‘Ratings matter more than health, Sensationalism always sells, Career long mission to exploit, Will push her past the boiling point’ (Blood And Guts)

Drawing as they do on members from both the hardcore (Reversal Of Man, Warthog) and thrash metal (Cannibal Corpse, Municipal Waste) communities, it is, perhaps, little surprise that Heaven’s Gate deal in crossover thrash.  What does make you sit bolt upright though, is the sheer sledgehammer velocity of the execution.  Their sound is one that is rooted in a hardcore intensity that is then amplified with a commanding metallic velocity.  And as good as their 2023 self-titled debut EP was, Tales From A Blistering Paradise is the sound of a band assuredly hitting their stride.

From the searing opener Frail Mary (Full Of Glass), with its absolutely crushing climatic breakdown, to the sludge mired fury of the closer Freedom Square, there is not even a hint of respite.  Contagiously buzzsaw riffage, swinging rhythms, and brutal blast beat eruptions are blended into a visceral yet fiercely taut maelstrom.  The rhythmically roared vocals, meanwhile, draw on the rich and frequently bizarre history of their home state of Florida.  These real-life stories are used to animate themes of corruption, violence, and environmental degradation, conjuring images of the novels of Carl Hiaasen darkly mutating into life to their very own hardcore soundtrack.