Biography

Crystal Gates 2021

Crystal Gates is a symphonic power metal band based in Riga, Latvia. The band was originally formed in Montevideo in 2013 by Benjamín Machín and Carolina Pérez. After two years of writing, arranging and recording, the duo released their first studio work, the six-song EP “A Quest For Life” in 2015. Recorded and mixed at Molecula Studios in Montevideo, and mastered by Mika Jussila at the legendary Finnvox studios, in Finland, the album was very well received by the public and specialized press. On the year of the release, Crystal Gates became a full band and played multiple shows in Uruguay and Argentina. 2015 concluded with great news for the band, winning the “Best National Album”, “Best National Cover Artwork” and “Best National Female Voice” awards in a national metal-specialized poll hosted by the prominent uruguayan metal producer “El Lado Oscuro”.

The single “Shadowborn” followed in 2017, bringing more international attention to the band, and the opportunity to play bigger shows and festivals now also in Perú and Argentina, sharing the stage with bands like Epica, Xandria, Masterplan, Anneke Van Giersbergen’s “The Gentle Storm”, Blackoustic, The Agonist and Fates Warning.

Now, after hardworking through challenging times, the band has finished their first full length album: “Torment & Wonder: The Ways Of The Lonely Ones”, their most ambitious effort to this date. With bigger production, three video singles, an epic twelve-minute closing track and the participation of renowned artists like Sebastian “Seeb” Levermann (mixing and mastering), Elisa C. Martin (backing vocals and arrangements) and Stan W. Decker (artwork), “Torment & Wonder” promises a bright future. The band also aims at new horizons by having Benjamín now settled in north-eastern Europe, opening the doors to a new chapter in their quest for global reach.