At the Gates

Last updated

At the Gates
At The Gates - Wacken Open Air 2022 03.jpg
At the Gates at Wacken Open Air 2022
Background information
Origin Gothenburg, Sweden
Genres
Years active
  • 1990–1996
  • 2007–2008
  • 2010–present
Labels
Members
Past members
Website www.atthegates.se

At the Gates is a Swedish death metal band from Gothenburg, formed in 1990. The band was a major progenitor of Gothenburg-style melodic death metal alongside In Flames and Dark Tranquillity. Prior to their first disbandment in 1996, At the Gates released four albums, ending with and including Slaughter of the Soul (1995), which has been seen as a landmark in the mid-1990s Swedish death metal scene as well as being a major inspiration for many metalcore bands. [2] After reuniting for a one-off tour in 2008, the band reformed once again in 2011, and they have since released three more albums: At War with Reality (2014), To Drink from the Night Itself (2018) and The Nightmare of Being (2021).

Contents

History

Early career (1990–1994)

At the Gates were formed in late 1990 by former members of the death and black metal band Grotesque. They recorded a debut EP, Gardens of Grief , for the Dolores record label. [3] The EP led the label Peaceville Records to sign the band, and they released their debut album, The Red in the Sky Is Ours in 1992. [3]

After the recording of their second studio album, With Fear I Kiss the Burning Darkness , founding member and guitarist Alf Svensson left the band in 1993, [3] to pursue tattoo artistry, graphic novel illustration and his solo electronic-opera-black metal project, Oxiplegatz. He was soon replaced by former House of Usher guitarist Martin Larsson, [3] who the band knew from underground tape trading. The band continued touring Europe, and were filmed for a Headbangers Ball special feature in Nottingham, England in July 1993.

Success and breakthrough (1994–1996)

In 1994, At the Gates released their third album, Terminal Spirit Disease , which was hailed as a breakthrough album. [4]

The band continued touring and in 1995 released their most commercially and critically successful album: Slaughter of the Soul , on Earache Records. [3] The album is regarded as their strongest death metal effort, compared to previous albums. [5] This album firmly rooted the band as one of the leaders of the Swedish metal scene, the "Gothenburg sound" of melodic death metal. [6] The band received international attention for the album, gaining them several U.S. tours and heavy rotation of the music video for "Blinded by Fear" on MTV in the United States, but despite this international success, the Björler brothers departed in 1996. [3] The remaining members decided it would be impossible to continue without them, so the band broke up. [7]

Post-breakup (1996–2007)

When At the Gates broke up in 1996, drummer Adrian Erlandsson, bassist Jonas Björler, and guitarist Anders Björler formed The Haunted. [3] Tomas Lindberg went on working with different bands including Skitsystem, The Crown, Lock Up, and Nightrage. Erlandsson left in 1999 to join Cradle of Filth. In 2001, Peaceville Records released an At the Gates retrospective called Suicidal Final Art .

Reunion (2007–2008)

At the Gates performing live at Metaltown Festival in June 2011 At The Gates-Live-Metaltown 2011.jpg
At the Gates performing live at Metaltown Festival in June 2011

On 18 October 2007, At the Gates announced several reunion shows for mid-2008, including Getafe Electric Festival, Roskilde Festival, Ruisrock, Wacken Open Air, Graspop Metal Meeting, Sweden Rock Festival, Gods of Metal, Hellfest Summer Open Air and Bloodstock Open Air, [8] as well as a tour of Japan with The Dillinger Escape Plan, Into Eternity, Pig Destroyer, and Mayhem in May 2008. [9] Throughout July 2008, they toured the US and Canada on what was dubbed the "Suicidal Final Tour", [10] and played their final UK show at Bloodstock Open Air on Sunday on 17 August 2008. They finished their last show in Athens, Greece, with guest The Ocean on 21 September 2008. The band's performance at Wacken Open Air in 2008 is available on The Flames of the End DVD boxed set, which also includes clips of songs from other venues and a documentary that covers the history of the band in its entirety.

At War with Reality (2014–2016)

At the Gates live at Summer Breeze Open Air in 2016 At the Gates 2016231182342 2016-08-18 Summer Breeze - Sven - 1D X II - 0834 - AK8I5737 mod.jpg
At the Gates live at Summer Breeze Open Air in 2016

On 21 January 2014, At the Gates released a video on YouTube showing a distorted video with lines of text on it, followed by text saying "2014", possibly hinting toward possible lyrics for an upcoming album. On 27 January, the band revealed on Facebook via a new cover photo and profile picture, that their confirmed fifth record would be titled At War with Reality and would be released in the fall of 2014 through Century Media. [11]

When asked whether At War with Reality is At the Gates' final album or if the band will continue recording, Tomas Lindberg replied, "We can't say really. We have no plans of stopping but we've broken promises before so it's best not to say anything." [12] In numerous recent interviews members of the band have expressed interest in doing a follow-up album. At the Gates concluded the touring cycle for At War with Reality in August 2016 with a festival appearance at Elb Riot in Hamburg, Germany.

