Affliction Gate

Severance (Dead to this World) EP

Forgotten Wisdom Productions 2008

Lurking in the dark corners and fermenting a lethal brew of Stockholm styled death metal is France's Affliction Gate.  On their four song Demo/EP, Severance, Affliction Gates has churned out a morbidly feral killing spree utilizing hollow buzz-saw guitars and gruff echoing vocals.  The first track Cattle Burner is sort of a Grave meets Darkthrone scorcher.  The riffs have an almost black metal style to them though the feeling is certainly one of old school death metal.  Up next is the putrid rumblings of Mirror Breakdown whose cavernous guitar chords inflict noxious wounds upon the listener's ears with merciless regularity.  Inner Demise has a slower, doomier pace and somber melodies somewhat along the lines of Asphyx.  Halfway through the track the tempo quickens somewhat with some deep Swedish influenced riffing that bring early Necrophobic to mind.  The final track, Mourning, is a more or less a standard synth/organ instrumental that really wouldn't be missed if it weren't there but it is aptly titled.  The guitars could do with some strengthening sound-wise as they sound somewhat muted which detracts from the individuality of the various riffs.  The overall production is fairly raw lending a truly underground feeling to the recording.  Affliction Gate is off to a successful start drawing the listener back into the glory days of old school death metal.  They prove that with the right frame of mind, death metal is a deadly force that all these lifeless technical bands can be massacred with.