Reviewing the newest release from a long-running band you’ve never heard of is one of the more interesting experiences I’ve had as a reviewer. Although Slechtvalk has been taking on the Dutch metal scene since 1999, I’d never heard of them before accepting this review. Really, all I had was a genre tag—black metal—and the difficult-to-ignore expectation that you get when a group has been around for as long as this Dutch trio. Could they live up to it? Of course they could—they’ve been around for a while, after all. Do they? Also yes, but let’s dive into the why.
On At Death’s Gate, Slechtvalk blend a number of styles held together by black metal string. From the moment opener “Paralysed by Fear” plays, you’re treated to a barrage of brutal, high-intensity metal, treading the line between black and technical death metal reminiscent of Symbolik. Later in the album, “The Destroyer” takes on a slower, but no less heavy approach, upping the death metal and incorporating elements of thrash. There are a couple of nods to power metal scattered throughout as well; in particular, “The White Raven” reminds me of Ensiferium. Rounding out the sound are touches of melodeath in the vein of Dark Tranquility, especially in “Fight ‘Till the End” and the well-placed keys used as accents throughout At Death’s Gate. Rarely are the songs slow; the black metal core of Slechtvalk is everywhere, but it feels wrong to call this a “black metal” album when there is much influence from other styles of music. Instead, At Death’s Gate features a well-rounded sound with a lot of adaptability that helps keep the listener engaged over its fifty-eight-minute runtime.
Like the (un?)fortunate fellow in the cover art1, you might find [At] Death’s Gate makes you feel a bit small; this is a towering work of metal that exudes power, energy, and confidence (not unlike the band photo below). The guitars from Shagmar and Seraph are doing all kinds of good work here, from adventurous riffing (“At Death’s Gate,” “Fight ‘Till the End”) to wild tremolos (“Paralysed by Fear”) and death metal chugs (“Night of the Locusts”). There’s nary a dull moment on At Death’s Gate thanks largely to the guitars alone. Largely supporting, keys and bass from Premnath are sparse and subtle respectively, with piano in particular adding a mystical, grandiose, or just plain pretty edge to the otherwise brutal music (especially effective on “Paralysed by Fear” and “Death”). Finally, Shagmar’s vocal performance is powerful, shifting deftly between screams, growls, roars, and Gregorian-style cleans. There’s a lot going on here, but the core sound of the album is of high-energy heaviness and is performed very well.
Really, if I can offer one critique of At Death’s Gate, it’s that I feel it’s trying to do too much. There are lots of little moments throughout that I find distracting or that weaken the flow of the whole. “Enshrouded,” for example, is a beautiful song, a slow, orchestra-heavy power ballad that I enjoy more in isolation than as part of an album or playlist. Whenever I listen to it, I’m confident it’s about to end when it’s only halfway through. When it does end, the immediate thrash leanings of “The Destroyer” are a shock, but not necessarily in a good way. A couple of other songs also feel too long; Slechtvalk could probably have taken a couple of minutes off of both “Heritage” and the title track to tighten up the album flow. As is, by the time I reach the closing track, I have at least some ear fatigue, and it doesn’t land like I know it should. At Death’s Gate is an album of many ideas, and amazing range, but there are a few moments where less may have been more.
On the whole, however, At Death’s Gate is a really strong, very fun album. It’s always a treat to experience black metal with such a breadth of ideas, personality, and style, and I’m already making notes to check out earlier releases in Slechtvalk’s discography. While I do wish for a stronger flow across the whole, there are no weak or bad songs, and I’ve enjoyed having it as an entry point to a band that clearly knows what they’re doing.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: MDD Records
Websites: slechtvalk.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/Slechtvalk.metal
Releases Worldwide: October 31st, 2024
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