At the Gates In Concert
These nascent Swedish death metallers showed their immense talent from the start, and some of their albums have cast long shadows in the world of their craft. Founded in Gothenburg in 1990 by members of the black/death metal group Grotesque, At the Gates came onto the scene during the height of Swedish death metal, working their way up among groups like Amon Amarth, In Flames, and Katatonia.
Their first EP, Guardians of Grief, was released on Dolores, gaining them instant notoriety. Their metal capital got them signed by Peaceville Records, which has represented groups like Darkthrone, Autopsy, Behemoth, Napalm Death, and Opeth. With the label, they released their second album, With Fear I Kiss the Burning Darkness. Their heavy, pummeling sound was starting to find its way among their peers.
Their major breakthrough came in 1995 with Slaughter of the Soul, an uncompromising vision of pure destruction. It would go on to be included on Rock Hard magazine's list of "The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time," while Metal Injection called it one of the Top 10 Influential Heavy Metal Albums.�
In 2005, it was introduced into Decibel Magazine's Hall of Fame, the second album to receive the distinction. Slaughter of the Soul charted in Japan, and the band toured in the U.S. and had videos played on MTV. Unfortunately, the sudden fame wasn't enough to hold the band together, with some of its core members leaving after the victory laps ended.
In 2007, At the Gates reunited for some shows, playing a bunch of festivals and touring with Dillinger Escape Plan, Into Eternity, Pig Destroyer, and Mayhem in 2008. They struggled with whether to release a new album, and finally did. At War with Reality received great reviews and reached No. 4 on the U.S. Top Hard Rock albums, No. 53 on the U.S. Billboard 200, and No. 9 on the Top U.S. Rock Albums.