Zions Gate Records — Local services in Seattle

If you've ever eaten lunch at the airport, you know how much they jack the prices up, and that's because they've cornered the market on food. Where else are you going to go? I recently paid $60 for two hamburgers and two milkshakes at the SeaTac Airport. I couldn't believe it, but I had no alternative.

This isn't the case with record shops here in Seattle. Here, there are so many great places to find music that I've overlooked Zion's Gate for years, never visiting. (It being somewhat out of the way for me doesn't help matters.)

Zion's Gate has a good selection of metal on CD and vinyl. I was there for more rock-goth-prog-postpunk-oriented stuff and was pretty happy to see their selection of King Crimson, Bauhaus, Hawkwind, Dead Can Dance, Slowdive, Dinosaur Jr, Harry Nilsson, The Cure, and David Bowie.

But their prices...

At Zion's Gate, I saw albums that sell for $9.99 in other local shops going for $19.99. Example: the s/t Velvet Underground CD from 1969. Why on earth is this CD $19.99? I asked the owner why his prices were so steep. He replied: "It's because they're imports." But the Velvet Underground album isn't an import, and neither is his inventory on The Flenser (a San Francisco-based label). But he sells the latest Chat Pile CD (from Flenser) for $19.99, just like "Deathconsciousness" by Have a Nice Life (Flenser). Sonic Boom sells those same albums for $14.99. Why does Zion's Gate sell David Bowie's "Heroes" for $19.99? Zion's copy was a Japanese import, yes, but it was in a jewel case. I just bought several Bowie CDs (in vinyl-replica gatefold sleeves) for $11.99 each at Sonic Boom.

Zion's Gate's used CDs were similarly overpriced. Why would they sell a used copy of King Crimson's "USA" for $11.99 when I can buy a brand-new (sealed) copy for $16? Because that's what Zion's Gate thinks I'll spend.

And what's the point of my review? The owner of this record shop thinks he's the only game in town. (He must not get out much.) In his shop, I found two CDs by the Cure and almost bought them immediately. Then I looked around and saw his other prices, and I realized that by giving him my money, I was telling him it's okay to price-gouge his customers. So, I put them back. And I walked out.

I'll probably order those Cure CDs from Discogs (they're a little hard to find, but I've seen them both for a lot less there). And I'll continue shopping at the other GREAT record shops in Seattle: Easy Street, Golden Oldies, Jive Time, Light in the Attic, Royal Records, Singles Going Steady, Sonic Boom, and Spin Cycle.

See what I mean? This city's full of record shops. (I didn't even list them all, just the ones I frequent.) Why would I bother with Zion's Gate? I'm not stuck in an airport with an empty stomach.

VERDICT: Avoid this shop. You'll find whatever you're looking for cheaper elsewhere. (I didn't bother with their vinyl or their shirts, though they're probably overpriced too.) Zion's Gate gets an 'A' for selection and an 'F' for prices.

PS: Their Yelp profile claims that they've got the city's "largest collection of underground and obscure music." NOT TRUE. You'll find more obscure stuff at Jive Time, Royal Records, or Singles Going Steady. (It'll be 50% cheaper at those shops too.) Zion's Gate also claims that their records are "competitively priced...resulting in a wide range of price points." ALSO NOT TRUE. Their price range is only wide if you've never been to a record shop before. Then, seeing a Taylor Swift CD for $19.99 might make sense to you. I'm not a Swiftie, but if I was, I'd laugh in the...

TLDR; Library of choices 4/5 Customer Service 1/5

Like many have said, they have a wide variety of all genres, smaller indie bands and large big names. I was quite excited as I had taken a glance at their online marketplace, so came from out of town to visit for my first time and was met with a less than favorable experience.

I had walked in, wasn't greeted. That's okay, I understand it's a weekend and it's rainy! That wasn't the issue. I had found the one item I was looking for and was continuing to browse, so I asked the cashier (who I'm assuming is the owner based on other experiences) if I could have assistance in grabbing the item. "It would be a lot easier for ALL of us if you could grab it over there yourself" and points to said corner.

I understand I'm a novice collector, but this was my first time in the store and between the unwelcoming atmosphere to begin with, and that interaction I felt uncomfortable. (I could not find this record for the life of me anywhere else, because it is an import). I take it back to the cashier and then he picks up the phone and proceeds to talk to one of his 'regulars' offering him his at cost price on a bunch of recently received items (again, awkwardly just standing at the register waiting to pay.

I'm not one to leave negative reviews for places, but just the level of unprofessionalism and lack of care for a paying customer is beyond me. I felt as though I was a piece of gum stuck to the bottom of this guy's shoe, and needed to be disposed of immediately.

I checked out, left. Never coming back. If this is how you're going to conduct business for someone who just needed a little assistance finding stuff in your...

This place is place is awesome for metal albums, the organization was easy to digest, and they played some good music while I was browsing.

The reason I'm leaving a bad review, is because I listen to a LOT of black metal - and in that space, there are a LOT of unsavory characters. Unsavory characters that you probably wouldn't want to promote or support more than by simply streaming (or even pirating) their music. I learned of one such unsavory group shortly before coming here, "Satanic Warmaster", a band who's shirt the cashier at Zion's Gate was wearing.

I feel like generally you wouldn't wear a Burzum shirt due to the connotation and the man behind the project, so I just don't get why you would do it for a much-lesser known band with NSBM (aka, facist) ties. That just reads like a dog whistle to me, and that left a bad taste in my mouth.

Don't get me wrong, I think lots of people can be too quick to assign the "NSBM" label to certain bands and call them "sketch" due to some ties that are reeeeaeaalllly a stretch, but I mean.... this band straight up has a disclaimer above it when you look at their albums on RateYourMusic. On Wikipedia, you can find multiple instances of their concerts being boycotted or cancelled due to their ties. That's a bit too far for me to ever want to rock their merch, especially in a professional setting.

It's just crazy that I wouldn't have recognized that logo normally, but by happenstance I had discovered them a day or two prior. their music is probably great, but yeah... representing them seems pretty weird. This review would probably be five stars without having noticed that. That was a bummer, and...