Change has been afoot in the Gatekeeper camp since previous album East of Sun. Guitarist Adam Bergen replaced Kenny Kroecher in 2019 and lead singer Tyler Tex Anderson supplanted Jean-Pierre Abboud in early 2022. (The band is rounded out by bassist David Messier and drummer Tommy Tro.) These moves strengthened Gatekeeper's lineup and enabled Black to harness the talents of its newest members to pick up where the band left off with East of Sun. From Western Shores is populated with eight new razor-sharp songs in execution and production, thanks to the band cutting guitars, bass and vocals at Black's Vancouver home studio. Drums were laid down at Little Red Sounds Studios in Westminster, British Columbia with Michael Kraushaar. And the highly in-demand Arthur Rizk (Cavalera Conspiracy, Kreator, Sonja) handled mixing duties. Anderson undertook the daunting task of writing most of the lyrics and melodies on From Western Shores. He delivers with sharp, passionate vocals that delve into topics like pulp fantasy, mythology and fantasy. Exiled King details Harald Hardrada, the last Viking king of Norway, while From Western Shores and Keepers of the Gate are autobiographical and dedicated to Gatekeeper's devoted fanbase. Ultimately, From Western Shores doubles down on the elements that have made Gatekeeper an international standout. The heavy metal parts are more heavy metal; the epic parts are more epic and the sad parts -- as Black carefully puts it -- are sad as ****. It reinforces the notion that Gatekeeper is a melting pot of styles unlike very few within the melodic metal scene. Armed with a new singer and eight indomitable metal anthems, Gatekeeper storms into 2023 poised to continue to fly the Canadian metal flag with honor and pride. Best of all, From Western Shores proves that few can match Gatekeeper when it comes to epic heavy metal.
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