Truly, that an album like The Gates was only available digitally seems like a cruel anachronism, for ANCIENT NORTH’s black metal is as authentically 1994 as anything currently around. Trilogy-era Darkthrone (whom they cover), Malicious Records-era Gorgoroth, early Ancient, the lone Kvist album, the first demo of Norway’s Troll: however obvious these references may seem on paper, to reCREATE such sounds is an entirely different manner, and indeed do ANCIENT NORTH unapologetically add to this iron-clad tradition. From the blizzard-born execution to the hypnotically linear songwriting, from the raw-yet-full production to even the elegantly sparse cover artwork, The Gates is a special record especially not for these times. Those who know, already know.