WRONG PLANET.
GATEKEEPER are back to take us on a decent into madness with the new album, Wrong Planet.
It’s been over a decade since their last recorded music and we as fans, supporters and disciples wondered if the synth-psychos were finished. While the occasional DJ mix and fashion show score would surface throughout the years, it didn’t appear that fully developed, new music was of interest from the group. This notion was particularly agonizing because Gatekeeper were really, I mean REALLY onto something. In a sea of electro copycats of the time, they carved their own path and were always sonically against the grain. The ominous, fantasy-dungeon synths and exotic textures are incomparable to anything – especially their contemporaries.
I caught Gatekeeper’s live show a number of times in Los Angeles and it was always memorable. Instead of the typical backdrop of screens, they utilized chain-link fence, palm plants and of course — a gargantuan amount of fog. Their music has aged like a fine goblet of wine over the years and still sounds ahead of its time. I always admired this about them and it made the project unforgettable. I still listen to 2009’s Optimus Maximus and 2010’s Giza as if they were fresh, new releases.
Well someone must have solved the puzzle box to summon the synth duo from the murky depths because they are back with a vengeance on the new album, Wrong Planet.
Pardon my French, but this album is completely fucking insane. I might as well just end the review right here and insist that everyone reading this go enter the realm at www.WRONG-PLANET.com. As with all Gatekeeper albums, they’ve created a visual accompaniment which is a must-see part of the listening experience. In the past the group have released everything from an HDVHS tape of music videos to a custom USB flash drive. This time around we’re getting a “visualizer” Winamp player straight out of a computer nightmare circa 1997. The work they’ve put into what’s presented here for Wrong Planet is staggering and so damn impressive. Check it out for yourself…they have such sights to show you.
The songs on the album see the duo return to their medieval paradise but it’s expanded and morphed into something heavier. To my ears it’s less about ‘old sounds’ and ‘future sounds’ and instead exists on its own plane, devoid of time and space. It’s refreshing to hear because they originally tapped into such an unmistakable sound with their earlier releases but just when it felt like it was going to peak, they detoured.
Wrong Planet is an achievement that perfectly defines what makes Gatekeeper stand out from the rest. Tracks like ‘Breadmaker’, ‘Rats’ and ‘Hibernal Torment’ are probably what the Cenobites would have been listening to down in whatever hellscape they lived in. This is one of those rare pieces of work that you will want to live inside for a while. Experience the new sounds, chimes and ear candy that just doesn’t exist…or at least hasn’t until now. There is a lot to unfold.
Gatekeeper aren’t simply resorting back to old tricks. It’s quite the opposite as the group discovers a heaviness and confidence that creeps from their lair and is poised to smother today’s musical landscape. Be warned. It’s about to get very interesting.
“Beneath the earth still lies phantasmic emerald paradises”
– Elijah Blue Allman
uncletnuc.com 