DOLMEN GATE
Gateways Of Eternity

In my short career as a reviewer I have now come across a second band from Portugal and it’s refreshing to see and hear metal music coming from some unexpected places. It shows that the message is being heard further and further afield.

The band in question is DOLMEN GATE, who are following up their very well received EP “Finis Imperii” from 2023 with their first full-length album “Gateways Of Eternity”, to be released via No Remorse Records on April 26th.

There are nine tracks on the album and none overstay their welcome, averaging between 4 to 8 minutes, including the short (00:56) acoustic track “Dolmen Gate” to open the album and an even shorter (00:41) instrumental, “Gateways Of Eternity”, at the end. So we have seven tracks of well-played, produced and sung heavy metal with touches of doom. The sound reminds me a bit of one of my favourite bands, Grand Magus.

Ana (I only know the band on a first name basis) is an excellent singer which the listener immediately picks up from the opening acoustic track. I think once we get into the metal tunes, perhaps her vocals could be a little more up front in the mix, but that is only a slight quibble.

Ana is more than capably backed up by the excellent musicianship of her fellow band members. And this is evident in the well mixed tracks where no instruments are left in the background. A strong rhythm section of Nuno (bass) and Alex (drums) provides a formidable basis for the guitars of Kiko and Artur. Between the guitarists we get rock-hard riffs with flavoursome leads from Artur.

Overall the album bounds along at a good metallic pace, keeping the listener engaged from start to finish. Songs are well written. My favourite track being “Chambers Of Magic”.

The album was produced by the band and Paulo Vieira (who also recorded, mixed and mastered the album) and the striking artwork was done by Marcio Blasphemator. If you are a fan of high sounding, story-driven heavy metal, then I warmly recommend this album.

Peter Sym