GATES OF SLUMBER
AWAKENING - CD
UPC: 6430077098305
Label: SVART RECORDS
Format: CD
Release Date: October 16, 2026
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The Gates of Slumber’s debut album and EP reissued in August
Svart Records continue to reissue the works of Indiana’s true doom metal legends The Gates
of Slumber by bringing back their debut album The Awakening and early EP Like a Plague
Upon the Land in late August 2026.
Crushing debut The Awakening from 2004 is an album of raw, slow, monolithic traditional
doom with a gritty sound. Featuring heavy, battleaxe-in-the-gut riffs and depressing, slow
leads, The Awakening is strongly influenced by Pentagram and Candlemass, with Conanstyle
lyrical themes and Ozzy-like vocals. An essential, cult classic album for the fans of true
doom.
The Gates of Slumber was formed by Karl Simon in 1998. Various people were in and out of
the group between 1998 and 2001, when the Blood Encrusted Deth Axe demo was recorded
with Jamie Walters aka Dr. Phibes/Athenar (Boulder, Midnight) on drums and bass. In 2003
Jason McCash took over the bass duties and was a long-time member of the band until his
untimely demise in 2014, after which Simon decided it was time to call it quits. That was until
2019 when the renowned metal festival Hell Over Hammaburg wanted to bring the band
back on stage to perform at the festival’s 2020 edition. Simon reformed the band with its
original member Chuck Brown on drums and Steve Janiak on bass and got back to work,
which resulted in the new self-titled album released in 2024 on Svart Records.
TRACK LIST:
SIDE A
1. Hell
2. The Awakening
3. The Judge
4. The Jury
SIDE B
1. Broken On The Wheel
2. The Executioner
3. Blessed Pathway To The Celestial Kingdom
4. The Burial
