One of the biggest losses in the music world is the death of Tomas Lindberg of At The Gates. However, before his tragic passing, he was able to do vocals for the final album and that’s who’s back on the Chopping Block for a Rewind Review. Let’s take a look……..
The Red In The Sky Is Ours- the one that started it all. Personally, I think if any band was to go and remaster any of their old album albums this should be one of those. It’s a great album with great songs however, the production on it is very raw sounding and it’s one of those that someone would say they have to be in the mood for. Even guitarist Anders Björler has said that he’s unhappy with the album’s production calling it “weird and weak sounding.” Even guitarist and (at the time mainly songwriter) Alf Svensson said “I remember discussing the choice of studio a lot, but I can’t remember why we ended up choosing ART Studios. But, after all, it was convenient for us since it was located in Gothenburg. We didn’t really have the money yet (not even a signed record deal, actually), and I remember that the studio was really expensive. After a few days we realized that he [producer Hans Hall] didn’t have the first clue about metal. And certainly not death metal. I still remember the surprise on Hans’ face when Tomas started sound checking the vocals for the album. ‘Is this the way it is supposed to sound?’” Personally I think it’s experimental sound is what makes this a unique album.
Previous Score: 8.5/10
New Score: 9/10
Standouts: The Red in the Sky Is Ours/The Season to Come, Windows, Neverwhere
With Fear I Kiss The Burning Darkness- at first listen, one might think that this isn’t that different from Red In The Sky however you would be incorrect. It’s definitely a much darker record and this one just goes for a straight death metal sound. Again another album that definitely needs to be re-recorded or at the very least remastered.
Previous Score: 8/10
New Score: 9/10
Standouts- Raped by the Light of Christ, Through the Red, Beyond Good and Evil
Terminal Spirit Disease- of course the most well-known album from this band is Slaughter Of The Soul however I feel like it’s this album that was sort of the calm before the storm if that makes any kind of sense. This may be the third album however there are elements of the first two records with a much better production. This would be the last record they would record on Peaceville Records and they clearly had a much bigger budget because this record just sounds so good. According to guitarist Anders Björler, not much is remembered about the recording process however, the songs are more straightforward and to the point. Definitely a very underrated record and I’m giving it 10/10.
Standouts: Terminal Spirit Disease, And the World Returned, The Beautiful Wound
Slaughter Of The Soul- so here it is the one that started it all for me, and everybody that I know that is a fan of this band. What more can I say that hasn’t been said already about this masterpiece of an album? It is absolutely perfect from start to finish and it’s definitely up there with albums like Slayer’s Reign In Blood. Seriously they just crank everything up to 11 and just go for it. It really is too bad that this would be their last album for 10 years. If you have not listened to this album, stop what you’re doing and go listen to it. I promise you will fall in love with this band and album.
Previous Score: 10/10
New Score: 10/10
Standouts (aside from all of them): Under a Serpent Sun, Slaughter of the Soul, Suicide Nation/World of Lies
Purgatory Unleashed- Live At Wacken- well in 2008, they decided to reunite, and I have to say it was an absolutely great time to be a fan of this band. I was very lucky to be able to see their reunion tour in Pomona and it was amazing!! Of course there has to be a live album and this is it. This is their performance at Wacken Open Air in Germany and this is such a great performance!! It definitely does a great job of capturing the energy and the brutality. Yes there is a DVD to accompany this and you could honestly watch that or listen to this album and you would be just fine. What’s not to like about this live album?? it’s them playing a good amount of songs from (at that time) all of their albums. I’m going to give this 9/10.
Standouts: Cold, Forever Blind, All Life Ends
At War With Reality- when this album first came out I for one was very excited. I mean it’s a new album from At The Gates what more could you ask for? This album came out when I was actually doing an internship in England and on top of that a new album from the other band that’s connected to them The Haunted also released a new album. So how is this brand new album after 10 years of being away? Well, once the initial buzz and excitement wore off, it seems rushed. It’s sort of seems like “ oh we’re back let’s get a new album out as soon as possible.” I’m not saying that this is a bad album by any means, however instead of coming back with a bang for the most part, they come back with a bit of a whimper. There are some great moments on here and you can tell that the brutality and energy is there but at the end of the day this album is just OK.
Previous Score: 8/10
New Score: 7/10
Standouts- The Circular Ruins, The Conspiracy of the Blind, Upon Pillars of Dust
To Drink From The Night Itself- if you ask me, this is the album that should’ve come out after Slaughter Of The Soul. No it’s not Slaughter Of The Soul part 2 however, it has more of that Gothenburg sound. This one doesn’t feel rushed, and you can tell the seemed to have taken their time with this one. One thing to note is that this is the first without founding member/guitarist Anders Björler and maybe that might’ve had something to do with it.
Previous Score: 7/10
New Score: 8/10
Standouts: To Drink From the Night Itself, A Stare Bound in Stone, The Chasm
The Nightmare Of Being- again another album that continues the Gothenburg sound. What makes this album notable is that it is the last album to be released while Tomas Lindberg was still alive. This is one of those albums where it picks up from the previous and I feel like this one wasn’t really marketed as well as some of their other records. Even I didn’t really pay attention when this album came out. There are moments that do tend to drag just a little bit but overall it’s a fantastic album. I’m giving it 8.5/10
Standouts: Spectre Of Extinction, The Nightmare Of Being, Cosmic Pessimism
The Ghost Of A Future Dead- so here we are. This is it. This is Tomas Lindberg’s final album EVER!!! For those that don’t know (although if you’re reading this you probably do) this album was recorded intermittently due to vocalist Tomas Lindberg’s diagnosis with adenoid cystic carcinoma in 2023. However, before his passing, most of this album was pretty much recorded and the band released the album which fulfilled his wish. Knowing this makes it kind of hard to listen to, but at the same time, it is a very good album. Again, it continues with the Gothenburg sound and the fact that Tomas made sure to get all the vocals done makes it that much more impressive. I am glad that Anders Björler returned for this record as it does seem appropriate for the classic lineup to write and record the final album. Definitely give this a listen and I’m giving it 9/10
Standouts: In Dark Distortion, The Fever Mask, The Unfathomable
One cannot deny the importance of At The Gates. They are one of those bands that helped create an entire sub genre of music and quite honestly they are one of the best. Music will never be the same without Tomas Lindberg and as far as what happens with this band at this time remains to be seen. I would like to think that they are going to continue on possibly with a new vocalist, but those are some massive shoes to fill. As far as their albums go, yes Slaughter Of The Soul is the one that most are familiar with, but definitely give their other albums, a listen as well, especially the early ones. I feel very lucky to have met Tomas a couple of times and I can honestly say he was one of the nicest most down-to-earth people. So with that said RIP Tomas Lindberg!!
Final Grade: A+
Previous Album Rankings:
- Slaughter Of The Soul
- Terminal Spirit Disease
- With Fear I Kiss The Burning Darkness
- The Red In The Sky Is Ours
- At War With Reality
- To Drink From The Night Itself
New Album Rankings:
- Slaughter Of The Soul
- Terminal Spirit Disease
- With Fear I Kiss The Burning Darkness
- The Red In The Sky Is Ours
- The Ghost Of A Future Dead
- The Nightmare Of Being
- Purgatory Unleashed- Live At Wacken
- To Drink From The Night Itself
- At War With Reality
Sinister Reviews 