Register Forgot login?

© 2002-2024
Encyclopaedia Metallum

Privacy Policy

Dark Moor > The Gates of Oblivion > Reviews
Dark Moor - The Gates of Oblivion

Gatekeeping Oblivion from Perfection - 100%

TheHumanChair, September 21st, 2022

To anyone who asks me, I will tell them Dark Moor's "The Gates of Oblivion" is objectively, as a total package, the greatest power metal album ever recorded. It has everything you could possibly ask for from a power metal record and absolutely never falters even a little bit. It has incredible riffs, beautiful melodies, addictive choruses, insanely technical playing, and amazing solos. If there is one power metal album anyone remotely interested in the genre should listen to, it is this one. Of course, no album can please everyone. This album is very fantasy driven both lyrically and musically, and close to every power metal record has some level of cheese to it, so if either of those things just aren't your thing, you might not get why this album is such a big deal. But for me, this is one of only a handful of albums I can listen to from cover to cover anytime regardless of mood and love every second of it every time.

It starts out with one of the most breath-taking and kick-ass power metal songs you'll ever hear. "In the Heart of Stone" is very close to as good as power metal gets. It has a blazing speed with really strong riffs. The melodies across it are incredibly versatile from Martin. They go from aggressive and almost accusatory to a sudden burst of layered epic vocals on the verses. The chorus really builds on itself and hits extremely hard right before a fantastic lead guitar section. The following track "A New World" doesn't even leave you any time to catch your breath from "In the Heart of Stone" either. Garcia's opening riff is incredible, and the keyboards really set the tone for a magical track. Once again, the verses really keep a level of ferocity that keep the song engaging. It really keeps the song from having one mood the whole way. Martin delivers some great high notes for the chorus, and Garcia's solo is one of his absolute best. "A New World" keeps a perfect atmosphere and mood for the journey without forgetting it's a song and not a story.

"The Night of the Age" is another more atmospheric track that Martin shines brightly on. Garcia still has some excellent solos and riffs, so it's not solely relying on her, but her melodies and versatility in vocals show what a brilliant singer she is. Her backing vocals enhance and pick her up to fit the mood of the song at all of the right moments. She has just the right amount of restraint in her voice for the verses to make the chorus especially impressive. It's an increasingly addicting and catchy chorus where her high notes bring it home. Hell, even the BALLAD on this album is very inspired and wonderful. "Your Symphony" is how a ballad should be done. It's not devoid of musical integrity just relying on a beautiful or sappy feeling. The song has a lot of progression, and instrumentally, the song matches the beauty of Martin's vocals. The keyboards are making different sounds throughout the song that really keep it flowing. They balance with Martin's chorus wonderfully, as if waltzing with each other. The acoustic guitar solo is a magnificent addition, too. "Your Symphony" is an incredible ballad done right. It is there to enhance the album, and not have a ballad for the sake of it.

My personal favorite on the record is "By the Strange Paths of Destiny." The keyboards and guitars both have their own separate main melodies that show up at various points throughout the song, and they're both absolutely incredible. The riff especially is both beautiful and filled with power. The keyboard part is mystical and establishes the mood of the song. The solo kicks in with a different kind of energy than the rest of the song has. The solo by itself adds a lot of versatility to the track and keeps it really marching forward. The chorus is just as good as everything else going on. It's one of Martin's most beautiful and powerful choruses, and has just a hint of sadness to it that gives it a different feeling than a lot of power metal choruses. "By the Strange Paths of Destiny" hits from all directions. It's really a treat. "Starsmaker" is another absolute gem. It's still a heavier song, but it might have riffs and melodies that are even more beautiful than what was displayed on the actual ballad of the album. The entire song is an adventure. Martin's vocals are guiding the listener through the journey, and Garcia's guitars are like sudden attacks Martin is helping the listener fight through. The keys have their own progression; ranging from enhancing the desperate tension to accenting the strikes of the battle. The chorus as well is another epic. It's another memorable and outstanding chorus on an album that is full of them. There are really no better examples of musical story telling than "Starsmaker."

If I had to give one very, very small nitpick to this album, it'd be that "Dies Irae" overstays its welcome just a bit too much. It has some of Garcia's most impressive and technical guitar work that will leave jaws dropped, and the song is definitely Dark Moor's epic for this time period. "Dies Irea" is still an absolutely fantastic song, and a very worthy addition to the album. It still blazes along with all of the same incredible elements as the rest of the album, but I believe an epic should only be that way if you can keep it interesting the whole time. The moment you start to run out of steam on an epic is the moment it should be trimmed or toned down. "Dies Irea" definitely gets a touch repetitive, and could have had some parts of it trimmed down. Even if some of the more repetitive parts were cut down, it'd still have been a very long and worth-it song, so it comes across as a bit more pretentious than it should have been. Still, it's absolutely a very, very good song, and this is a tiny critique that doesn't really weigh the album down at all.

