Skullflower – IIIrd Gatekeeper

[genocide roach]

Skullflower – IIIrd Gatekeeper
Crucial Blast – 20 November 2007
by Ryan Starr



I’m not exactly sure why we get sent re-released classics like this. We already know the music is solid. None the less, here it is.

For those who have never heard Skullflower before, IIIrd Gatekeeper is a classic album for the noise genre. Instead of using synths, the music is done with guitar, bass, and drums. The basic formula is a rudimentary bass line and drum beat with lots of guitar feedback and other sounds, creating an unsettling but somewhat enjoyable aural atmosphere. If you’re the kind of person who prefers a typical metal riff, and the standard verse/chorus song structure, you need to turn around and run in the opposite direction as fast as possible. IIIrd Gatekeeper is more about creating an atmosphere, allowing the listener to just sit back and take it all in. Sure there are some riffs involved, but nothing even remotely close to the norm. It’s primal, raw, and minimalistic.

Now for the changes to this album. Basically it was just re-mastered. I guess it sounds better, and clearer. But let’s face it, noise never really sounds clear. So perhaps polished is a better word to use. There are also some new liner notes and a new package. But since I only got a promo copy, I can’t really comment on it.

If you already have IIIrd Gatekeeper, you already have the music, and I doubt you would find a huge difference in this new version. So I’m going to recommend this only to diehard fans and people who have yet to get this important piece of noise history. And I guess the price for the out of print original was pretty steep on ebay, so now is a great time to pick it up.

Official Crucial Blast Website

[Bleakest Harvest]

I've always been meaning to pick this up, so I guess now would be a good time.