SOULDRAINER - Heavens Gate

This is the second album of the band, following their debut which was released back in 2007. The music of the band is a pleasant surprise, since they are based on Death Metal, but they incorporate enough elements to make their sound unique and interesting. Basically the band is playing Melodic Death Metal, borrowing enough elements from Amon Amarth, Hypocrisy and the likes, but along with that, there are enough keyboard, and background vocals, something that gives their sound a more eerie feeling. The music is well performed, with killer melodies, a solid rhythm section, and brutal singing, and is catchy enough to make you move your head along with the rhythm. Ideas are plenty and well explored, and sometimes the combination of all those ingredients is creating songs that stand high above the average Death Metal stuff. The use of atmospheric keyboards, background vocals, and melodic parts here and there gives an extra depth to their music, and makes it sound even more intriguing. There's enough talent in the band, both in the composing and the performing area, and is obvious through the whole album, with no fillers or less good moments. The production is excellent, heavy and distorted enough, and preserves the details of the music. Heavy guitars and groovy riffs co-exist with melodic keyboards and haunting vocals blend with growls, to create a result that sometimes is amazing. If you like the genre, and you won't mind the experiment, check them out.

9/10