Change it was when I pressed play on ‘The Hoard’ by The7th Gatekeeper, my soul somehow came alive. This is born in the chaos room of a guy from Barry, South Wales, and it is bloody raw unadulterated beast that gets a hold on you and never let go.
As an example of all of this, and in accordance with his style, writing, recording, performing and mixing it all himself, you can feel The7thGatekeeper putting (being the right verb) every last ounce of himself into this song. To Romesh Dodangoda, who mastered it with a hard rock, dark, rebellious heart, it’s Slipknot’s raw edge, Muse’s atmosphere and Rage Against The Machine’s fire crunched up into one hard hitting, bombastic ballad.
It is quiet to begin with and then exploding of shadow riffs and melodies that spun like a fever dream. The vocals? They are this sinister, this soulful combo of a friend telling this hidden hate in the middle of the night. They scream raw and real about a corrupt world in which the power holds onto all the power and everything explodes. And it’s not just music either, it’s a cry that punches at your chest.
And there were these ghostly harmonies of some surreal bridge and I was getting chills, like walking through magic into another world. Then the song returns bam, with a weight behind it much greater than when it left and there are ominous dissonant backing vocals that sound like a closing on a ritual spell. It’s intense, passionate and it forces me to think about the state of the world for longer than it should.
Growing up, I was a music lover and I can’t get enough. Every word is a punch to the core of Corey Taylor; and this song reminds me of those late night drives blasting this song and knowing every single word. ‘The Hoard’, by the7thGatekeeper, is not a song…it is a wake up call, stepping on the middle finger of complacency with the invigorating strength and shock fluid of purpose and direction. I’m already itching already to know what he’ll do next.
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