EP REVIEW: Grey Maiden – Gatekeeper

After the success of their debut full length record East Of Sun, GATEKEEPER have returned to the recording studio to produce their new EP Grey Maiden. It is the band’s fourth EP since their formation a decade ago, with only guitarist Jeff Black remaining as part of the band since their formation back in 2009.

Grey Maiden begins with the EP’s title track and almost straight away the riffs blow you away and crush your soul. Frontman Jean-Pierre Abboud, also frontman of fellow Canadian group TRAVELLER, delivers to give that power metal essence to the track, his voice echoing out and really grabbing your attention, while the rest of the band really put an emphasis on the heavier side of the track, and is a good opener.

There are only four songs that feature on the EP, and following the title track is Tale Of Twins. The pace in this one isn’t quite as heart racing as the opener but the heaviness is still there. The vocal style of Abboud takes a more melodic approach compared to the first, but he delivers well again, as do the rest of the band to create what can only be described as a heavy metal ballad. The sound itself isn’t much different to the first, though the same can’t be said for the next track Moss.

The heavy metal elements disappear completely in Moss as an acoustic guitar takes over; where Tale Of Twins is mixed GATEKEEPER‘s traditional metal style with power ballad stylings, this is much more of a pure, if slightly generic, ballad. The guitars, drums and bass all take a break for this one, as its just Abboud and the acoustic guitar, and it is nice to see the band do something completely different and show their softer side. Rounding off the EP is cover of TREGEDAR‘s Richard III. In terms of the actual sound there is not much difference to the original, even when the heavier elements start to come into play, but again it is down to the vocal style of Abboud which really makes this stand out from the original.

On the whole, Grey Maiden is a solid effort from the band, and if it is a taste of what is to come in any future full length records the future is very exciting for GATEKEEPER.

Rating: 7/10

Grey Maiden is out now via Cruz Del Sur Music. 

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