Of course, though, "The Gates of Oblivion" ended up being a one-time gift of perfection that was never to be repeated. This would be the last album to feature Elisa Martin on vocals. In fact, after this album, the revolving door of musicians that make up Dark Moor would begin, with Garcia repopulating close to the entire band after this album. We will cover the rest of Dark Moor, but Elisa Martin went on to have a few other various projects here and there. All of them are solid efforts, so she never sings on a truly bad record, but none of them captured the same magnificence as her two prime albums with Dark Moor. "The Gates of Oblivion" goes down in history as an essential power metal record, and as good as the genre gets. It's sad that we never got a follow up effort from this lineup, but regardless, if you've never listened to this record, this is one you need to drop everything to listen to.

Una era que no será olvidada - 95%

Xyrth, March 12th, 2022
Written based on this version: 2002, CD, Arise Records

The early 2000s still saw a great many number of excellent European power metal bands and releases, some still pushing the boundaries of the genre a bit further, before the magic was spent and the genre became stagnant around the mid-2000s onwards, with only a few acts venturing past the holy and dogmatic blueprints laid down by the Teutonic elite of Helloween, Running Wild, Blind Guardian, and other consecrated bands from around the globe, like Angra and Stratovarius. European power metal remains aesthetically pretty much unchanged since then, as one of the most traditionalist and loyal-to-its-roots genres in all metal. Still, two decades ago, I was entirely immersed into it, as one of the first metal genres I started exploring since my early teens, apart from heavy and thrash. Dark Moor was a great discovery, as they had all the great traits of what was desirable from a power metal ensemble; a potent vocalist, a fast and vigorous rhythmic section, and a tasty array of melodic, mildly-neoclassical guitar and keyboard playing.

The Gates of Oblivion is the Spaniards third LP and arguably their peak, along their preceding The Hall of the Olden Dreams, both records comprising almost identical chapters in the history of the band. I’m totally aware that I’m saying this as I neglect most of the band’s discography in their post-Elisa Martín’s year. This was, sadly, the last album for the powerful madrileña frontwoman at the helm of Dark Moor, swiftly replaced mere months after her departure by Alfred Romero, the band’s current vocalist since then. I don’t have anything against him, but Elisa’s departure (along with energic drummer Jorge Saéz) definitely robbed Dark Moor some of its potency and personality. In that breakup, both sides lost, as Elisa’s future endeavors would never reach the potency and quality of early Dark Moor, with all due respect to French act Hamka, whom she has fronted twice. Dark Moor’s future would also turn… darker. I can occasionally listen to some tunes here and there from their subsequent releases, but they’d diminish in quality and impact, as something was inexorably broken and never got fully repaired.

In any case, bands are fleeting but albums are eternal, like they say. The Gates of Oblivion undoubtedly constitutes one of the strongest (if not, THE strongest) Spanish power metal releases of all time, and the band was carrying a tremendous momentum at that time. In comparison to their sophomore, this one’s has more symphonic overtones, both in the songs and with several brief instrumental passages, without reaching the level of polish and complexity of a Rhapsody record. The production values are the best from the Elisa years, with a crystalline, crisp sound emphasizing the vocals and guitars. The bass and drums, while clearly audible, feel a bit subdued, with the exception of Saéz’ plates. The keyboards, while ever-present, quite varied and tasteful, serve more as a background compliment than as a stellar instrument, as Roberto Peña de Camús never ventures into wild soloing a la Jens Johansson/Alex Staropoli, nor he choses to duel with the axe-team. That’s not a bad thing per se, making Enrik García and Albert Moroto’s six-stringed attack more focal and one of the album’s strengths along with Elisa’s vocals. Their solos are sufficiently fast and dexterous, sometimes even approaching shred territory, but they never sacrifice good taste for mere technical displays, and they also employ good harmonies.

Speaking about Elisa C. Martín, her voice will forever remind me of my highschool years, and the Euro power craze of those days. The first time I listened to her I wasn’t sure she was a woman, because she reminds me of the “shemale”-toned style of vocalists like Geddy Lee or Mark Antoni of Realm. That’s not intended as an insult at all, just how I felt she sounded. However, she does offer a broader tonality than the aforementioned examples, and there’re instances when she clearly sounds like a women, like when she sings more tenderly or narrates calmly (“Starsmaker” intro, or the ballad “Your Symphony” in this record). She’s quite powerful and usually employs an operatic style, the unquestionable star jewel of this musical work. Her English pronunciation is quite good as well, unlike most Spanish singers (any genre)… and non-singers. Her vocal work here is complimented by a good use of contrasting male choirs, and sometimes several layers of her vocals are used at once, making it a pretty good vox mix.

