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The Gates of Hell is the second full-length album from Entierro, though at 29 and a half minutes, "full-length" is generous. Semantics aside, this band out of Connecticut features guitarist Victor Arduini, formerly of Fates Warning, as well as a bunch of experienced musicians that played live with Victor (as part of his Arduini/Balich partnership with ex-Argus singer Brian Balich) at one time or another. The six tracks on The Gates of Hell are punchy, pummeling bursts of heaviness with excellent lead work. The sound is modern, but the songwriting has a lot of '80s DNA when hard rock and heavy metal weren't as distinct as they are now. Some of the riffs straddle the line between the two, and singer Christopher Beaudette (who also handles the bass) sounds a lot like Ape di Martini from OZ, a band that also had some hard rock tendencies. None of the songs on The Gates of Hell really grabbed me, but they are all thoroughly enjoyable while they are on, and the solos are gold, so I can easily look past the hooks not sinking as deeply as they could. If you like your heavy metal direct and right between the eyes, look no further than Entierro and The Gates of Hell.