Before metalcore became a pissing contest with success measured by how accurately bands had copied At the Gates’ magnum opus Slaughter of the Soul (Earache), the genre had genuine teeth and grit. One such pioneer was Long Island quintet Vision of Disorder, who successfully merged heavy metal and hardcore to produce a sound full of aggression, rhythm and anger which was tailor made for the live environment. After being killed off by nu-metal the band returned in 2012 with the magnificent The Cursed Remain Cursed (Candlelight) and have now decided to re-issue their debut EP Still(Dignified Bastard Inc) to celebrate twenty years in the game.
Long-time fans of the band will know exactly what to expect, for there is little difference here than on the group’s self-titled debut album. The surging, grooving riffs of the likes of ‘Through My Eyes’, ‘Beneath the Green’ and ‘Choke’ still sound as venomous today as they did all those years ago, with Tim Williams’ furious screams displaying a genuine sense of anger. Unfortunately his more melodic tones weren’t quite there yet and are thankfully only used prominently on a couple of occasions. This is only a minor quibble however, as the music more than makes up for any shortcomings, with the two-minute whippersnapper ‘Watch Out’ demonstrating just how lethal and vibrant the band were, and how much promise this blend of styles had.
A crystal-clear re-mastering job from Michael Rosen ensures that every instrument is front-and-centre, with the parping bass guitar given a prominent role and drums cracking like heads hitting a New York sidewalk. Hopefully Vision of Disorder can take stock of just how awesome this recording is, and crack on with producing a follow-up to The Cursed Remain Cursed before they become just another nostalgia act. They’re too good for that.
Having graciously postponed his pre-gig meal to conduct this interview Tomas Lindberg is remarkably warm throughout. Guitarist Anders Björler mentioned to GC downstairs that it was important to retain the essence of At The Gates. A statement the singer echoes. “The five of us have an identity together which has remained untouched. We love a lot of different music but we want to create within the framework of what At The Gates is so we are able to stay true but also move forward.”
At the top of the interview Tomas touched upon the benefit of playing in other bands in helping the members think about team work. Considering all the other outfits he and his colleagues are involved with (Disfear, Paradise Lost and The Haunted to name just a few) can we expect much in terms of touring?
“Logistically it is tricky but we have great agents. Vallenfyre have another drummer who can step in for them and I am no longer in Lock Up, there is no bad blood! Only good stuff. We all have our other jobs too. We all have Google calendar and book well in advance. Even if Martin has an Agrimonia gig in a squat somewhere in Germany we will work around that! We are still all very normal people and we don’t want to lose that grounded feeling. We don’t have to do this (At The Gates) to pay the rent. I think that has always helped and meant we have never had to water down our music.”
A teacher at Gothenburg University, Lindberg’s lyrical output is theoretically grounded and highly conceptual. Certainly far more highbrow than the standard death metal lyrics. “I enjoy delving into concepts and became more reflective when I started teaching. I have become more reflective as a person which I think also benefits how I work within the band.”
These comments will come as a pleasant surprise too many fans who (often wrongly) assume that musicians will earn oodles of cash from package tours and possess bank balances which are only matched by the size of the musicians’ egos. Lindberg charmingly recalls a recording Lock Up material with producer Russ Russell. “When I was recording with that band we used the beer metronome! I was singing ahead of the beat and a couple of beers helped me relax and record the vocals. That works well for punk and grind stuff but for At The Gates it requires a lot of focus! These days before gigs I have one glass of wine and just the alcohol free beer. I sing from the belly and the chest so I have to pace myself now over an eighteen song set!”
The much imitated and ballyhooed Slaughter Of The Soul (Earache) is an album dear to fans of the Gothenburg scene and American Metalcore scene alike, while proud of what his group have achieved Lindberg is keen to move on and progress with his music. “People talk about Slaughter… in those terms but it was a bit of a one dimensional, only aggressive record with similar songs stylistically. ‘Terminal Spirit Disease’ was moving in a different direction until things happened in our lives and we made a more pissed off record. This album is almost picking up from where ‘Terminal…’ was going. A darker more melancholic place.”
