Song of the Week: The Gates of Slumber – Ice Worm

If you are looking for a modern representation of the classic doom metal of Black Sabbath and Saint Vitus, you need to look no further than Indianapolis’s Gates of Slumber. Many of their earlier albums were inspired by the fantasy writings of Robert E. Howard, with particular emphasis on Conan the Barbarian. The song of the week comes from their 3^rd album, Conqueror, and is based off of the short story "The Lair of the Ice Worm" where Conan battles an ice worm named Yakhamar. And while it can often be difficult to craft a song about fantasy topics that does not come off as being forced, The Gates of Slumber do not fall prey to this. Karl Simon’s impassioned vocals add real weight to the topics and help to recognize Robert E. Howard’s creations and their important place in fantasy literature.