EP Review: Magnetar - Gates of the North
EP Review: Magnetar - Gates of the North Words: Rick Eaglestone Somewhere along the line, extreme metal decided that black metal and traditional heavy metal were meant to be on opposite sides of the room. One was for frostbitten purists who thought a guitar solo was a moral failing; the other was for denim, leather, and harmonised leads. It was always nonsense, of course. Bathory, Venom and Mercyful Fate all blurred that line long before anyone thought to draw it, and the best bands in the blackened underground have never stopped crossing it. Magnetar are one of them, and on Gates Of The North they cross it more openly than ever. Magnetar’s Debut full-length There Will Be No Peace In My Valley released in autumn 2024 saw Dan Walmsley playing everything bar the drums, and Nick Wallwork and Rob Harris completing the trio. The reference points were laid out plainly at the time: the early-nineties Swedish melodic black and death scene, the velocity of eighties thrash from ...
