This is the fourth album from International black metal band Sojourner.
Containing the artist behind Miasmata, Sojourner play what can probably loosely be termed as atmospheric black metal, but with an epic streak and a definite Gothic metal flavour. In essence, it’s metal, atmosphere-first, and balances beauty and darkness wonderfully.
Gateways contains 47 minutes of material, and it’s really very good. The balance of blackened and Gothic elements works well for the band, allowing them to exist across both of them, beholden to neither. As a rough guide to Gateways, if you think of bands such as Gallowbraid, Saor, and Summoning, on the one hand, and acts like Beseech, Battlelore, and Sirenia on the other, you’ll have a starting point.
Sojourner deal in ethereal atmosphere mixed with blackened aggression. The songs are tapestries of sound, vast vistas which the band paint with skill and passion. The vocals consist of sharply serrated screams, occasional darker growls, and clean singing that enriches everything it touches. If the latter sound familiar to you, it might be because they belong to ex-Draconian singer Heike Langhans. Her performance is an obvious highlight, yet doesn’t detract from the rest of the band members’ contributions, as all of them pull their weight.
The songs are exquisitely rendered in near-three-dimensional texture. It’s a sound that’s warm and mood-focused, delivering melodically intricate music. With multiple layers operating at once, and enriched with gorgeous piano and strings, Gateways offers the listener an odyssey of emotive atmosphere to explore.
Sojourner have crafted a record that’s sure to lead to many people falling for its considerable charms. Straddling the worlds of black and Gothic metal, it looms large over both as a prime example of how to produce music that clearly stylistically belongs where it does, yet that also avoids sounding stale or generic. Sojourner’s songwriting skills combined with an enviable execution, mean that Gateways is a formidable and enjoyable record.
Very highly recommended.
Wonderbox Metal 