Belgium’s GATEWAY is a new band on the scene if Doom / Death Metal. Or should I say: a new project? Up to now, GATEWAY consists only of a guy named Robin van Oyen, responsible for all music and vocals on this self-titled first album of his brain child. And this album is a rotten and nightmarish boulder, extremely heavy and so tuned down to the maximum that we might talk about Drone Death here. Garnished with a voice coughing up from the grave, “Gateway” delivers the real hell. The introducing ‘Prolegomenon’ is just a slight warning what is to come with ‘Vox Occultus’, as black as the raven’s wings. This one is just underhanded malevolence. ‘Kha’laam’ is equally purulent, while ‘Impaled’ even dwells in the depths of malicious Sludge Doom. After three extremely viscous tunes, the groove of the short ‘Corrumpert Interludium’ is vitalizing on the one hand, yet GATEWAY sends a cunning guitar harmony around the corner. ‘Vile Temptress’ is another viscously flowing song, before ‘Hollow’ picks up a hint of speed and groove. But this is only an overture to ‘The Shores Of Daruk’, an epic monolith of darkness and droning doom. In comparison to the digital version, the CD release features a bonus track as well, in shape of ‘Portaclus’. This one is a little faster on the one hand, but on the other misses the drone character of the rest of the album a little bit, thus being a kind of alien element on the album. But despite this little flaw, Doom / Death lunatics are welcome to check the band: www.facebook.com/gatewaydeathdoom, and the label responsible for this CD: www.hellthrasher.com