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With a new (and already gone) vocalist, Ron Slaets, in their ranks, in addition to another guitarist, Björn Walde, Sacred Gate sound stronger and more capable of delivering their goods than ever before. It's just too bad they didn't want to play nicely together anymore because the entertainment level of Sacred Gate's third album is the highest in their discography so far. The band's strongly riff-laden Heavy Metal flows effortlessly, with enough vital hooks, absolutely catchy, Maiden-esque melody sections, easy sing-along parts, etc., that make you miss this disbanded German outfit. There's actually nothing on Countdown... that I dislike after a concentrated amount of spins. On their final testament, Sacred Gate basically succeeded in everything, and I think being able to create a wholeness under a negative atmosphere is quite an achievement. This is excellently churned out, mean but melodic sounding Heavy Metal the way it should be played in the first place.