To Drink from the Night Itself and The Nightmare of Being (2017–present)

On 8 March 2017, in an official statement released by the band, they announced that Anders Björler had departed from the band. Despite Anders' departure, they went on to confirm that they were working on a follow-up to 2014's At War with Reality, which they were aiming to record and release in 2018. [13] In September 2017, Jonas Stålhammar was announced as the new guitarist to take the place of Björler on a permanent basis, but he had joined too late to be involved in the writing process of the new album. They entered the studio to begin recording the album in November 2017, titled To Drink from the Night Itself , which was released through Century Media Records on 18 May 2018.

At the Gates released their seventh studio album, The Nightmare of Being, on 2 July 2021. [14] While the album remains rooted in the Gothenburg metal tradition, it also features a wider range of musical styles, influences, and instrumentation. The ideas in the album are influenced by the writings of horror philosophers such as Thomas Ligotti and Eugene Thacker. [15]

On 23 July 2022, At the Gates announced the departure of Stålhammar. [16] On 5 October, the band announced that original guitarist Anders Björler had rejoined the band. [17] They are now working on their 8th studio album following the return of Björler.

Musical style and legacy

At the Gates' musical style has been described as melodic death metal [18] [2] and death metal. [19] The band's early work presented a "progressive, complex way of crafting songs of dextrous[sic] melodic fluidity and variation", which would influence technical death metal, but also the black metal of Darkthrone's Transilvanian Hunger, for instance. [20] Most of this material was composed by Alf Svensson, who, according to guitarist Anders Björler, fused the Swedish melancholy of Nordic folk music with death metal and classical music. [21]

The style of later At the Gates "would inspire the whole Gothenburg region", [22] but as Svensson had left the band, the commercial breakthrough Slaughter of the Soul was composed of more traditional song structures: [23] "[...] a stripped-down, no-frills melodic death album that hit all the basic points of the style". [5]

Awards

At the Gates were nominated for a Swedish Grammy (Grammis) for Slaughter of the Soul in 1996, but didn't win. [24] They won the Swedish Grammy (Grammis) in February 2015 for the 2014 comeback album At War with Reality . [25] The band were also awarded the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Inspiration Award in June 2015. [26]

Band members

Timeline

At the Gates

Discography

Studio albums

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tomas Lindberg</span> Swedish singer

Tomas Lindberg, also known as "Tompa" and "Goatspell", is a Swedish vocalist who has fronted many death metal bands, most notably At the Gates. He has been active as a musician and composer since the late 1980s. He also teaches social studies.

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Dark Tranquillity is a Swedish melodic death metal band from Gothenburg. They are considered one of the pioneering acts of the Gothenburg metal scene, which also includes bands such as In Flames and At the Gates - regarded as the Gothenburg fathers in the film entitled Out of Nothing: A DT Documentary released by Century Media, which was filmed in their home town in April 2009. After a nearly three-decade long collaboration of four founding members frequent lineup changes between 2016 and 2021 have left only vocalist Mikael Stanne as an original member, together with long-time keyboardist Martin Brändström.

<i>Slaughter of the Soul</i> 1995 studio album by At the Gates

Slaughter of the Soul is the fourth studio album by Swedish melodic death metal band At the Gates, released on 14 November 1995 by Earache Records. It was their last album before their eleven-year breakup from 1996 to 2007. Slaughter of the Soul is considered a landmark in melodic death metal and played a major role in popularizing the Gothenburg scene, alongside The Jester Race by In Flames and The Gallery by Dark Tranquillity. The album was recorded and mixed in Studio Fredman, early 1995.

<i>Terminal Spirit Disease</i> 1994 studio album by At the Gates

Terminal Spirit Disease is the third album by Swedish melodic death metal band At the Gates. It was released in 1994 and re-released in 2003 with bonus tracks. It is the first album to feature rhythm guitarist Martin Larsson who replaced Alf Svensson in 1993. The band originally had wanted to record an EP of new material, but their label had insisted on a full-length album. To compromise, the band added several live tracks to pad the overall length.

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<i>The Gallery</i> (album) 1995 studio album by Dark Tranquillity

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<i>Suicidal Final Art</i> 2001 compilation album by At the Gates

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<i>The Flames of the End</i> 2010 video by At the Gates

The Flames of the End is a three-disc DVD set from Swedish metal band At the Gates. Its main feature is a 2-hour+ documentary detailing the history of the band and their successful reunion tour, directed by guitarist and founding member Anders Bjorler. The set also includes their set from Wacken Open Air 2008 on the second disc, and a collection of songs from various venues, music videos and deleted scenes from the documentary on the third. The set is packaged in a digipak with a 40-page booklet. Earache Records has also made available a limited-edition set including an LP, CD, shirt, belt buckle, keyring, patch and 4 plectrums. Bjorler has described the DVD as "a fine last document for the band".

