Affliction Gate - Shattered Ante Mortem Illusions

AFFLICTION GATE - Shattered Ante Mortem Illusions (METAL INQUISITOR - CD 2014)

So many bands, so many albums nowadays… it’s simply impossible to listen to everything. So, I knew about the band called Affliction Gate, as I read some interviews with them in few zines (Crypts of Eternity, Compilation of Death, etc), but I never had a chance to hear any songs from them. Or maybe I did (as I think some tracks were on compilation CDs from zines like Mystical Music, if I remember correctly???), but I never went anywhere further. And I guess I would still be completely unfamiliar with the music of Affliction Gate, if I wasn’t contacted on Facebook by Laurent, who actually plays guitar in this band. Soon later Laurent sent me a copy of “Shattered Ante Mortem Illusions”, which is the latest release from this French band. And damn, I am really happy he did, because this EP turned out to be really damn awesome, I have enjoyed it totally.

Yes, “Shattered Ante Mortem Illusions” is only an EP, with three songs plus an outro, so there’s barely 14 minutes of music, but it is good enough to make me feel hungry for more! The best song here is surely the first one, “Memories of Battlefield”, which is a very nice death metal killer, with some slow, doomy riffs, but also some more mid or fast paced parts and mournful melodies in the vein of Hail of Bullets or Asphyx, really cool guitar solo, etc… Great, heavy as fuck, brutal also… I absolutely love such style of death metal, which is concerned about the atmosphere and aggression, but not about some mindless brutality. It’s just really awesome! And the following two tracks are also great. “Aftermath Curse” is faster in the old school meaning of this word… Great track again and surely another highlight of this short release.

Haaaaaaaaaa... These 14 minutes with “Shattered Ante Mortem Illusions” go just too quickly. I would love to hear more hehe! But well, Affliction Gate is about to release new album soon I think and I still have to catch up and get the first CD… Now I can just recommend you this band and this EP, surely another great old styled death metal piece!

Standout track: “Memories of Battlefield”

Final rate: 80/100