At the Gates

At the Gates is was is was is a metal band from Gothenburg, Sweden, and possibly, out of the three Gothenburg bands that pioneered the genre of Melodic Death Metal, the most-often cited as an influence (the other two being Dark Tranquillity and In Flames).

The band was formed in 1990 by former members of the death/Black Metal band Grotesque. They recorded a debut EP, Gardens of Grief, which led Peaceville Records (yes, that one) to sign the band, and they released their debut album, The Red in the Sky is Ours, which featured an eclectic and technical sound, including, for instance, neoclassical arrangements and even a string solo.

They continued with their technical style on their second album, With Fear I Kiss the Burning Darkness, but moved away from it with Terminal Spirit Disease, considered their breakthrough album. In 1995, they released the legendary Slaughter of the Soul, possibly the most important album in defining melodeath as a subgenre. Slaughter of the Soul was a huge commercial success (unfortunately for disgruntled fans of the band's more complex early works), but despite this success, the band broke up in 1996.

Like fellow melodeath pioneers Carcass, they reformed at a later date (in AtG's case, 2007) to play several reunion shows. Their last show was on 21 September 2008, in Athens, Greece. They have no plans to release new material.

Last lineup:

• Tomas Lindberg − vocals (1990–1996, 2007–2008)
• Anders Björler − guitar (1990–1996, 2007–2008)
• Martin Larsson − guitar (1993–1996, 2007–2008)
• Jonas Björler − bass (1990–1992, 1993–1996, 2007–2008)
• Adrian Erlandsson − drums (1990–1996, 2007–2008)

Former members:

• Alf Svensson − guitar (1990–1993)

Discography:

• The Red in the Sky is Ours, 1992
• With Fear I Kiss the Burning Darkness, 1993
• Terminal Spirit Disease, 1994
• Slaughter of the Soul, 1995

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At the Gates provides examples of the following tropes:

• Death Metal - The Red in the Sky is Ours and With Fear I Kiss the Burning Darkness are straight-up death metal albums.
  • The two albums also border on Technical Death Metal, though the band wasn't a particularly big influence on tech-death compared to say, Death, Atheist and Cynic.
• Follow the Leader - Name a melodeath or metalcore band that came after Slaughter of the Soul. They will almost definitely have tried to "expand upon the legacy of the album".
• Last Chorus Slow-Down - Songs "Cold" and "Unto Others" almost resemble this, only that it's not exactly the "chorus" they slow down for. Still epic bridges (unless you're not into Slaughter Of The Soul).
• Melodic Death Metal - Trope Maker, along with In Flames and Dark Tranquillity.
• Mohs Scale of Rock and Metal Hardness - Early material is a low 10; the two melodeath albums are 9.
• Signature Song - "Blinded by Fear", the opening track of Slaughter of the Soul.