Sacred Gate

SACRED GATE is a traditional heavy metal band from Mönchengladbach, West Germany, formed by Nicko Nikolaidis (guitars), Jim Over (vocals), both of Greek origin, and Holger Zimmermann (drums) in March 2008, but the musicians were not newcomers. They had been previously playing together in MADE OF IRON (formed in 1999), which originally was a cover band of Iron Maiden, but then started writing original material. Still as MADE OF IRON they released the first self-titled demo in December 2002 and the second demo “King Of All Kings” in March 2003. In October 2003 Anger Of Metal Records released their 7” EP “Made Of Iron” which included the songs “Made Of Iron” and “Fight For The Cross… Die For Jerusalem”, that are still included in the SACRED GATE live sets. The first and only, again self-titled, full-length album of MADE OF IRON was released in December 2004 by the Greek label Sonic Age Records. Three years after the split of MADE OF IRON, Nicko, Jim and Holger decided to have a fresh start, under the name of SACRED GATE. In October 2008 Peter Beckers joined, responding to an internet announcement of Nicko that the band was searching for a bass player. Christian Wolf joined the band in April 2010 and replaced Holger Zimmermann on the drums. SACRED GATE headlined several local shows in Germany, including a mini festival Metal Night Neuss. On 18th of November 2010 the band entered the Metallurgy Studio in Mönchengladbach and recorded 9 songs for their debut CD. However first, on 24th of September 2011, the band released their self-produced EP “Creators Of The Downfall” that received very good critics and reviews from all over the world. The EP contained 3 studio songs (which would later be found on the band’s first full-length) plus 3 live cuts. Meanwhile SACRED GATE caught the interest of Metal On Metal Records, that upon listening to the full album, titled “When Eternity Ends”, offered the band a deal to release it in April 2012. “When Eternity Ends” was released on April 27th and is a perfect album for all those who love their metal the way it was back in the day: classic and without experimentations. Jim’s charismatic vocals, dynamic, melodic and full of passion, Nicko’s extravagant guitar work with fantastic solos, mighty riffs and double lead harmonies, Peter’s remarkable bass lines and Christian’s solid power drumming are the trademark of SACRED GATE. The catchy choruses, the impressive song structures and the intelligent lyrics prove the musical ability and potential of the band. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.