<i>At War with Reality</i> 2014 studio album by At the Gates

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<i>To Drink from the Night Itself</i> 2018 studio album by At the Gates

To Drink from the Night Itself is the sixth studio album by Swedish melodic death metal band At the Gates, released on 18 May 2018 via Century Media. The album is the first to feature guitarist Jonas Stålhammar and the first without co-founding guitarist Anders Björler, who had departed from the band in March 2017.

References

  1. ↑ "Century Media Records - At The Gates: : Announce new studio album; Sign worldwide deal with Century Media Records!". Archived from the original on 3 February 2014. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  2. 1 2 "Melodic Death Metal". About.com. 2 October 2011. Archived from the original on 22 March 2022. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Colin Larkin, ed. (1999). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Heavy Rock (First ed.). Virgin Books. p. 36. ISBN   0-7535-0257-7.
  4. ↑ Morgan, Anthony (November 2007). ""The Flames of the End"? - Guitarist Anders Björler wishes to pen the final chapter in the glorious history of Swedish legends At The Gates". Lucem Fero. Archived from the original on 6 February 2008. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
  5. 1 2 Steve Huey: Slaughter of the Soul - At the Gates, accessed on 18 September 2013.
  6. ↑ "At the Gates | Biography & History | AllMusic". AllMusic . Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  7. ↑ "At The Gates" Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine , Earache.com.
  8. ↑ "It's Official: At The Gates To Reunite For Select Shows". Roadrunnerrecords.com. Archived from the original on 19 November 2011. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  9. ↑ "Extreme The Dojo". Extreme The Dojo. Archived from the original on 11 March 2012. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  10. ↑ "Decibel Magazine". Decibelmagazine.com. Retrieved 14 July 2021.[ permanent dead link ]
  11. ↑ "At The Gates Announces New Studio Album, Label Home". Blabbermouth.net. 27 January 2014. Archived from the original on 13 February 2021. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
  12. ↑ "Interview With At The Gates Vocalist Tomas Lindberg". Metalunderground.com. 18 November 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  13. ↑ "AT THE GATES Statement - March 8, 2017". Facebook. 8 March 2017. Archived from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  14. ↑ "AT THE GATES Announces New Album 'The Nightmare Of Being'". Blabbermouth.net. 1 April 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  15. ↑ "At the Gates: The Nightmare Of Being". Pitchfork.com. 8 July 2021. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  16. ↑ Kennelty, Greg (23 July 2022). "AT THE GATES Splits With Guitarist JONAS STÅLHAMMAR". Metal Injection. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  17. ↑ "AT THE GATES Announces Return Of Founding Guitarist ANDERS BJÖRLER". Blabbermouth.net. 5 October 2022. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
  18. ↑ Ekeroth, Daniel (1 January 2008). Swedish Death Metal. Bazillion Points Books. p. 222. ISBN   9780979616310.
  19. ↑ Robert Müller: Satanische Verse. In: Metal Hammer , no. 6, June 1993, p. 159.
  20. ↑ "At the Gates - Death Metal [Death Metal Underground: Black Metal, Death Metal, Grindcore, Speed/Power Metal, Thrash and Doom Metal reviews, discographies, mp3 samples, tracklists and images]". deathmetal.org. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  21. ↑ Ekeroth, Daniel (2008). Swedish death metal. Brooklyn, NY: Bazillion Points Books. pp. 201f. ISBN   978-0-9796163-1-0. OCLC   256029895.
  22. ↑ Daniel Ekeroth: Swedish Death Metal. Second printing. Brooklyn, NY: Bazillion Points 2009, p. 222, accessed on 18 September 2013.
  23. ↑ Ekeroth, Daniel (2008). Swedish death metal. Brooklyn, NY: Bazillion Points Books. p. 270. ISBN   978-0-9796163-1-0. OCLC   256029895.
  24. ↑ "Grammis". Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  25. ↑ "Nominerade Amason, Smith & Thell och Benjamin Ingrosso gör exklusiva liveframträdanden på Grammis". Grammisgalan. 23 January 2020.
  26. ↑ "2015 Metal Hammer 'Golden Gods Awards' Winners Revealed". Theprp.com. 15 June 2015.
  27. ↑ The History Of At The Gates – Under A Serpent Sun (English Subs). 9 July 2012. Retrieved 14 December 2015– via YouTube.
  28. ↑ Metal Archives: Encyclopaedia Metallum , retrieved 27 September 2020
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