Before I looked up this song, I'd heard one song that I was aware of from this album. Enter preceded Within Temptation's skyrocket to fame with Mother Earth. For a hearer only used to The Heart of Everything, the difference in sound is palpable.
Enter, as Within Temptation's first album, is heavily gothic rock, which their later albums progressively start shifting into symphonic metal. In fact, the songs are mostly instrumental, causing an impression that Enter (or at least "Gatekeeper") should be on a fantasy soundtrack. The music is gorgeous if overextended.
Or should, at least, until the growling starts (I think from Robert Westerholt). Excuse me while I grimace. I've come to tolerate growling thanks to the intentional tastes of it used in some songs I otherwise like greatly (like "Tenth Man Down"). Sharon Den Adel sings a slight bit, but it's atop the growling and annoys me personally, but if you like growling, I suspect you'll be happy.
Some people won't like the dark lyrics, which remind me of the (much newer song) "At the Back of Beyond." "One by one they died," sings Sharon, "a massacre that took all night…" In this and other lines, "Gatekeeper" seems to be talking about the "Gatekeeper" Death, but it could use more development.
With so few lyrics, did "Gatekeeper" have to be almost seven minutes long? End, already!
The various segments of the song were certainly lovely, but… I suspect it would've been more effective if used to make different songs.
Music: 4/5
Voice: 3/5
Overall: 6/10
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