East Coast of the United State has been the inception incubator of dozens of notable metal bands all throughout the history of the genre and while those made it to a world stardom are numerous, maybe even more went under the radar or are too exotic to attract mainstream attention. Now we have ENTIERRO, from New Haven, a place both close and distant to New York and its quite productive heavy scene. The four fellows from Connecticut deliver the second creation in their discography, named manifestly “The Gates of Hell”. Debuting in 2018, with their self-titled full-length album and band name clearly borrowed from Spanish (meaning “funeral”), ENTIERRO advance in their career, claiming a foothold spot on the big stage of metal meritocracy.

Review:

Opener and title track in one, such a combo is what the guys offer, beginning the album with “The Gates of Hell”. Electrifying, seducing, almost sleazy intro is a tempting deception, quickly swapped for a wall of solid riffs, which bricks are the stepping stones for the rigid and harsh vocals to rise to power. In the chorus, the frontman Christopher Beaudette, proves he is much more than that, jumping into melodious variations, demonstrating flavors of a rich singing palette. If the listener pays close attention, this intro track, tells another blood-freezing story of a ghost-town, a theme so typical and engraved in the American urban folklore, inspiration material for a constellation of books, movies, poems and music albums. Hit in the bullseye, as this checks all the boxes of a true heavy metal mix!

More often than not, there is a fine thin line between heavy metal and hard rock, and in that sense “Walk Away” definitely lives on the more “rock”-y side of the river. Delivered in the good traditions of all-American rock style of later seventies, comes with the taste of that groovy and sometimes even bluesy, mid-paced sticky tune that you would put in the car stereo, while riding the endless highways of the mid-west. Moreover, the “should I stay or should I go” theme of the song provides funny parallel with them country hits (luckily no dead pets or horses involved), where the cowboy faces his next lifetime dilemma and its reflecting on the odds of his fate. It’s in “Walk Away” where I started to detect the striking resemblance of vocal style, between the leading man of ENTIERRO and Peavy Wagner from the German thrash terror squad RAGE.

Latin lineage it’s no way limited to the band’s name. The third track of the album – “Vencerán” (i.e. They will win) is another incarnation of this conjunction. It’s in moments like that I thank the professors in my Spanish high school and my curious nature of course, which allow me to deeper fixate in the lyrics, in attempt to unravel the artistic intent behind the composition. Well, I do confess the messages in there are perplexed, vague and kind of stripped from logic, but hey, it’s an art form after all! Meaning each individual consuming that song has the right to interpret it in their one unique way. The sound is for sure invigorating, the vibe even bit cocky, giving the sense of imminent peril. Its pretty clear, the main protagonist of the track is a mythical and deadly sea creature – a theme clearly favoured by ENTIERRO as we will recognize later on in the album.

“The Lords of Rock and Roll” are here and hallowed be their reign! If there is a single song that needs to represent this album, most definitely the lords will perform the role impeccably. Incredibly catchy and vibrant composition, which easily goes under the skin with that nasty rhythm guitar play, energizing vocal line and sticky chorus, making you sing along right way. “The Lords of Rock and Roll” could be nominates as the band’s manifesto, a straightforward declaration and anthem of existence. In a way it has an autobiography lyric charge, praising an entire glorious era of Rock and Roll domination. No compromises in that one, a modern opus with which many music lovers will identify themselves. Myself included, since „Тhe Lords…” will trigger my first association to the East Coast quartet.

Advancing in the second half of the release, its fair to say that here is the place to find the better part of songs in general. The sound feels more mature and complete, and of course this is a subjective opinion, which doesn’t entirely allude to “Under The Eye”. Don’t take me wrong, it’s a great banger with overdrive intro and battering tempo, introducing distant sense of power metal nuance and a chorus to sing along. Perhaps the disparity derives from the social context of the lyrics and the compulsive sentiment that the tune would sit much better on stage than in the recorded version, something that is true for countless compositions of both established and emerging bands.

„Тhe Gates of Hell” are just about to close, but not before letting out another wicked and vile creature. From the very doomy depths of the ocean, here comes “Umibozu”, the king of the tides. Hundred percent the name has left you wondering and perplexed, and I am sure in the pre-internet era of the 80tie and 90ties, innumerable theories, legends and myths should have emerged around what stands behind this uncommon moniker. Nowadays, a simple Google search will shatter all the mystery, explaining that the protagonist of the closing song is a sea-dwelling behemoth from Japanese folklore. A kind of Kraken and the track itself cracks up our ears with uncompromising guitar play and mighty vocals. The frantic chanting of the mythical monster’s name provokes unexpected feelingс of joy and emotional discharge, while we keep reflecting on that bizarre fascination for fabled leviathans the guys from ENTIERRO manifest.

ENTIERRO is:

Christopher Taylor Beaudette (Kings and Liars, Kingdom of Sorrow/Jasta) – Lead Vocals and Bass 

Victor Arduini (Arduini/Balich, Ex-Fates Warning, Freedoms Reign)
– Guitar and Backing Vocals

Christopher Begnal – Guitar and Backing Vocals 

Dave Parmelee (One Master, Sperm Donor, NightBitch) – Drums

CONCLUSION:

Probably most of you will agree, that while „Тhe Gates of Hell” is not the kind of album to win a place in the Hall of Fame, it’s a recording worth considering when you scout for a more unconventional and distinctive East Coast metal. With a duration more fit for an EP, diverse lyrical directions and common composition framework, the release sounds extremely professional and produced in the best tradition of US musical industry. I would go further, even calling it “experimental” in a way, which is not necessary a bad thing and more often than not, getting out of the cliché is the right path to lead you to your true identity as a band.

The NWOTHM Score: 7/10