Power Metal and Speed Metal. Put the two together and you can get something that is pretty insane and it's not uncommon to see bands fuse those two genres together to make something that is pretty bonkers to listen to. This year saw the birth of a new band that are all about doing just that and their name is BLACKGATE, who are a brand new American Power/Speed Metal quintet that formed this year. Originating from the Michigan area in the USA, this 5 piece Power/Speed Metal band got together and released their debut self titled EP, which is out now as an independent release.

The 6-song EP, which clocks in at roughly 31 minutes playtime, is pretty much what you'd expect from a release where the genres are Power and Speed Metal, as needless to say, it's pretty insane. The guitars are heavy, fast and loud with some pretty nutty guitar solos and the drum beats are pretty mad too with some ridiculously fast double bass drumming going on.

As for the quality of the music, it's actually pretty clear for an independently released album from a new band. Vocal performance wise, it's actually not too bad if you don't worry too much about the at times hit and miss performance from the singer as for the most part you can hear what is being sung while enjoying something that is mad and heavy. Hard really to pick a standout track on this as each one is pretty heavy, fast, loud and insane to boot.

It's verdict time now. Firstly, this has got to be my shortest review but then when you review something by a band that only formed this year, it's hard to find a lot of background info on them. What do I think about the debut self-titled EP from BLACKGATE? I actually found myself enjoying it and if you don't worry too much about the, at times, hit and miss vocal performance, then you will find yourself enjoying this as it's mainly the hard, heavy, loud, fast and insane music that will win you over.<