This is great music, great old school Death Metal. When using the old school term these days it is usually meant that a band draws their influences from Swedish bands (not necessarily… there’s a lot of bands playing old school Death Metal that – for example – are rooted in the US style as well – Frank). Although the bands cited as AFFLICTION GATE’s root inspiration are mostly from that part of the European scene it is very clear that we have something special here. This is old school in feeling, not in emulation. Old school meaning here that AFFLICTION GATE are mostly concerned to create music that is true to the spirit of Death Metal. Music is somewhat similar to old BENEDICTION and MASSACRA, and the vocals, in their directness, remind me of old SEPULTURA or some other South American band. But with something this good comparisons are not needed since they could only confuse matters – it should be heard. The production work is well made for this kind of record – not too muddy, not too clear, with lots of space, and the feeling you get when listening is out of a specific time. The songs have a varied tempo and are very well executed. The vocals are very powerful but are not usually deep grunted. They are more direct and human, carrying strong sense of despair and hardness. When I say despair I mean that feeling of rawness in soul that is in my opinion best suited to find outlet in Death Metal. And with this we come to the main part – this is SOUL music not FUN music. This is like Death Metal from the times when bands wanted to communicate their vision with their fans. I can wholeheartedly recommed this mini CD to all fans of old school Death Metal that want something else than the usual Swedish sound. I sincerely belive this is only a herald of good things to come. To buy the record click here. You can listen to samples here: www.myspace.com/afflictiongate