indulge in a more brazen way. This creates an overactive, enveloping ride, which despite the not very fulminating rhythms does not remain still for a moment. “Desert Winds”Turns the handbrake to return to the most canonical tracks of the solemn march veined with a combative charge, emphasized here and there by the majestic choirs. The languid interlude breaks the tension, insinuating compacted melodies into the matrix of ours and mottling it with a hint of progressive before the end again emphatic. “From Western Shores”closes with the long”Keepers of the Gate”, dedicated to fans of the group. As might be expected, the track highlights the key elements of Canadians, between pulsating rhythms, majestic melodies and profusion triumphalism. The sudden surge that opens the second half transforms the piece into a beautiful ride, combative and heroic, only to return suddenly at more contained speeds in time for the climax on which the curtain falls.
“From Western Shores”Confirms the qualities of the Gatekeepers: by sacrificing the impulsiveness of the debut and removing some superfluous fat, the Canadians pack an organic and flowing work that maintains unaltered passion and desire to do and integrates them with the experience gained in these years. In short, a job in which heart and muscles are in the right place, which will certainly make all metal lovers happy.
ROKKERSPRESS 