Terminal Spirit Disease

Last updated

Terminal Spirit Disease
Terminal-spirit.jpg
Studio album by
Released18 July 1994
RecordedFebruary 1994
Studio Studio Fredman [1]
Genre Melodic death metal, death metal [2]
Length34:46
Label Peaceville
Producer
At the Gates chronology
With Fear I Kiss the Burning Darkness
(1993)
Terminal Spirit Disease
(1994)
Slaughter of the Soul
(1995)

Terminal Spirit Disease is the third album by Swedish melodic death metal band At the Gates. It was released in 1994 (see 1994 in music) 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.

Contents

Background information

Guitarist Anders Björler commented that he couldn't "remember much" from the recording sessions for Terminal Spirit Disease. [1] When compared to at the Gates' older material, Björler felt the tracks "were simpler and more to the point". [1] A violin and cello are featured on the song "And the World Returned", cited as an example of the group's attempt to explore "ideas which were a little different". [1]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Chronicles of Chaos 8/10 [4]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal 7/10 [5]
Kerrang! Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [6]
Rock Hard 8.5/10 [7]
Metal.de 8/10 [8]

Reviews for Terminal Spirit Disease have been mostly positive. AllMusic's Eduardo Rivadavia awards the album four out of five stars, and claims that, with this album, "At the Gates raised their creative stakes beyond most everyone's original expectations, and proved that what had once been a pretty standard and uninventive death metal combo was slowly becoming a true contender in the scene." [3] In a retrospective review, Richard Street-Jammer of Invisible Oranges called the album "the last record before they became legends" and "a fetish for crummy metalcore." [9]

The album was inducted into Decibel 's "Hall of Fame" in March 2023. [10]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Tomas Lindberg, Anders Björler and Jonas Björler, except for where noted

No.TitleLength
1."The Swarm"3:28
2."Terminal Spirit Disease"3:38
3."And the World Returned" (Anders Björler)3:06
4."Forever Blind"3:58
5."The Fevered Circle" (Lindberg, Anders Björler, Martin Larsson, Alf Svensson)4:11
6."The Beautiful Wound"3:52
7."All Life Ends" (At the Gates, Svensson) (Live)5:16
8."The Burning Darkness" (Lindberg, Anders Björler, Svensson) (Live)2:15
9."Kingdom Gone" (Lindberg, Anders Björler) (Live)5:02
Total length:34:46

The digipak reissue released in 2003 includes three additional live tracks from the 1993 live-in-studio session for MTV Europe:

No.TitleLength
1."Windows" 
2."The Red in the Sky Is Ours/The Season to Come" 
3."The Burning Darkness" 

Credits

Band members

Guest members

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.

Swedish death metal is a death metal music scene developed in Sweden. Many Swedish death metal bands are associated with the melodic death metal movement, thus giving Swedish death metal a different sound from other variations of death metal. Unlike American death metal groups, the first Swedish bands were rooted in hardcore punk. Gothenburg has a large melodic death metal scene while Stockholm is known for its more raw death metal scene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Haunted (Swedish band)</span> Swedish death metal band

The Haunted is a Swedish heavy metal band from Gothenburg, formed in 1996. The original members were Anders and Jonas Björler, Peter Dolving, Adrian Erlandsson and Patrik Jensen. Both of the Björler brothers and Erlandsson were members of the seminal melodic death metal band At the Gates, a pioneering force in the Swedish death metal scene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">At the Gates</span> Swedish melodic death metal band

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. 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).

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Falconer (band)</span> Swedish power metal band

Falconer was a Swedish power metal band from Mjölby, formed in 1999 by the former guitarist of Mithotyn, Stefan Weinerhall. Falconer carried on many of the traditions set by Weinerhall's previous band and played a fusion style of power metal that utilizes folk instrumentation and melody to create a more medieval sound.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adrian Erlandsson</span> Swedish drummer

Adrian Paul Erlandsson is a Swedish heavy metal drummer who is a member of At the Gates, the Haunted, and Nemhain (2006–present).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anders Björler</span> Swedish guitarist

Anders Björler is a Swedish musician. He is best known as the lead guitarist in the metal bands The Haunted and At the Gates, alongside his bass-playing twin brother Jonas Björler.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonas Björler</span> Swedish bassist

Jonas Fredrik Björler is a Swedish musician and the bass player of the melodic death metal bands At the Gates and The Haunted. He was formerly in the bands Demolition, Infestation and Terror.

