Living Gate – Suffer As One

Written by on 10-11-2024 at 20:00.

What happens when you bring together musicians from renowned bands? Exactly, a so-called supergroup. And that is certainly the case when you see which bands these musicians are hailing from. How about Wiegedood, YOB, and Amenra? Next question: what do you get when you combine musicians from the hardcore, doom, and black metal scenes? Simple, hardcoredsludgystonerblackeneddoommetal, of course. Well, not exactly! These guys have simply focused on creating pure, brutal death metal with their band called Living Gate.

Living Gate is a project that was founded in 2020 and immediately released the EP Deathlust the same year through Relapse Records. It was passionately reviewed by colleague Joris, pleading for a full-length album in this review, and his prayers have been answered. We are presented with the band’s first full-length album, Suffer As One. The album counts eleven tracks, and as did the EP, it oozes filth.

From the first track the fat Morbid Angel-esque death metal is present, followed by a calm middle section with room for atmosphere and personal development. This is evident in the extensive use of choppy death metal with high screams and those typical sweeps that sting like a wasp. Everything moves at a heavy, steady, dragging pace, and the guttural growls complete the track beautifully!

Each track finds its solid foundation in old-school death metal around which the guys skillfully weave interesting ideas, so we know we’re definitely listening to Living Gate and not just any band dabbling in the genre. No, this music is testimony to the skills these musicians normally display in their primary bands. The strength lies in the variation between the tracks. Sometimes the song remains stuck in top gear (Internal Decomposition, A Unified Soul, Hunting Maggots) while other times we’re treated to more atmosphere, verging on the melancholic, allowing the band members to showcase their talents with swinging riffs and soulful solos (Destroy And Consume, Suffer As One, Ones And Zeroes). Add the soulful interlude Massive Depletion In Eb Minor to the mix, and you get the full picture. And, of course, it sounds simplistic to say we’re impressed by a few fast death metal songs, but the quality of those songs, the nuances the band writes into them, and the execution are simply outstanding.

In my opinion Living Gate has done a great job presenting a solid variation on a genre that has been explored long and wide. Living Gate as a side project had already proven its worth with the EP, and this full-length only cements that status. Essential listening for fans of Morbid Angel, Suffocation, Cannibal Corpse, and those who can appreciate a touch of Ripping Corpse.

Score:

84/100

Label:

Relapse Records, 2024

Tracklisting:

  1. To Cut Off the Head of the Snake
  2. Internal Decomposition
  3. Destroy and Consume
  4. A Unified Soul
  5. Massive Depletion in Eb Minor
  6. Suffer as One
  7. Ones and Zeroes
  8. Hunting Maggots
  9. Atoms and Particles
  10. Overcome, Overthrow
  11. CQC

Line-up:

  • Aaron Rieseberg – Bass
  • Wim Sreppoc – Drums
  • Lennart Bossu – Guitars
  • Levy Seynaeve – Guitars

Links: