02 03 Metal Melancholy: ALBUM REVIEW: Cemetery - Enter the Gate 04 05 15 16 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 31 32 33

ALBUM REVIEW: Cemetery - Enter the Gate

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Cemetery are an Old School Death Metal band from Germany, which you most probably never came across. The band made some awe-inspiring death metal music in the early 90s, before disappearing into darkness. Memento Mori from Spain has finally unearthed this classic after over two decades and released all the band’s entire discography in its 2 disc compilation - Enter the Gate.

The band suffered its unjust fate back in 93, when their record label (West Virginia Records) filed for bankruptcy just as the band was preparing for the release of the debut album “Enter the Gate”. The album remained unreleased till 2014, when it was released as a part of the compilation. The compilation consists of the above mentioned album on one disc, and an earlier-self titled demo and 2 singles making up the second disc.

The music is raw, old-school death metal in the veins of the early 90s Floridian Death Metal scene consisting of the likes of Death, Morbid Angel, Nocturnus, et al. The music is extremely energetic throughout, and subtle progressive touches to the music help it stand out from the rest. The use of melodic guitar riffs adds its charm to the music. The vocals immediately remind the listener of the voice of Chuck Schuldiner on the cult classic ‘Leprosy’. The production is great, with instruments sounding raw and heavy.  For an early 90s record it’s quite clean, with all instruments clearly audible.


The tracks on the full length are quite long, with most clocking over 8 minute mark, but do not feel stretched or repetitive at any point. Tracks like “Trapped in the Out” and “At Dark Places”, show some of the finest lead guitar melodies in the album, whereas the continuous onslaught in “Pits of Hell” leaves the listener with an adrenaline rush. The smooth transition in between segments is also something that a lot of modern bands could learn from these veterans.

The demo tracks on the second disc are more raw and aggressive. There is some raw in-your face drum work on display throughout, with the beats on “Something Evil” standing out. The slow tempo build up in “The Dying” brings in some good variation to the record. The single “Dungeon of Dreams” ends the album on the top note, with the track hurling every ounce of energy on to the listener.

This is a solid, and a deserving release by Memento Mori. It feels sad that such amazing music was lost in the void for over two decades, and one is left to wonder where the band might have been if fate had taken a different turn back in 93.

A true underground gem and a must listen for fans of old school death metal.



Rating: 9.5/10
Reviewed By: Vidur Paliwal


P.S: The entire discography is available to stream on the band’s Official SoundCloud Channel

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