Personal highlights include the opening one-two punch of “In the Heart of Stone” and “A New World” about America’s discovery and its ensuing colonization. That reminds me of our current Mexican president and his stupid request; that Spain should ask forgiveness for America's conquest (and the ensuing creation of many nations?!). Such retards should never obtain power, but alas, here we are… Onto more interesting issues, other great tunes are “Elsbereth (Starsmaker)” about the Vala Varda of Tolkien lore, “Nevermore” about the famous raven by Poe, the love ballad “Your Symphony” and the epic pièce de résistance “Dies Irae (Amadeus)” about Mozart, which borrows some motifs from his works. There’s a 9-minute ‘symphonic version’ of that track in several releases by Dark Moor, but the original eleven-minute composition sounds quite symphonic to me. And it comprises the summit of early Dark Moor. It’s perplexing that this album is twenty years old, but it hasn’t lost its luster to me, not even now that I’ve listened to it with a more analytic approach. A must for European power metal enthusiasts.

A Power Metal Enigma - 86%

A Friendly Observer, September 1st, 2018
Written based on this version: 2012, CD, End of the Light (Digipak)

The enigma of Elisa-era Dark Moor is something to behold: at the peak of the symphonic power metal genre's prime, seemingly out of nowhere comes this pair of phenomenal albums by this band from Spain, a country way outside of this genre's typical radar. Nothing they'd released until then demonstrated potential on this level: 1999's Shadowland features mediocre songwriting and unlistenable production. Then comes 2000's Hall of the Olden Dreams, which features some knock-out hooks and an incredible sense of atmosphere. But while some consider that album the band's best, in my eyes it prepared the groundwork for their definitive statement, The Gates of Oblivion.

Killer opener 'In the Heart of Stone' is quintessential Dark Moor: urgent guitar work with baroque synthphonic stylings -- the latter of which complements the former, rather than dominating it. The chorus is one part of the song rather than being the anthemic centerpiece that holds the music together. Elisa's contralto vocals are almost shocking in a scene filled with so many divas. Like the chorus, she is strong, but not the main attraction; she is the singer, not the Female Vocalist (TM). Still, she does get some time to take the lead: ballad 'Your Symphony' is full of dreamy synths that are folkish without devolving into melodic cliches. The warm moods evoked by the somewhat-counterintuitive melodies of this album are quite different than what I am accustomed to from power metal, and nowhere is that more evident than on that song. It is miles away from what the icy Nordic acts could come up with -- it is far more relaxed and sincere. Those seeking melodic cliches will find them on the bonus track, which uses an evocative but too-familiar synth line to summon images of ancient Egypt.

There is an enthusiasm and taste for adventure that pervades the record without resorting to stories about knights and wizards and magic. The adventure they seek is another kind the Nordic acts know little about, but which is more familiar to geographically similar acts like Portugal's Oratory: the glory of imperial journeying. "A New World" is inspired by the highs and lows of Spain's explorer past, and features a particularly punchy hook. Interestingly, the album's second half might be stronger than the first: there's a late-album triumph in 'A Truth for Me', which gets the album's best verses, and 'Night of the Age' evokes one of the most striking atmospheres of the record. The journey from there to here leads us through a few unnecessary synth interludes, which, while pretty and well-composed, just don't sound 'big' enough when carried by only electronic sounds.

All of this is just a prelude to this band's magnum opus, the final track, their 11-minute tribute to Mozart, 'Dies Irae (Amadeus).' It is hard to overstate how good this song is; it might be the most authentic tribute to classical music I've encountered in metall. The fact that it manages to make the most overplayed passage of 'Lachrymosa' sound fresh is testimony to how awesome this song is. It is so infectious, passionate, and natural; every band member shines, the song never loses momentum. Everyone gets a chance to show off their technical skill here, too -- and without sacrificing musicality. Listening to this track, one is truly taken with just how talented this band is.

And yet, at least for this incarnation, it was also the band's swan song. After only two albums, Elisa and the men of Dark Moor parted ways, and went in different musical directions. Consequently there is a mystique to this album, like its existence is a happy accident. It is not a masterpiece, but it is must-listening for anyone who enjoys this genre of metal.

