At the Gates is a Swedish death metal band from Gothenburg, a major progenitor of Gothenburg death metal-style The band was initially active from 1990 to 1996, reforming in 2007 for a tour between April and September 2008. In 2011, they reformed again and have since continued to perform. They released “At War with Reality“, their first album in 19 years, in late 2014.
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, graphic novel illustration and his solo electronic-opera-black metal project Oxiplegatz. He was soon replaced by former House of Usher guitarist Martin Larsson, who the band knew from underground tape trading. The band continued touring Europe, and were filmed for a Headbangers Ball special feature in Nottingham, UK in July 1993.
In 1994, At the Gates released their third album, “Terminal Spirit Disease“, which was hailed as a breakthrough album.
The band continued touring and in 1995 released their most commercially and critically successful album: “Slaughter of the Soul“, on Earache Records. The album is regarded as their strongest death metal effort, compared to previous albums. This album firmly rooted the band as one of the leaders of the Swedish metal scene, the “Gothenburg sound” of melodic death metal. The band received international attention for the album, 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 broke up.
On October 18, 2007, At the Gates announced several reunion shows for mid-2008, as well as a tour of Japan.
On January 21, 2014, At the Gates released a video on YouTube showing a distorted video. On January 27, 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. Then 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 May 18, 2018.
At The Gates are coming again in Romania on 6 December in Quantic Club.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.AmBilet.ro.