In Part 2 of Ross Baker’s feature interview with Tomas Lindberg, the subject of the legacy of At The Gates comes up, naturally. A modest figure, Lindberg contemplates the significance of the impact his group have made upon the modern extreme music scene somewhat hesitantly:
“The Gothenburg sound was a very diverse scene. We, Dark Tranquillity, In Flames and Dissection all sound very different. I think the second wave of bands like Arch Enemy and Soilwork are the bands that spawned the American Metalcore scene. These bands reference the originators and it has helped our legend grow but I don’t feel responsible for that movement. We are a death metal band.”
“I don’t feel guilty for the Metalcore thing as we don’t have anything to do with it at all.”
In the dark days of December, the end of the year is approaching for us all. When families are getting siked up for Christmas and new years eve. Us Metalheads were looking forward to a weekend full of awesomely brutally bands. Metal and Eindhoven go together as the nice juicy cherry on a chocolate cake.Continue reading →
Nearly two decades on from revolutionary opus Slaughter Of The Soul (Earache) Gothenburg pioneers At The Gates are back with a new album At War With Reality (Century Media), a blistering release featuring all the hallmarks of their sound. Arguably the band who helped inspire the Metalcore movement, a scene the band are quick to disown, anticipation for the new record and subsequent tour has reached fever pitch. Lounging on the couch backstage at Manchester’s Academy, Tomas Lindberg takes a sip of Rioja as he explains what led to the genesis of the new album. “We are better listeners than we were in our early twenties. It was probably a big factor in our breakup. Everyone has a veto on decisions made concerning recording or touring. Working with other people, in other bands has helped us learn how to communicate more effectively. The idea of writing together came through Anders. He is the main songwriter and everything goes through him. Working with him again has been very fruitful.”
Considering the immense pressure and level of expectation which would preceed such a record after such a long time apart it was perhaps no surprise the group elected to begin writing and recording sessions in secret. “It could have been negative if we announced it to early. That way we only had to please ourselves.” The frontman pondered. “If we had got to seven or eight songs into the project and did not like what we heard we could have disbanded without anyone ever knowing. When we put the teaser video on YouTube back in February the album was more or less written. We had to be honest to ourselves and our fans and not second guess what we felt was right. That would be selling out.”
A teacher by trade, Lindberg does not rely solely on income from At The Gates to survive. An articulate and composed gentleman, he is happy to wax lyrical upon the concept behind At War With Reality which hinges on the works of a group of philosophers and writers who comprise a largely South American literary movement known as ‘Magic Realism’:
“I was inspired by the way these intertextual post-modern writers. I delved into post structuralism views about the perception of reality and how different people perceive it. These writers are often self-referential. A lot of the songs are influenced by their novels. The line from ‘Spanish song..’ is from a chapter in the book ‘From Heroes and Tombs’ of a nightmarish dream one of the main characters has about the concept of God. I felt it had to be read in this manic Spanish voice which Anton (Resseingger) delivered with such style. It takes you to a nightmare world!”
Indeed a couple of the song titles are derived directly from these tomes, ‘The Circular Ruin’ and ‘The Book of Sand’ both come from the works of Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges. “I have been reading these authors for a while and found the concept (of Magic Realism) very inspiring. The French philosopher Michel Foucault wrote a lot of essays about structures of power but he wrote one book which was about how language could be used to alter people’s concept of reality which is ‘Death In The Labyrinth’ that song essentially explains what the concept of the record is about is in that song. There is not only one reality or truth but many.”
“The magic realism movement was one born out of oppression and frustration. The ideas of these Latin authors were presented in such a multilayered way as they wrote to criticise the oppressive states in which they lived in places like Chile, Paraguay and Argentina. In ‘Heroes In Tombs’ (the movement) was already questioning how the establishment was “perverting the hearts of men.At War With Reality is somewhat a cautionary tale, a warning against globalisation. They could not explain their ideas openly so they did it through their work. We are not a political band but we are criticising the materialistic, superficial culture of today.”
