Shackles - "Traitor's Death"
CD / Hells Headbangers Records
GALLERY OF THE GROTESQUE ZINE – issue #7 (printed)

Review by Wilhelm

Australia's Shackles does a decent job at compiling razor sharp, epic
riffs that can be stereotypically compared to their country mates
Destroyer 666 and Slaughter Lord, yet there's also some similarity
here to post- "Tyrants...." era Desaster to make it at least somewhat
atypical of the Aussie sound. I hear allot more melody in Shackles
compared to other bands playing in this style, and that's certainly
good for me since I tend to enjoy a bit of melodism intersperced
through all that sonic chaos. "Traitor's Gate" containes 9 tracks of
catchy, well produced tunes which should easily catch the fancy of
deaththrash affectinendos.




WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25, 2009
Shackles - Traitors' Gate (2009)

 A release through Hell's Headbangers almost guarantees a particular sound: a devotion to the razor filth of carnal death, thrash and black metal which is often lost amidst the studio overdubbed wankery of modern metal. It's a breath of stale toxicity which some of us gladly inhale. Australia's Shackles embody this aesthetic with their debut Traitors' Gate, a barbaric onslaught of pure blackened thrash/speed metal peppered in sporadic leads and do it yourself attitude.

It took me a few listens before the album grew on me, the riffs aren't exactly the type of memorable fare which you'll instantly want to replay. But taken in its savage whole, the album is pretty entertaining and has a nostalgic, dark glow to it which has slowly won out. Specific highlights include the girls' chanting at the opening of "Cat O'Nine Tails", which creates a mesmerizing effect alongside the doom-laden guitar trills. Pretty damned evil. "Exhumed from a Watery Grave" is a flowing acoustic instrumental, actually a sweet break from the aggression of its environs. For the more brutal fare, "Malignant Expulsion" and "Orgy of Corpses" are good slower tracks; "Iron Crosses" and "Exorcised Remains" handle the speed.

The mix is raw yet vibrant, adequate for this style of dark early speed metal. Punk fueled riffs are captured with energy, drums sound straight from the rehearsal room, and the leads glitter on the horizon. At times I couldn't make out the bass much, but it's there. Shackles should appeal to fans of early, raw thrash metal like Possessed, Venom or earliest Kreator. I'd also liken them to Order from Chaos in that they seamlessly mesh the death, black and thrash elements into one. It's not perfect and it's not immediately catchy, but if you're a fan of the type of album Hell's Headbangers
are known for pushing, then this is directly up your alley. I know it was up mine.


Shackles “Traitors Gate” 2009
BLACKDEATH Zine

2009 has so far been a good year for the Heavy Metal industry in Australia. It has seen many great releases but none of them caught my attention as much as Shackles new album. Interesting music this quartet from hell have been releasing since day one. Starting their career with the infamous demo “Orgy of Corpses” it was set in stone that their mission was not to stop at any cause and like a determined panzer advanced.

These guys have indeed triumphed in the underground and delivered the goods once more with such quality and professionalism.Shackles has several releases, such as “Orgy of Corpses”, followed by “Coup de Grace” (demo tape), “Inquisitor’s Curse” 7”, “Coup de Grace” CD (including 2nd demo plus live songs). I’ve seen this band grow and polish their sound by every subsequent release. Perfecting their sound and adding the necessary madness that they are capable of doing.

“Traitors Gate” brings with it a new storm of pure Trash/Death. In the footsteps of the 80’s true metal bands, these guys found their holy grail. Their musical composition and musical structure are a mixture of nothing but the finest amongst its peers. This album has wicked guitar solos that ad that extra speed and balance out the songs to the purest Thrash/Death style that I haven’t heard in a quite long time.

Personally this kind of metal is my favourite, and I believe that Aussie bands are quite good in mastering this sound. Vocals, music and passion flow together. “Traitors Gate” has 9 songs. From the beginning of the album it has no intention to be nice or please posers of any kind. Like a fist hits the face, this album emerges from the depths and
delivers its fury.

The opening track is “Coiled in Sin” which is the perfect gem to open up the album. Besides reflecting Shackles power, they captured a great array of lyrics that marry up pretty well with the song’s title. Evil, and those European metal influences are shinning all over it. This feeling stays throughout the whole album.

“Iron Crosses” kicks starts the engines and finds the boys playing harder and faster. Awesome beginning where a guitar solo arises in the mid half of the song like a rising flag that is led into battle.

“Malignant Expulsion” has a sluggish start when compared with the previous. Ian’s vocals shine through those notes and once more the excellent guitar work is impeccable. Their sound will stay ashore, until it finds its vessel and rides with the storm once more. Powerful and well delivered medicine which interacts nicely with the most evil creatures in this world.

