ALBUM REVIEW: The Gauntlet – Dark Steel And Fire

Black ‘n’ Roll soloist THE GAUNTLET deliver their debut album via Eternal Death on January 13th.

Unison bends jump into life lending an immediately sleazy old school vibe to the record as pounding drums, chiming cymbals and gloomy guitars fill the air with a sombre mood. This quickly fires into malevolent riffing grooves which are met by hideously tormented vocals in true blackened style. Planting the seeds of catchiness with the songs following a Bathory-esque template (especially in the vocals, but still applicable to the riffing), there is a demonic and yet classic feeling to the starting moments. A slight Speed Metal / early Thrash Metal flavour comes into the guitars which fit seamlessly into the necro-production style triumphantly. The amount of energy conveyed by a single musician is certainly commendable, perhaps some of this coming from the lo-fi production, lending an urgent and exciting feeling of danger to the music. As my first time experiencing the music of The Gauntlet, this is definitely a solid first impression.

Sometimes less is more. In Heavy Metal, primitive can count for a lot more than technical if there is an abundance of feeling, a superb atmosphere and something conveyed that taps into the primal nature of humans. This definitely feels as described with nothing necessarily new or weird happening, but equally impossible to walk away from. The burning fires of passionate metallic fury are ablaze on this record and for me, this is worth tenfold more than progression for the sake of progression, musically speaking. If the totally ripping artwork wasn’t enough to draw you in, the ferocious and biting songs will, and there is enough of them spanning 40-minutes to howl into the night blasting these tunes while ravaging all in your path with flame. A fitting sound-track to chaos more than an easy listening nightcap.

Speaking of running time, this doesn’t overstay its welcome or get dull but doesn’t fly by either. The tracks feel just about right in their span which is extremely important in this style. Very few bands (Witching Hour being a rare example) can pull of that sort of ‘Blackened Heavy Metal’ style with 10 minute tracks, and The Gauntlet stay in the lane of keeping things concise and sharp which suits them best. Each of the 9 pieces warrants furious headbanging and has a sort of satanic party vibe that is certainly evil but also lively and upbeat. Do not misunderstand me, this isn’t jolly or goofy, but is definitely enthralling in the same way Venom was when they cranked out “Welcome To Hell” into a rabid Hammersmith Odeon. The Gauntlet write songs, not just riffs or hooks, but songs with a wicked feeling that’ll grab you and pull you into the pits of Hades.

First wave Black Metal worship done gloriously. If you seek a record that summons the spirits of Bathory, Venom, Celtic Frost and their kind but with an anthemic twist, The Gauntlet is definitely for you. Raw, powerful and simplistically evocative. A cut of wax for pounding fists, banging heads and blazing a trail of demonic mischief. Definitely a rager of epic proportions!