Cheesy, but delightful - 90%

caspianrex, November 11th, 2009

Okay, I'll admit it, I LOVE cheese. Both the real food, and the musical stuff. Trans-Siberian Orchestra? Awesome! Pat Boone singing hard rock and metal faves? Bring it on! Dark Moor? Premium cheese!!!

Really, this album is worth listening to for its final Mozart-inspired track, if for no other reason. Trans-Siberian never played Mozart this well. In fact, some actual symphony orchestras don't play Mozart with this much enthusiasm. Sure, it's full of masturbatory guitar scales and arpeggios, cheap keyboards, and loads of pseudo-classical vocals, but this track buzzes with excitement. You can sense the amount of fun the musicians are having in almost every note, and there are an awful lot of notes here. I've sung the Mozart Requiem several times, and we rarely had this much fun.

And really, just about every track on this album has that kind of energy and excitement. I know it must be a requirement of every symphonic metal drummer to go nuts on the double kick-bass, and Jorge is no exception. I don't know how the guy manages to play that fast without his legs falling off. These guys don't tend to ease into songs--almost every track starts off at top speed, and doesn't let up. Ever. And that's another thing I always love about symphonic metal, and Dark Moor in particular. The musicians are absolutely committed to playing as many notes as they can, as fast as possible. Guitar and keyboard have to be synced perfectly to pull that trick off, and Dark Moor does just that. "Starsmaker," "A New World" and the aforementioned "Dies Irae (Amadeus)" are perfect examples of how precisely the band plays.

The vocalists have a little easier job in the stamina department, in my opinion. While the instrumental tracks churn away underneath them, they just sort of float above the top. Not having ever seen Dark Moor in concert, I am curious as to how well this band plays live. It seems like it would be extremely difficult for the vocals to be heard over band in a live setting. Nevertheless, I find the vocals pretty nicely blended on this album. Although Elisa Martin is not as richly blessed, vocally speaking, as Tarja Turunen of Nightwish, her voice doesn't seem as out of place as Tarja's often does. (I imagine comparisons with Nightwish are inevitable when one looks at a symphonic metal band with a female vocalist, but Dark Moor really ends up sounding quite different from Nightwish, and often quite a bit better.)

So yes, overall, this album is a major Cheesefest, but it's a slick, well-executed Cheesefest. And the result is tasty and satisfying.

Perfect example of what Dark Moor can accomplish. - 95%

KayTeeBee, December 11th, 2004

I got this album quite a while back, but I never really thought of reviewing it until I found it in my bedroom the other day. Simply put, The Gates of Oblivion is one of the best Euro-Power albums ever (along with Stratovarius' Visions). The classical influences lying around are fairly obvious, and the riffs are pure Powermetal. The vocals are also sensational, Elisa's voice is full of emotion. Yes, she's a girl, but don't expect some operatic Nightwish-esque vocals. The vocals don't get boring at all.

This album also contains one of the best Powermetal songs ever made: Nevermore.Every single thing about this song is just fucking amazing. Vocals full of emotions, great harp and guitar melodies, and fucking FAST neo-classical-ish solos. The song that shows the biggest classical influence is undoubtably "The Gates of Oblivion". It's just a short instrumental played on keyboard, but fuck, it's lovely! I also have to mention"The Citadel of the Light", the final interlude before "A Truth for Me" and the 11 minute long masterpiece that is Dies Israe (Amadeus).

I got this album pretty long ago, and its cleverness still impresses me every time I listen to it. It's Dark Moor's masterpiece, and should be regarded as a Euro-Power masterpiece by every single fan of the genre!

They've done it! - 92%

Metal_God, March 22nd, 2003

I start off to say that Dark Moor is one of my favourite Metal bands. They are not very different to other Power Metal band, like Rhapsody or Sonata Arctica. The main difference between Power Metal bands like Gamma Ray or Blind Guardian is that Dark Moor does not use as hard and raw riffs in their guitar solos. It goes a little faster instead and I love that!

Well, somehow Dark Moor often comes with better songs in their bagage than similar bands. They have a very good singer in Elisa C. Martin, two great guitarists, but a pretty weak drummer. But it doesn't really matter if the guitarists are great or just good; if the drummer does his job like he's supposed to or does his job marvelous. The thing with Dark Moor is that they're such great song writers. They capture the right feeling, they get the harmonies perfectly right and, as said earlier, the guitar solos are very cool.

The CD is not perfect though, if you thought so. Some songs sounds sometimes way too similar, which is a pity when I know they could manage not to do so. But sometimes everything does not get totally right.



A great album!