Emerging from the Crust scene in Chicago, 2006 founded BLACK SEPTEMBER are a well-hidden pearl that I’d like to throw before you lusty swines now. Female fronted Death Metal that not necessarily sounds like ARCH ENEMY is a rarity! Fortunately, "The Forbidden Gates Beyond" sounds like a furious piece of old school Death uniting BOLT THROWER-esque riffing with Swedish Death Metal melodies, a crustier rawness and vocals that immediately reminded me of bands like MYTHIC or DEMONIC CHRIST. Tempowise "The Forbidden Gates Beyond" is pretty speedy all the way through and soundwise comes along flawlessly produced with a nice balance between clarity and the right dose of filth. Songs like ‘Tombs’, ‘Creation Of Chaos’ or ‘Unleashed’ immediately grab you by the balls and the bands’ epic, solemn melodies add a certain "raise your fist and scream for vengeance" glorious feel that’s of course not comparable to these Viking "Pop Deathers" but retains a dark and ominous atmosphere all the way through. I’ve seen photos of the vinyl version on the net and that looks fantastic, so make sure you check this out and travel beyond the forbidden gates of death! Visit www.myspace.com/thebandblackseptember for more information or go here for a full album stream.