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Storm the Gates took me much longer to digest than Venom Inc.'s Avé (which I prefer over this album). The first several listens didn't grab me, so I put it aside for a while. And now it's back on the playlist and it's more fun than the first time around. ;)

Other than the vocals, which are still reminiscent of some early Venom material, overall I find this is quite in the mould of what Venom have been releasing since Resurrection back in 2000, though there's a more of an old-school vibe on Storm the Gates, mostly more raw than the last few albums. The over-the-top Satanic lyrics are there, the fast, messy, slightly punk-influenced fast rockers pop out of nowhere, and let's not forget the slower, heavier, darkish songs that I always found put the "evil" in Venom. So, no big surprise here if you've been keeping up with the band since Resurrection, but you may have to give it a few listens before it really hits you. Fun stuff.