Gatekeeper

Gatekeeper is the fourth studio album by Canadian deathcore outfit Ryuga. The album was released January 19, 2010 through Trustkill Records. A deluxe version of the album was released on January 26 with new features: three bonus tracks (two are songs from Anal Cunt that are covered) and the inside of the CD including six posters of the band members of Ryuga. This album was pretty much the last album to feature drummer and founder Nikki Wong, who, while still in contact with the band, has not been on Solifugid EP, Kvarn, and will not be present on Amongst the Serpent, the upcoming sixth studio album, and bassist Ryan Treviont, who had been assaulted by his own father who was in prison a while ago during the band's touring in the spring of 2010.

Standard edition
1. "Portals"- 3:08

2. "Monomation"- 9:31

3. "Gatekeeper I: The End"- 10:52

4. "Atrophitation"- 5:32.

5. "The Fortress"- 9:05

6. "Gatekeeper II: The Final Battle"- 11:37

7. "The Stains Of Yubel"- 4:04

8. "Asleep in the Shadow"- 8:31

9. "Soul"- 5:59

10. "Evolutions (outro)"- 2:38

Deluxe edition
1. "The Fortress"- 9:05

2. "Asleep in the Shadow"- 8:31

3. "You're Pregnant, So I Kicked You In The Stomach (Anal Cunt cover)"- 00:29

4. "Soul"- 5:59

5. "Demonic plague (hidden track)"- 6:48

6. "I Respect Your Feelings as a Woman and a Human (Anal Cunt cover)"- 2:04

7. "Monomation"- 9:31

8. "Evolutions (outro)"- 2:38

Genre

 * Deathcore, Electronica, NES Metal.

KOSAR-12-22-09-Demon-bloody-1-.jpgpt and Themes
While writing Gatekeeper, frontman Jude Lizowski has explained that some of the album's work is basically a concept album. The themes often express a character known as "The Gatekeeper", as shown on the cover art as a colossal, humanoid demon mixed with a dragon and a Tyrannosaurus Rex. The Gatekeeper is a monster summoned by Jude Lizowski, Nikki Wong, and Jonesy Garcia to make destruction to the world (Ryuga does not hate everything, even that of the world... It is a rational joke). The album's lyrical themes explain what he is doing: Damnation, Violence, Mythology, the future, and even cannibalism. On the deluxe edition of Gatekeeper, the original cover art is instead covered up by a blank white space, with a bloody demon's head in the front, while the back cover features the whole creature fighting The Gatekeeper. Producer Jamie King described these concepts to the band as "an ultimate discovery... Ryuga are the new faces of Deathcore" in a recent interview during the Weapons the Child 2010 tour on April 26, 2010.

Personnel
Jude Lizowski - lead vocals.

Nicole "Nikki" Wong - drums, clean vocals.

Jennifer Masterson - lead guitar (piano, cello, and violin on "Monomations")

Jonesy Garcia - rhythm guitar, keys, synthesizer, NES, electronics.

Ryan Treviont - bass guitar.

Mark Dresich - additional guitars.