“Traitors Gate” rips the floor, and it has a very peculiar start - reminds me in a way of classic Running Wild tunes. This song resumes the album for me, one of my favourite tunes among the nine. It has all the implements that a good metal song has to have. It combines all their experience and the boys turn this song into a magnificent piece of malevolence. Fast, slow and mid tempo guitar solos. Awesome power vocals and fury portraited in this song.

“Cat O nine Tails” breaks the air - pounding drums emerge. Vocals rise to push the song to a mastering deliverance of great combo of well aligned tempos and speeds. I like my music to provide pockets to breath and this song has them all. Very well structured and definitely a must for headbanging live.

“Exorcised Remains” has an interesting intro that a lot of us will be connected to. Again, a melting guitar solo spreads its wings across the start of the song. A more melodic tune for this Sydney sinners, although it does not loose its mastery of terrain and we’re found once again neck-to-neck exorcising the night away. Great structured and well-played song, indeed another great tune from this album.

“Exhumed from a watery grave” has a name that will captivate you from the beginning. It will be the calm before the storm: the bringer of silence amongst the dying in the battlefield.

“Shackled” tears apart the corpses and returns them to life. Fast tune, Thrash/Death at its best. I love the verse “Inquisition – wwwwwitch” a must to listen to!!! It goes perfectly with the song’s structure and married up pretty well the inquisitor with the sinners.

“Orgy of Corpses” is the last bullet that will enter your cranium and completes a very well delivered album.

I strongly recommend this release as they are a great emerging voice from Sydney. To call yourself a metalhead and not to have a copy of this album, is like trying to be a headbanger, and have no idea who Iron Maiden are. A must to get, not on itunes to put on your ipod to go jogging hahahaha. This is real music and it should be played either on vinyl or CD amongst real metal heads and followers of the real metal era. Enjoy the carnage:

Fabian.   




Shackles review up on Invisible Oranges:
http://invisibleoranges.com/2009/06/shackles-traitors-gate.html

Traitors' Gate (Hells Headbangers, 2009) has the makings of a classic. The first and only record by Shackles, who broke up after releasing it, it is one of the finest examples of Australian thrash to date. Shackles share the German edge of compatriots Hobbs' Angel of Death and Deströyer 666, but are more melodic. (See also fellow countrymen Armoured Angel, another one-album wonder.) The result is often epic, with soaring leads and harmonies. But the intensity never flags; dig those insane drum beats kicking off "Iron Crosses" and the breakneck speed of "Exorcised Remains." Acoustic guitars often enrich the buzzsaw attack. These additions are organic, and in general the record shows much forethought and vision. Too bad these ended, but they did so while on top. This is a record for the ages.




Blabbermouth
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/showreview.aspx?reviewID=1650

Shackles - Traitors Gate

 Australia is a veritable breeding ground for blackened thrash and war metal, and Hells Headbangers' recruits heavily in that area of the world, more often than not sniffing out the best the land down under has to offer. Sydney's SHACKLES is the most recent signing to the widely respected label. The act's debut album, "Traitors' Gate", may be blackened thrash (or deaththrash as the band describes it), but it comes with some sweet twists that turn otherwise standard fare into something with a little more to offer the discerning listener.

As far as furious, edgy thrashing, loose (not sloppy) blasts and straight beats, and the charred vocals are concerned, "Traitors Gate" does the job just fine. The DESTROYER 666 and HOBBS ANGEL OF DEATH comparison are appropriate.

But traditional heavy metal shades are infused into the compositions, making for longer, somewhat more involved songs, but never overindulged ones. "Iron Crosses" is the first track on which those added dynamics appear. Though a frenetic blackened thrasher in a traditional sense, the leads that commence after the chorus enhance the song.

"Malignant Expulsion" is the star cut, featuring a brief, yet epic section underlined with acoustic guitar before the song lunges again, blast beating its way into every orifice, while a second drum/vocal-only break and one of many of the album's distinguished solos accentuates the thrash metal positives. Those dirty trad-metal moments make their way into a title track has a swing to it reminiscent of "Devils in Iron" (SCORCHED EARTH). There is a short section of

"Exorcised Remains" that is straight from IRON MAIDEN's earlier works. Something along the lines of a cheerleader chant paired with a spine-tingling vibrato that introduces "Cat O' Nine Tails" isn't a HM touch; it's just disturbing. An acoustic interlude called "Exhumed from a Watery Grave" is all well and good, just unnecessary.

Don't be misled by those expansionist tendencies. "Traitors' Gate" is fire-breathing blackened thrash no matter how many ways you slice it. The added elements just make it more of a well-rounded album.

- Scott Alisoglu




Metalreview.com

Shackles - Traitors Gate