Metal, Hardcore, Indie, Rock
On April 24, the influential Swedish melodic death metal band At The Gates released their last studio album featuring their late leader Tomas “Tompa” Lindberg, as per theprp. That heartbreaking endeavour comes just six months after Lindberg’s tragic death from cancer. The vocal tracks Lindberg originally demoed for the album before having surgery and treatment for his fight with adenoid cystic carcinoma are included in that record, which they named “The Ghost Of A Future Dead.” Costin Chioreanu oversaw the creation of the animated video for “In Dark Distortion,” which was released alongside the album. He has collaborated with At The Gates multiple times in the past and is well-known for his work with Ghost, Corrosion Of Conformity, and other projects.
Former members of the black metal and death band Grotesque founded At the Gates in late 1990. “Gardens of Grief”, their debut EP, was recorded for the Dolores record label. The band signed with Peaceville Records as a result of the EP, and their debut album, “The Red in the Sky Is Ours”, was released in 1992. Alf Svensson, the band’s founding member and guitarist, left the group in 1993 after recording their second studio album, “With Fear I Kiss the Burning Darkness”, to focus on his solo project, Oxiplegatz, tattoo art, and graphic novel illustration. Martin Larsson, a former guitarist for the House of Usher, took his place. In July 1993, the band was shot for a Headbangers Ball special feature in Nottingham, England, while on tour throughout Europe.
“Terminal Spirit Disease”, At the Gates‘ third album, was released in 1994. “Slaughter of the Soul”, their most critically and commercially successful album, was released on Earache Records in 1995. This album solidified the band’s position as one of the pioneers of the “Gothenburg sound” of melodic death metal in Sweden. The album garnered the band international recognition, leading to multiple U.S. tours and extensive rotation of the “Blinded by Fear” music video on MTV in the United States. Anders Björler left in 1996 in spite of this. Lindberg claims that Björler left due to pressure from both the record label, Earache Records, and the album’s success to return to the studio.
