Wednesday 18 November 2015

From Western Shores


The gentleman standing to my left is David Messier, the new bassist for Gatekeeper. People in the greater Vancouver area will recognize David from his work with the speed metal hellions Manic Strike (RIP) and for being a face at nearly every local metal show, usually with a beer or two in hand. Messier has been a fan of Gatekeeper since our first EP and the two of us have been co-writing (a first for this band) the songs that will appear on our upcoming release, to be titled "From Western Shores." It's been an exciting few months working together and the new material is sounding nothing short of battle-ready. We hope to unveil more details and snippets soon.

This marks the beginning of Gatekeeper's new west-coast based lineup. We are currently seeking to fill positions on lead guitar, lead vocals and drums. Backing vocals are an asset. Songwriting contributions are welcome. We are hoping to find musicians based in the greater Vancouver area, but we will consider folks from across the Pacific Northwest. Must love Epic Heavy Metal and be performance-minded.

Get in touch via Facebook or at gatekeeper@live.ca

Until next time,
Jeff Black

Tuesday 21 July 2015

Sounding The Bells


The 7" split with FUNERAL CIRCLE is officially available for download/purchase. Please direct yourself to our bandcamp page to give it a listen and even a purchase should you feel so inclined. Please note that the $1 download only entitles you to the Gatekeeper side of the split. It features lyrics on the back sleeve and artwork by Karmazid on the front. Mixed and mastered by Arthur Rizk, who has worked with Inquisition, Power Trip and Crypt Sermon recently.

This is a special one for us, as Funeral Circle has been friends of Gatekeeper since the early, early stages of the band. Without the initial support from Matt Barzegar and J.P. Abboud, Gatekeeper may not have gotten to where we are now. In addition, this is the first-ever domestic release for both bands. War On Music Records teamed up with Hard And Heavy to produce these records so we're very excited to give our North American brethren an easier grab.

There are a few other cool plans in the pipeline so keep checking the blog and the Facebook page for updates.

Ale and Kill,
Jeff

Thursday 2 July 2015

Into The West

An important announcement. Jeff Black writes:

"This isn't exactly a secret anymore, but I've moved away from Edmonton and have been living in Vancouver since late 2014. After much thought and discussion, I have decided to officially base Gatekeeper out of the west coast. This means that I will be seeking a new lineup of musicians to participate in the group, so that we will be able to rehearse, write, record and perform on a steady basis. Canada is not the right place to have a band (especially at our underground level) where members need to be constantly flown around the country for gigs, let alone find time to rehearse with one another.

I have spoken to the rest of the band and they have given me their blessings on the matter. So, I'd like to extend a massive thank-you to my friends and brethren in GATEKEEPER, who helped pull this group out of my basement and onto the stage and studio floor for nearly four years worth of memorable, quality gigs and four physical releases.

Shorre McColman (Voice)
Leillyn McColman (Bass)
Tyson Travnik (Drums, studio engineering)
Rob Adie (Lead Guitar)
Justin Song (Lead Guitar, choir, flute)
Oskar Jankovic (Lead Guitar)

Without any of these gentlemen and their own support bases, Gatekeeper would not have gotten to where it is now. Thank you so much for everything.

Moving forward, I will be auditioning new members in the west coast area. There are a handful of other projects up my sleeve that I am looking forward to unveiling when the time is right.

Until then."

Leillyn, Jeff, Rob, Tyson, Shorre after Farmageddon 2015

Tuesday 19 May 2015

Hot Wax



Vigilance/Retaliator split LPs are available! Band copies are severely limited so these will ONLY be available for purchase at live shows, NOT ONLINE. I know that's a pain in the ass for our North American fans but we need to be fully stocked for our big Farmageddon gig coming up in June. If we have any copies left after the festival, we might put them online.

For those who want 12" of hard black wax, head over to >>> NO REMORSE RECORDS <<< and snag yourself a copy! They are a great label and deserve the support. The records are limited to 300 copies featuring the gorgeous dual-artwork and liners notes/lyrics. Black wax only.

In other news, the live cassette Shadow Over Calgarae is OFFICIALLY SOLD OUT! I mailed out the last two copies today. Swords and Chains Records has been sold out of theirs for a while now too, so that's it! As always, the support we receive from our small (but mighty) fanbase floors us. Thank you.

In further news, >>> FARMAGEDDON FESTIVAL <<< is a rapidly-approaching dot on the horizon! We hope to see some faces both strange and familiar when we hit the stage a ~6:00PM on Sunday night. Can't wait to raise a few pints to Grim Reaper

Still no word on the upcoming split with Funeral Circle. Will report back as soon as we know something.

'Til the next,
Jeff Black

Saturday 4 April 2015

Straight Outta Hellas


Lookin' mighty fine, soundin' even better. Gatekeeper/Eternal Champion split CDs have just arrived in our greasy mitts from No Remorse Records. We will make them available for order at some point in the weekend. Until then, sample three new studio tracks on our bandcamp page:

https://gatekeeper.bandcamp.com/album/vigilance-retaliator-split

Also check out Eternal Champion while you're at it:
https://eternalchampion.bandcamp.com/

More info on vinyl and the upcoming 7" split with Funeral Circle to come shortly.