THE GATES OF SLUMBER TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM "THE WRETCH" ON MAY 10, 2011
NEW SONG "COVEN OF CAIN" PREMIERES VIA DECIBEL
http://www.decibelmagazine.com/featured/ex...ive-gates-of-slumber-coven-of-cain/
Doom lords THE GATES OF SLUMBER will unleash their hotly-anticipated fifth full-length album The Wretch on May 10, 2011 via Rise Above Records / Metal Blade. Featuring eight slabs of punishing metal, The Wretch boils doom down to its purest form, resulting in the Indianapolis trio's finest work to date.

Recorded during the cold British winter of 2010 at London's Orgone Studios and produced by Jaime Gomez Arellano (GHOST, ANGEL WITCH), The Wretch sees THE GATES OF SLUMBER pushing its trademark blend of skull-crushing riffs and pounding rhythms to new heights and marks a return to the slower all-out doom tempos of the group's early albums combined with "true doom metal" lyrical themes. From the funereal crawl of opener "Bastards Born" and the all-powerful title track, to the pounding stomp of "The Scovrge ov Drvnkenness", the barbaric "To the Rack with Them" and the epic "Castle of the Devil", The Wretch is a future classic featuring outstanding performances and some of the heaviest metal you will hear in 2011. The album's deathly cover art is taken from a watercolor and gouache painting by Arik "Moonhawk" Roper (HIGH ON FIRE) titled "Emerald Eclipse".

Today, Decibel premieres the new GATES song "Coven of Cain". Doom out at this location!

"This record is frustration and disappointment put to music, said THE GATES OF SLUMBER frontman and founding member Karl Simon. "No heroics this time, no swords; no sorcery. No fantasy. That stuff is OK; it's fun…whatever, but we don't feel it these days. This one is all about others let you down almost as much as you let yourself down. It might not make sense to you, but then you probably only have the last two records as a digital download. That, or your world is summed up by someone else's soundbite."

The track listing for The Wretch is as follows:
1.) Bastards Born
2.) The Scovrge Ov Drvnkenness
3.) To The Rack With Them
4.) Day of Farewell
5.) Castle of the Devil
6.) Coven of Cain
7.) The Wretch
8.) Iron and Fire

Previous to the release of the new record, THE GATES OF SLUMBER will head to Europe for a two week tour with U.S. doom veterans Place of Skulls. The band will wrap the European trek on April 16 with a performance as one of the featured acts at the 2011 Roadburn Festival in Tilburg, Holland where it will share the stage with Candlemass, SWANS and more (see the official Roadburn / THE GATES OF SLUMBER announcement at this location). The band will then kick off a U.S. tour alongside Orange Goblin on May 28 in New York City. A full listing of tour dates can be found below.

About THE GATES OF SLUMBER:
Indianapolis' THE GATES OF SLUMBER was founded in 1998 by guitarist / vocalist Karl Simon and the band's debut album: …The Awakening emerged in 2004. The following year the band recorded the EP Like a Plague Upon The Land and mounted their first European tour to positive acclaim. 2006 saw the release of both the God Wills It EP and the band's second full-length album Suffer No Guilt which further increased its following within the doom and true metal scenes. In 2008, the band's third album Conqueror was released via Profound Lore Records. Produced Sanford Parker (Nachtmystium, Lair Of The Minotaur, Pelican), the LP met to rave reviews while the video clip for the track "Trapped in the Web" enjoyed rotation on MTV2. The band then staged an extensive U.S. tour before commencing work on their fourth album and Rise Above Records debut Hymns of Blood and Thunder which was released in 2009. Hymns of Blood and Thunder garnered the trio the best reviews of its career including "Album of the Month" in Decibel who stated "The Gates Of Slumber have quietly gone about the business of becoming one of the best heavy metal bands in the world." 2010 saw U.S. dates as hand-picked support for doom legends Pentagram and a full U.S. tour with Weedeater followed by UK and European treks supporting the legendary Cathedral. THE GATES OF SLUMBER has emerged as one of modern day metal's most critically acclaimed bands whose decidedly throwback sound both pays homage to and builds upon "Heavy Metal" in its truest form. The band has been hailed as "a breath of fresh air within the doom / true metal underground".

In addition to Simon, THE GATES OF SLUMBER features bassist Jason McCash and drummer Clyde Paradis.

Updated THE GATES OF SLUMBER news and tour information will be made available via THE GATES OF SLUMBER online: www.myspace.com/thegatesofslumber, www.facebook.com/thegatesofslumber, http://twitter.com/gatesofslumber.

THE GATES OF SLUMBER
European tour with Place of Skulls
March 31 Helsinki, Finland Kuudes Linja
April 1 Oulu, Finland Nuclear Nightclub
April 2 Turku, Finland Klubi
April 5 Nürnberg, Germany Kunstverein (w/ Magma Rise)
April 6 Lenzburg, Switzerland Met Bar
April 7 Vienna, Austria Arean (w/ Acid King)
April 8 Vicenza, Italy Sabotage
April 9 Parma, Italy Onirica Club
April 10 Martigny, Switzerland Les Caves du Manoir
April 12 Paris, France Théatre de Ménilmontant
April 13 Barcelona, Spain TBA
April 14 Essen, Germany Turock (*Gates of Slumber only)
April 16 Tilburg, Holland Green Room (as part of the 2011 Roadburn Festival)

U.S. tour with Orange Goblin & Naam:
May 28 New York, NY Santos Party House (buy tickets here)
May 29 Baltimore, MD Sonar (*as part of 2011 Maryland Death Fest / tickets here)
May 31 Charlotte, NC Tremont Music Hall (buy tickets here)
June 1 Atlanta, GA The Earl (buy tickets here)
June 2 New Orleans, LA One Eyed Jack's (buy tickets here)
June 3 Austin, TX The Scott Inn (buy tickets here)
June 4 Albuquerque, NM The Launchpad (buy tickets here)
June 5 Tempe, AZ The Clubhouse (buy tickets here)
June 6 Hollywood, CA The Troubadour (buy tickets here)
June 7 San Francisco, CA Bottom of the Hill (buy tickets here)
June 9 Portland, OR Dante's (buy tickets here)
June 10 Seattle, WA Studio Seven (buy tickets here)
June 11 Chicago, IL Double Door (Orange Goblin only)

I still haven't gotten around to hearing the last album (Hymns). Solid band though based on the stuff before it.