Pallbearer was added as the special guest on the Decibel Tour featuring At The Gates, Converge and Vallenfyre. Confirmed dates are below:
Mar 27: The Wiltern – Los Angeles, CA
Mar 28:– The Regency Ballroom – San Francisco, CA
Mar 29:– Roseland Theater – Portland, OR
Mar 30:– Commodore Ballroom – Vancouver, BC
Mar 31:– Showbox at the Market – Seattle, WA
Apr 02:– The Complex – Salt Lake City, UT
Apr 03:– Summit Music Hall – Denver, CO
Apr 04:– Bourbon Street – Lincoln, NE
Apr 05:– Mill City Nights – Minneapolis, MN
Apr 06:– House of Blues – Chicago, IL
Apr 08:– The Phoenix – Toronto, ON
Apr 09:– Metropolis – Montreal, QC
Apr 10:– Royale – Boston, MA
Apr 11:– Union Transfer – Philadelphia, PA
Apr 12:– Webster Hall – New York, NY
Blastfest will be held 18-21st February 2015 in Bergen, Norway and in case you missed this lineup announcement, here it is again:
Alfahanne
Aspherium
Asphyx
At The Gates
Baptism
Blood Red Throne
Bolzer
Bömbers
Borknagar
Byfrost
Craft
Crib45
Cryptopsy
Dark Funeral
Dark Tranquility
Dead To This World
Decapitated
Demilich
Den Saakaldte
Djevelkult
Destroyer 666
Destruction
Endstille
Esoteric
Falloch
Finntroll
Gehenna
Hecate Enthroned
Impaled Nazarene
Kall
Melechesh
Moonsorrow
Morgoth
Naer Mataron
Orange Goblin
Paradise Lost
Primordial
Purple Hill Witch
Rotting Christ
Samael
Sarke
Sarkom
Satan
Saturnus
Satyricon
The Sickening
The 3rd Attempt
Tortorum
Tsjuder
Vallenfyre
Winterfylleth
Wyruz
+ more yet to be announced.
Copenhell 2015 has announced their lineup for the 2015 edition, which is held June 18-20, 2015 in Kobenhavn, Denmark.
The confirmed acts include:
Rise Against
Gojira
Body Count
A Day To Remember
Life Of Agony
Raunchy
Black Stone Cherry
Solbraud
Bloodbath
Red Fang
Cannibal Corpse
Asking Alexandria
At The Gates
Exodus
The Sword
Nuclear Assault
In amongst the big boys now, with the Official Ghost Cult Top 10 Albums of 2014. Kicking off with albums 10 to 6, these were the attention and headline grabbing albums that provided the soundtrack to the year…
10. DEVIN TOWNSEND – Z2 (HevyDevy/InsideOut)
Not one but two aural explosions from everyone’s favourite Canadian ADD sufferer. Disk 1 showcases the epic pop-Metal melodies expounded on Epicloud, in a vibrant collection of melodies, twists and simply great tunes, while Disk 2 is the long awaited Ziltoid sequel, a more symphonic and aggressive take on the original. Devin has shown, once again, that no matter what project fills his head, he is a pure musical genius, with 3 albums (technically) in our Top 50.
“Double albums are notoriously difficult beasts to grapple with. If there’s a suspicion of ‘all filler, no killer’, that’s perhaps understandable given some of rock music’s recent inglorious past when it comes to musical heft. The common consensus on this sort of exercise ranges from how to edit Use Your Illusion (Geffen) into one digestible chunk; realising that, yes, Fleetwood Mac really did do ALL of the drugs when recording Tusk (Warner Bros) and, frankly, even Corey Taylor must think that there is way too much padding on House of Gold and Bones (Roadrunner). Breathe easier, then, as this is not a sprawling, indulgent mess. Z2 is indulgent and there is a LOT to get through but Z2 is two records being issued simultaneously rather than some attempt at a single, 23 song epic.”
