Metal Maniac

Lord Vicar – Gates of Flesh

I do not enjoy the term “fan”, as it reminds me of blinding following a person, no matter how awful their acts might be. However, I could say, with no hesitation, that I am an admirer of Kimi Kärki’s compositions. Ever since he was in the almighty band Reverend Bizarre I have been following his musical career. Well, along with the talented musicians he works with, and, obviously, Lord Vicar is no exception. This is a band composed of exceptional artists, all of them.

“Gates of Flesh” only proves how skilled and talented they are. No fake ass-kissing here, I really believe this. Oh, and by the way, I enjoy typing these articles as if I am having a conversation with you, and not one with many technical details many people do not understand. I do respect these reviews as they take a lot of work, they are just not my style. I prefer to share my emotions to the release, my true feelings when it comes to the music. But I digress… and I have worked for 12 hours today, please, give me a break here.
 

Back to “Gates of Flesh”, this album is filled with beauty, with soul, with emotion. It is intense heavy, eerie, spacey, so alluring and almost ritualistic. We have here another traditional Doom Metal approach, although this not the music that you think, “oh I have heard this a million times already”. No, it is obviously influenced by some of the other great names of the style, but Lord Vicar manages to keep their compositions original. There is a certain melancholic feel in the compositions, but not in a depressive way, still being crushing and crawling, creating a rich tapestry of emotions and landscapes.

When I interviewed Kimi, he mentioned that Lord Vicar is “in a way it is more than a band, a special brotherhood with exceptional chemistry”. You can truly sense that. Everything fits just right, the musicianship is incredible and it all sounds simply stunning. Chritus’ vocals sound the best, while the bass and the guitars are simply exceptional, very dominant and powerful. Gates of Flesh is indeed a fantastic work of art, graceful and exquisite. In my humble opinion, I sincerely believe that you, like myself, expecting for this work for such a long time, will not be disappointed by their new effort. “Gates of Flesh” only proves, once again, that Lord Vicar is a band to be respected and admired.

Dim the lights, sit on a comfortable armchair, pour yourself some good Islay Malt and let yourself be taken away by the mysterious, obscure Doom Metal crafted by these gentlemen. Like I have pointed out many times, the music is dazzling, the sound quality is outstanding and the mood is incredible. An album to be “flavoured” at special times, like a fine wine.

“Gates Of Flesh” is the third album from LORD VICAR. It was recorded by audio wizard Joona Lukala at Noise for Fiction studio in Turku, Finland, in the Autumn of 2015. The studio had the benefit of a huge live room which gave the band the opportunity to capture a sound that breathes with the ambience of the space, but maintains the sonic weight for which they are rightly known.

Promo kindly provided by Jan – Sure Shot Worx

All images belong to their rightful owners.

Grade: 9,8/10

Band: Lord Vicar

Album: Gates of Flesh (2016)

Label: The Church Within Records

Track list:

1. Birth of Wine
2. The Green Man
3. A Shadow of Myself
4. Breaking the Circle
5. Accidents
6. A Woman Out of Snow
7. Leper, Leper

Lord Vicar is:

Gareth Millsted – Drums, Bass

Kimi Kärki – Guitars, Bass

Chritus – Vocals

Official Facebook: www.facebook.com/lordvicar

Official Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Lordvicar/videos