<i>Dance of December Souls</i> 1993 studio album by Katatonia

Dance of December Souls is the debut studio album by Swedish heavy metal band Katatonia. It was released on CD in 1993 by No Fashion Records and LP by Helion Records, released in the US in 1999 by Century Black. In 2004, record label Black Lodge reissued the album with all new artwork, but the band has stated on its website that it does not support this release for personal reasons. In 2007, the album was reissued, this time under Peaceville UK with a blue version of the original cover and all five songs from the Jhva Elohim Meth... The Revival EP appended as bonus tracks. In 2010, Svart Records released a double vinyl version, which also included all songs from the EP.

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

Suicidal Final Art is a 2001 compilation album by Swedish melodic death metal band At the Gates. The name is taken from a line in the title track of the Slaughter of the Soul album.

<i>With Fear I Kiss the Burning Darkness</i> 1993 studio album by At the Gates

With Fear I Kiss the Burning Darkness is the second studio album by the Swedish death metal band At the Gates. It was re-released in 1993 with The Red in the Sky Is Ours and again in 2003 with bonus tracks. This would be the last album with guitarist Alf Svensson who left the band after its release.

<i>The Red in the Sky Is Ours</i> 1992 studio album by At the Gates

The Red in the Sky Is Ours is the debut album by the Swedish death metal band At the Gates released on 27 July 1992. It was re-released in 1993 along with With Fear I Kiss the Burning Darkness and then in 2003 with bonus tracks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Larsson (guitarist)</span> Musical artist

Martin Larsson is a Swedish heavy metal guitarist. He initially played in The House of Usher from 1990 to 1993. After the band split up, he joined At the Gates, and was their guitarist until they broke up in 1996, and again when they reunited in 2007.

Alf Svensson is a Swedish heavy metal guitarist. He initially played in Oral from 1984 to 1989. He temporarily entered Grotesque and Liers in Wait before joining At the Gates in 1990. He was their guitarist until 1993, in 1994, he reformed Oral to record an EP. He then formed Oxiplegatz, and went on to release three albums under this name. He currently works as art director in First Planet Company.

<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>Purgatory Unleashed – Live at Wacken</i> 2010 live album by At the Gates

Purgatory Unleashed – Live at Wacken is a live album by Swedish melodic death metal band At the Gates. It was released on 22 March 2010 via Earache Records.

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

At War with Reality is the fifth studio album and major label debut by Swedish melodic death metal band At the Gates, released on 28 October 2014. It is the band's first album since Slaughter of the Soul (1995), marking the longest gap between two studio albums in their career. It is a concept album based on the literary genre of magic realism.

<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. 1 2 3 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. Retrieved 22 March 2008.
  2. "Dark Tranquillity's Mikael Stanne – My Five Favorite Swedish Death Metal Albums". Loudwire. 23 August 2024.
  3. 1 2 Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Terminal Spirit Disease – At the Gates". AllMusic . Retrieved 18 October 2011.
  4. Meloon, Brian (8 December 1995). "CoC : At the Gates - Terminal Spirit Disease : Review". Chronicles of Chaos . Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  5. Popoff, Martin (2007). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 35. ISBN   978-1-894959-62-9.
  6. Arnopp, Jason (2 July 1994). "Rekordz". Kerrang! . No. 501. EMAP. p. 46.
  7. Kühnemund, Götz. "AT THE GATES - Terminal Spirit Disease". Rock Hard . Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  8. Werner, Johannes (11 February 2022). "At The Gates - Terminal Spirit Disease • Klassiker Review". Metal.de . Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  9. Street-Jammer, Richard (17 July 2014). "At the Gates' Terminal Spirit Disease Turns 20". Invisible Oranges . Retrieved 28 November 2022.
  10. Dick, Chris (1 March 2023). "At the Gates - Terminal Spirit Disease". Decibel Magazine. Retrieved 13 January 2024.

Further reading