At the Gates
was a heavy metal band from Gothenburg, Sweden, and a major progenitor of the Gothenburg death metal sound. Initially active from 1990 to 1996, the band reformed in 2007 for a reunion tour. The last show was on 21 September, 2008.
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AT THE GATES TICKETS
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History
Early career (1990-1994)
At the Gates was formed in 1990 by former members of the pioneering
death/
black metal band
Grotesque. They recorded a debut
EP,
Gardens of Grief
, for the
Dolores record label, and sold cassettes, vinyls, and XL t-shirts to promote the recording. The EP led seminal metal label
Peaceville Records to sign the band, and they released their debut full-length album,
The Red in the Sky Is Ours
, in 1992, an album with an eclectic sound, featuring for instance neoclassical arrangements and even a string solo.
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 to pursue tattoo artistry, comic illustration, and his solo electronic-opera-black metal project Oxiplegatz. He was soon replaced by former
House of Usher Martin Larsson, whom the band got to know during their early tours. The band continued touring
Europe, and were filmed for a
Headbangers Ball special featuring a tour date in the
United Kingdom in July 1994.
Success and breakthrough (1994-1996)
In 1994, At the Gates released their third album,
Terminal Spirit Disease
, which was hailed as a breakthrough album. It contained only six new songs, but showed that the band's sound had progressed immensely in only one year, in terms of playing and production
[1]
The band continued touring and in 1995 released their most commercially and critically successful album,
Slaughter of the Soul
, on
Earache Records. This album firmly rooted the band as one of the leaders of the Swedish metal scene, and is considered a benchmark album in the
Gothenburg sound.
[2] [3]
The band received international attention for the album, gaining them a U.S. tour and heavy rotation of the
music video for "Blinded by Fear" on
MTV in America, but despite this international success, the Björler brothers departed in 1996. The remaining members decided it would be impossible to continue without them, so the band was broken up.
[4]
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.
Tomas Lindberg has worked with many bands including
Skitsystem,
The Crown,
Lock Up, and
Nightrage and is currently in
The Great Deceiver and
Disfear.
Adrian Erlandsson left
The Haunted to join
Cradle of Filth. In 2001,
Peaceville Records released an At the Gates retrospective called
Suicidal Final Art
.
Reunion (2007-2008)
On
October 18,
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, Castle Festival, and
Bloodstock Open Air,
[5] as well as a tour of Japan with
The Dillinger Escape Plan,
Into Eternity,
Pig Destroyer, and
Mayhem in May 2008.
[6]
Anders Björler commented on the reunion:
On the band's official website, Björler declared that "it would be pointless to release something more than ten years after
Slaughter of the Soul
" and "would just disappoint people."
[7]
When asked in October 2007 if the band was planning on writing a new album, Lindberg replied:
Throughout July 2008, they toured the US on what was dubbed the "Suicidal Final Tour"
[9], 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.
Awards
At the Gates were nominated for the
Swedish Grammy Awards for
Slaughter of the Soul
in 1995 along with
Fireside's Do Not Tailgate
,
Meshuggah's
Destroy Erase Improve
, and
Yngwie Malmsteen's
Magnum Opus
.
Members
Last line-up
- Tomas Lindberg - vocals (1990–1996, 2007–2008)
- Anders Björler - guitar (1990–1996, 2007–2008)
- Martin Larsson - guitar (1993–1996, 2007–2008)
- Jonas Björler - bass (1990–1992, 1993–1996, 2007–2008)
- Adrian Erlandsson - drums (1990–1996, 2007–2008)
Former members
- Alf Svensson - guitar (1990–1993)
Touring members
- Tony Andersson - bass (1992)
Discography
Studio albums
Title
| Release date
| Label
|
The Red in the Sky Is Ours
| July 27, 1992
| Peaceville
|
With Fear I Kiss the Burning Darkness
| May 7, 1993
| Peaceville
|
Terminal Spirit Disease
| July 18, 1994
| Peaceville
|
Slaughter of the Soul
| November 14, 1995
| Earache
|
Compilation albums
- Suicidal Final Art
(2001)
Upcoming compilation DVD (?)(see official website)
EPs
Other albums
- Cursed to Tour
(1996, Split live EP with Napalm Death)
Singles
- "Kingdom Gone" (1992)
- "The Burning Darkness" (1993)
- "Terminal Spirit Disease" (1994)
- "Blinded By Fear" (1995)
References
- allmusic ((( Terminal Spirit Disease > Overview )))
- allmusic ((( Slaughter of the Soul > Overview )))
- Review: At the Gates, ''Slaughter of the Soul''
- At The Gates
- BLABBERMOUTH.NET - It's Official: AT THE GATES To Reunite For Select Shows
- Extreme The Dojo
- http://www.atthegates.se/qa.htm
- AT THE GATES Frontman Discusses Reunion, Touring Plans
- Decibel Magazine