Release date: 3 October 2025

DOLMEN GATE is an Epic Heavy Metal band from Lisbon, founded in 2021 and aiming to pay tribute to sacred metal. Forged in the truest fire of Portuguese old school bands, DOLMEN GATE brings nothing less than pure steel for Manowar, Omen and Manilla Road fans, with a touch of ’70s added to the final potion. Just one year after their debut full-length “Gateways of Eternity”, DOLMEN GATE return with even a better album, establishing themselves in the current underground metal scene.

“Echoes of Ancient Tales” was produced by Dolmen Gate and Fernando Matias.
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Fernando Matias.
Artwork by Márcio Blasphemator.

LINE-UP
Ana – Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
Kiko – Guitars
Artur – Lead Guitars
Nuno – Bass
Alex – Drums

Review

Beginning with the 9-minute long “Souls to Sea”, which starts off with some rain and thunder for ambiance (might’ve also been the faintest sound of creaking wood), before the guitar plays a dirge-like sustain. The drums thunder with the beat of a marching army, as a stellar riff kicks in. Ana’s vocals are mixed remarkably here, while steering clear of being overbearing, she hits some great notes. These opening minutes of the song, as well as Ana’s cadence in her words, reminds me of pre-battle music for films like Gladiator or Kingdom of Heaven. The remainder of the track featured more of that opening salvo, as well as a fantastic solo. Most important for a track of this length, it never felt as long as it was, nor did it ever bore me.

“The Maze” let the guitars do the talking from the onset, with a number of excellent riffs in just the first minute or so. Love the mixing on the drums here too, they have an extra shot of power behind them that wasn’t in the previous track. Once more, I found myself entranced by Ana’s incredible vocals, and it was all in the way her voice carries itself through the music. Throw in a tasty riff near the 4 minute mark, and this one had me firmly in its grip.

“The Prophecy” bucked the trend so far by opening with a bit of acoustic guitar, and a more ballad-like approach from the leads to kick it off. In fact, until around the mid-point of the song, this one was a much more slower paced affair. This perfectly showcased the range and flow of Ana’s voice. The tempo quickened at that halfway mark, though the vocals continue to shine (as did the bass). In terms of structure, this one reminded me a bit of later-era Golden Age Maiden (So more Somewhere in Time or Seventh Son). Wonderful sequence near the 4:30 mark as well, where the tempo once more shifts, and then returns to that ballad speed from the beginning.

Pounding triumphant drums began “Rising Whispers”, and a near-constant double-bass propelled the song forward. This was clearly the track where drummer Alex got to show off the most so far, though there was an almost haunting nature to Ana’s vocals here that captivated me. Her vocals felt very reminiscent of some later-era Crystal Viper. I also have to shoutout the incredible guitar solo in this one that occasionally bordered on neo-classical.

“A Tale of Time’s End” once again featured some sick work from Nuno on bass, as well as Alex’s drumming. The slow and almost methodic riffs near the beginning from the twin guitar tandem of Kiko and Artur gave this one a wonderful breath of fresh air to help it stand out. Another massive standout here for me was the lyrics, as I found them to be wonderfully evocative and bardic, very easy for me to imagine a story in my head. There really is an almost ancient sound to Ana’s vocals that I can’t quite think of any other way to describe.

Opening with a nice little mini-solo, “Carthage Eternal” automatically won me over by being named after one of my favorite kingdoms of the Ancient World. Massive Blind Guardian influence here, and that’s always wonderful. This shares the bardic evocativeness as the previous track, and I picture triremes landing at the beaches of Carthage to repel the Roman hordes. Guitar solo here was frenzied and properly balls-to-the-wall, with not a moment spared.

Our penultimate track, “Afore the Storm”, was a brief prologue to the final track. It was also a nice bit of validation for me, as I am now no longer the only person who uses ‘afore’. Featuring a reprise of the rain from the opening track, as well as more great acoustic guitar work that gave a sense of foreboding at first, before the quick flashes of technicality. I was going to say ‘flamenco’, but that didn’t feel right to me, so I did some research and ‘fado’ is a Portuguese style of music that feels pretty in line with how this brief intro sounds. Cool stuff!

Finally we come to, “We Are the Storm” which again featured some war drum-like drumming to start off, before moving ahead with a nice mid-tempo affair. I really felt like the lyrics took a massive step up on the second half of this record, but especially on this track. I also love the focus on historical themes for those said lyrics. This one was chock full of some great riffs and excellent drumbeats, along with Ana’s simply mesmerizing vocals, and this was a phenomenal way to close out an already excellent record.

Conclusion

I found myself thinking Dolmen Gate’s debut offering was good-to-great, it had its flashes of brilliance, but overall I found it a bit above-average. However, for their sophomore effort, Dolmen Gate have exceeded any expectation I could have possibly thrown at them, creating a piece of power metal that stands easily as one of the best of 2025. If I had any critique of the record, it would be that I’d have liked to hear more of the acoustic guitar, and a few more moments for the bass to shine, but those are mere preferential nitpicks and nothing that takes away from this release.

TheNwothm Score: 9.5/10

Links

Bandcamp: https://dolmengate.bandcamp.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DolmenGate

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dolmengate

Label: No Remorse Records