9. AT THE GATES – At War With Reality (Century Media)
After a gap of 19 (NINETEEN!) years the Fathers of the Gothenburg sound released the follow up to one of the greatest extreme albums of time, the genuine legend that was Slaughter of the Soul (Earache). That they didn’t embarrass themselves is one thing, that they were able to ignite the flame of excitement in older fans and pick up newer ones, whose favourite bands swore by the altar of ATG is testament to their quality.
“At War With Reality is a genuinely worthwhile listen and worth the 19 year wait. It still sounds like At The Gates, not the razor-focused Slayer-worship of Slaughter of the Soul, although those moments are still present, but an all-encompassing At The Gates that draws from the band’s entire back catalogue. At The Gates have shown the world that they’re still the most powerful force in melodic death metal. At War With Reality does more than just prop up the band’s legacy, it enhances it.”
8. PALLBEARER – Foundations of Burden (Profound Lore)
Doooooooooooooom, beautiful doooooooooooom! Melancholy, poignant, mournful and emotive, the second album from Arkansas’ Pallbearer set new standards in textured 70’s styled doom, twining haunting, reflective leads, heart-felt impassioned lyrics and vocals, and down-tuned crashes.
“Superlatives and panegyrics are thrown around like confetti these days, and mostly for albums that just don’t deserve them. Here is an entity beyond words. The blend of crushing weight and sadness that twines with an almost paradoxical ascension to light throughout this quite magnificent set is sublime and inspirational. This willingness to puncture doom’s boundaries and travel outside them surely hails Pallbearer as the most important band of their genre right now.”
7. TRIPTYKON – Melana Chasmata (Century Media / Prowling Death)
The sound of decomposition in thick, gloopy, stained riffage, the darkest end of despair in musical format, the sound of utter personal devastation hammered relentlessly into your ears as Tom G Warrior continues the styling first unveiled on Celtic Frost’s swansong, Monotheist. Beyond the gloom, beyond the end of the universe, lurks Triptykon’s second opus magnificum.
“Still gloriously innovative at 50, the enigmatic and death-obsessed Thomas Gabriel Fischer returns with his latest and possibly most enigmatic incarnation. The darkly expansive Eparistera Daimones, the first Triptykon album, displayed a panoply of musical styles. Remarkably, sophomore suite Melana Chasmata sees a deeper mining of that creativity, reaffirming the band’s reluctance to be confined by any musical barrier and confirming the triumphant second coming of Gabriel’s most inventive, diverse and impressive guise.”
Perhaps the most hotly anticipated “pure” Death Metal release of the second half of the year, this Polish hate machine did not disappoint, with a career and genre defining masterpiece, adding to their impressive canon with an absolute killer of cemtex-infused vocal growls, blistering drumming, colossal grooves and excessive riffs. But this was no old school rehash, the Krosno krew enhance their wares with industrial touches, and an insinuation of Slipknot showing this is a thoroughly modern and quite exceptional Death Metal band.
“With this much skill at their disposal, looking back it almost seems embarrassing that they were ever doubted. To use a lazy comparison, Decapitated are like (Marvel Comics anti-hero) Blade; they possess all of the strengths of Death Metal and none of its weaknesses. And it’s increasingly evident they cannot be killed. Quite simply Blood Mantra is one of the finest Death Metal albums to be released now or ever and it’s difficult to see how it can be topped. One thing is for sure; Vitek would be proud.”
Wacken Open Air 2015 has started announcing bands who will be taking part on their event, happening July 30 and August 1, 2015 in Schleswig-Holstein in Northern Germany.
The confirmed acts so far include:
Alkbottel
Amorphis (Special Tales From The Thousand Lakes set)
Angra
Armored Saint
Asrock
At The Gates
Biohazard
Black Label Society
Cannibal Corpse
Cryptopsy
Death Angel
Ensiferum
Epica
Exumer
Godsized
Ill Nino
In Extremo
In Flames
Judas Priest
Kataklysm
Khold
Kommando
Powerwolf
Rob Zombie
Running Wild
Sabaton
Samael
Savatage
Sepultura
Shining
Stratovarius
Subway To Sally
Tears for Beers
The BossHoss
Thyrfing
Trans-Siberian Orchestra
U.D.O. with Bundeswehr Musikkorps
