Next up I’m going to take a listen to At the Gates. Ask a lot of people who aren’t familiar with these guys and they will always say things like “I thought Slaughter of the soul was their first album.” These guys actually have a deeper discography than that album and those albums are quite good actually. They have also an interesting history but surprisingly not a lot of lineup changes. So here goes…..
The Red in the Sky is Ours- well what can be said about their debut album? It’s very very raw sounding and the recording is not the best sounding either which is strange considering it came out in 1990 and you had other bands whose recordings don’t sound raw at all. I suppose it has to do with money and the label or could be that maybe these guys were probably 18/19 when they made it who knows. Anyway this album is actually a very good album and if they could remaster it then it would actually sound so much better but sadly I don’t think their interested in doing so. A lot of these songs honestly could be used in horror films. Not sure what kind maybe the supernatural ones. What makes this record an interesting one is that there is a heavy use of violins which is an interesting choice. I remember asking on their website when they were doing their reunion tour why and Anders Bjöler (guitarist) said “I don’t know maybe too much alcohol.” Another fun fact is that these guys had only been together for a year before writing and recording this record. Anyway if you are able to please give this album a listen to because if you can get past the recording and really listen to it you will see that it’s quite good. I actually wish they’d play more songs off this album live. A very solid 8.5/10 (and that’s mostly for the recording)
Standouts: The Red in the Sky Is Ours/The Season to Come, Windows, Neverwhere
With Fear I Kiss the Burning Darkness- this time we get a more straight forward death metal album. The recording on this one is actually a lot better than Red In the Sky but still sounds raw. You can tell that they weren’t all over the place with the riffs and just wanted to write a death metal album. The songs are shorter and much more aggressive sounding than their previous effort. This was my second album I bought from them (I actually found it in a Warehouse Music store in the bargain bin) and was hesitant at first because a lot of people would say to not even bother with their older material but those people are wrong. This is a badass record and I can’t recommend it enough. I was definitely glad to see them on their 2008 reunion tour and they played songs off this album. This is another one that needs to be remastered. Definitely a very solid 8/10.
Standouts- Raped by the Light of Christ, Through the Red, Beyond Good and Evil
Terminal Spirit Disease- now we get to their third album and while doing this I realized that this as well as the last two albums all were released within a year of each other. Anyway, this one the production sounds better than the last two albums. And I believe they wanted to make an EP but we’re pressured to make a full length so to pad out the length if it, they included live tracks. This one is probably my second favorite album by these guys because it has elements of their previous work. I mean the opening track starts off with violins which is really badass. It’s definitely a great segue way for the next album. There is even a really cool instrumental track. Anyway, I give this one a 9.5/10
Standouts: Terminal Spirit Disease, And the World Returned, The Beautiful Wound
Slaughter of the Soul- ah yes the one we’ve all been waiting for Slaughter of the Soul. Some call this European Reign in Blood, and you know the comparison is pretty damn accurate. Me personally I would say that it’s even better than Reign in Blood I mean every song just hits you one after another. It’s like being on a roller coaster and it’s a fun ride. This is their first (and only) record on a new label Earache (their previous being Peaceville) and the first without founding guitarist Alf Svensson who has now been replaced with Martin Larsson. There is also a badass solo on the song Cold from King Diamond guitarist Andy LaRocque. I mean there’s not a lot I can say that hasn’t been said about this masterpiece that hasn’t already been said except that if you like death metal or even metal in general then definitely go out and buy this record or stream it. It’s definitely in my top 10 for sure and listen to the 2008 reissue because the live tracks and bonus tracks on it are awesome.
Standouts (aside from all of them): Under a Serpent Sun, Slaughter of the Soul, Suicide Nation/World of Lies
So before I get into the next two albums here is some history of what happened after Slaughter. This album was made in 95 and they toured behind it (with Morbid Angel) and around 96, guitarist Anders Björler left the band thus resulting in the band breaking up. However it wasn’t a complete loss because Anders, his twin brother Jonas, and Adrian Erlandsson (drummer) went on to form The Haunted (I will be reviewing them soon) and singer Tomas Lindberg would sing on a record for The Crown (another review coming soon too). Fast forward to 2007/08 and they reunite and play and record a dvd/live album from the Wacken Festival in Germany. I was fortunate enough to see them play in Pomona with Casey Murphy and Spencer Evans and man what a badass show.
Jump to 2014 and I remember hearing rumors of a new album and now we have………..
At War with Reality- their first album in 19 years and I have to say that it’s a strong album. This is something that I thought I’d never see because even in interviews they had said that after the reunion shows that this was it so the idea of a new At the Gates album was exciting to say the least. It’s definitely a comeback album but if you are looking for Slaughter of the Soul part 2 then look somewhere else because you won’t find it here. The songs are a little slower but great songs nonetheless. It also feels a little slower than their previous effort and no the magic isn’t gone it’s just different but in a good way. I’ll admit that at first I had to listen to it all the way through a couple times but overall, a very solid release by pioneers of Swedish death metal. A very solid 8/10
Standouts- The Circular Ruins, The Conspiracy of the Blind, Upon Pillars of Dust
To Drink From the Night Itself- the follow up album to At War with Reality. I’ve gotta admit I never really gave this one a lot of attention when it first dropped. Mostly because I was working a lot so I sort of fell out of the loop but upon hearing it, I have to say it’s a solid album. It’s a little slower than their last record but at the end of the day it sounds like At the Gates. It should be noted that this is the first album without founding guitarist Anders Björler so maybe that has something to do with it I don’t know. This is the first album to feature new guitar player Jonas Stålhammar (from Bombs of Hades) and who also sang on a The Crown album Doomsday King so you have a band with two former Crown singers in it. Anyway, as a follow up, it’s very good considering one of the founding members is not there anymore. I give this one 7/10
Standouts: To Drink From the Night Itself, A Stare Bound in Stone, The Chasm
Overall, this one was a fun one to explore because the albums start off really raw and muddy sounding and then progress. You can definitely hear the evolution of this band over the years. One thing I’d never thought get to do is see these guys live and if you get the chance definitely do it because they put on a killer show.
Final Grade: A
Record 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
Sinister Reviews 