Crystal Gates – Torment & Wonder: The Ways Of The Lonely Ones

Crystal Gates
Torment & Wonder: The Ways Of The Lonely Ones
Label: Wormholedeath Records
Out: July 29th, 2022
Playing time: 51:27

Crystal Gates were founded by guitarist Benjamín Machín and singer Carolina Pérez in Montevideo (Uruguay) in 2013. The song writing for the first EP “A Quest For Life” took two years. The line-up was also completed in the year of the release. This allowed the band to play various live gigs in their home country. After the single “Shadowborn”, Crystal Gates could also perform at bigger shows and festivals. Later, the musicians moved to Europe. In the meantime, they are based in Latvia and have signed a contract with Wormholedeath Records. The long-awaited debut album “Torment & Wonder: The Ways Of The Lonely Ones” was released in July.

First there are spoken words before the orchestral introduction “The Ways Of The Lonely Ones” sets the mood for what is to come. But already with the seamlessly following “My Glorious Fall”, things really get going. Carolina Pérez sings in a high but not shrill-sounding soprano. “Alive For The Journey” then rocks blithely along. Fortunately, the bombast is kept in the background. Instead, you hear a short but filigree guitar solo. “A Lonely Dreamer’s Wish” is quieter, an epic Symphonic Metal hymn with a fantastic guitar solo. After that, “The Stars Temple” offers a widescreen movie soundtrack. The band produced a video clip for the single “Moonshine & Sorrow”. The catchiness of the song makes it a hit.  But Crystal Gates can also play Oldschool Metal, as they show on “Winter Ghost”. The Uruguayans go at a fast pace here. “Nightmares” captivates with probably the best guitar solo on the album, but the riffs are also spot-on and the double bass is driving. And again and again powerful bass lines. With “Soul Of Rain”, the band takes the listener on a journey back in time to the early times of Symphonic Metal. Early Nightwish send their regards here. The album ends with the twelve-minute epic “Torment & Wonder”, which gave the album its name. Here you find everything that makes up Symphonic Metal: big choruses, orchestral arrangements, various tempo changes and style-defining operatic vocals.

“Torment & Wonder: The Ways Of The Lonely Ones” is one of the best Symphonic Metal albums of recent times. While other genre greats are weakening, Crystal Gates try to close this gap. Musically, they are on a par with the aforementioned early Nightwish, but also with Within Temptation, Epica, Delain, … Whether they can achieve the same commercial success is questionable. But they definitely have the quality for it.

Crystal Gates – Moonshine & Sorrow [Official Video]: https://youtu.be/5b08ckPHrag

Lineup:

Benjamín Machín – Guitars
Carolina Pérez – Vocals
Guillermo Albano – Bass
Gastón Lorenzo – Drums
Juan José Leyton – Keyboards

Track list:

• The Ways Of The Lonely Ones
• My Glorious Fall
• Alive For The Journey
• A Lonely Dreamer’s Wish
• The Stars Temple
• Moonshine & Sorrow
• Winter Ghost
• Nightmares
• Soul Of Rain
• Torment & Wonder