Although one wouldn't necessarily assume that Indiana would be the birthplace of a well-tuned doom metal outfit, perhaps it's important to take into consideration Indiana's disconnect from the rest of the pop market, and maybe the picture gets a little clearer. Hailing from the state's capital, the Gates of Slumber started making the slow, sludgy, methodical style of metal their bread and butter around 1998. Led by guitarist and vocalist Karl Simon, the Gates of Slumber -- the membership rounded out by Jason McCash on bass and a revolving cast of drummers - released their first album, The Awakening, on Final Chapter in 2004. This debut was preceded by a number of demos and compilation appearances, and was followed by more compilations and a pair of EPs.
In 2006, Gates released their first big statement, the album Suffer No Guilt, on I Hate Records. The album brought a huge response from the metal press, scoring 4 Ks from Kerrang! magazine. The bulk of 2007 was spent releasing splits and compilation appearances, and in 2008 the Gates of Slumber unleashed their next album, Conqueror, which was a joint release on Profound Lore and I Hate Records. In the following years, the band suffered some personnel switches and released two more albums, Hymns of Blood and Thunder (2009) and The Wretch (2011). After a couple of tumulteous years which ended in longtime member Jason quitting, Karl chose to disband the band in 2013.
On 30 April 2019 it was announced that The Gates of Slumber will reunite for a performance at the 2020 edition of Hell Over Hammaburg in Hamburg, with former drummer Chuck Brown and Steve Janiak (Apostle of Solitude, Devil To Pay) on bass. The band has stated that their set is largely going to comprise of material from The Awakening, and that there will possibly be more reunion shows in the future.
