Depending on who you ask, the modern state of heavy metal itself is either in surprisingly good shape, doing adequate, or it’s in the worst state that the genre has ever found itself in. Many, if not most, of us have grown up with the big heavy metal greats as our core influences for our tastes in metal as we have them today, but it is as those acts retire and age that the question of succession comes into play for many different reasons. Who will be the names to take up the mantle of modern, living greats for the world of heavy metal when our legends have sadly passed? I am of the opinion that the state of heavy metal is in very capable hands with there being nothing stopping the continuation of true, undeniable glory so long as these active bands continue down the path that they’re traveling. Not for nothing, Gatekeeper is slowly becoming a name as a contender for being amongst that high pantheon of promising new acts with their latest creation only pushing them along that route of awesome glory!

Despite this only being the band’s second full-length creation since their first release ten years ago with it being five years since their first full-length, Gatekeeper isn’t a name that needs any sort of introduction should you have been paying any sort of attention to the modern state of the underground over the last few years. “East of Sun” and “Grey Maiden” are constantly for heavy metal stalwarts today with many comparing them to the likes of Visigoth, and I don’t blame them! Any promise and potential that Gatekeeper has thrown down before today have come to beautiful fruition with the eight tracks of “From Western Shores” a certifiable cementation of Gatekeeper’s undeniable rise that shows this Canadian act is far more than a mere bag of decent riffs and emulation. Rather, Gatekeeper is heading down a path all of its own, driven by its love for the fantastical side of heavy metal with nothing left to chance and no opportunity spared the chance for true excellence be it with galloping rhythms, thunderous drums, soaring vocals, ripping solos, or captivating backdrops that effortlessly bring every inch of “From West Shores” to life in exquisite detail. This is the sort of album that legends build their foundations off of. Even though the argument can be made that this record is a simple recreation of many works that have come before it, I can only beg to differ. Gatekeeper does not outright steal from its predecessors but, rather, takes their love and reverence for all that has come before them to then reproject it all forward with its own vision and its own artistic desires to bring forth a record that never once compromises the core ideals of heavy metal itself while continuously showing us just how adept that Gatekeeper is at its magnificent craft.

I have no question in my mind whatsoever that “From Western Shores” is destined to become an undeniable highlight in heavy metal in 2023 if not the highlight so long as bands along the lines of Visigoth or other similar contemporaries don’t along for a proper challenge. Even if they do, the very power and tenacity that Gatekeeper has brought forth in this creation is of the truly infectious sort with nothing standing in the band’s way as it continues an unmitigated rise through the underground to untold glory that they more than have a right to take for themselves!

LISTEN to “From Western Shores” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Gatekeeper on Facebook here.