Sweden's At the Gates are a band that, generally, I admire more than I like. Those who know me well will be aware that I am generally not a big fan of extreme metal, but over the years I have made numerous efforts to get into the much heavier end of metal. Back in 2014, around the time that At the Gates' fifth album At War With Reality (which I reviewed here) was released, I was making such an effort - and At the Gates were a band that I listened to quite a lot. It seemed fitting given that At War With Reality, the band's first album since 1995's seminal Slaughter of the Soul, was being released - as the release was seen as something of a big event in the metal world. Having started out as a bona fide death metal band in 1990, by 1995 the band were essentially pioneering what has since become known as the 'Gothenburg sound' - a more melodic form of death metal that fused the genre's harshness with the soaring guitar leads and anthemic choruses of traditional heavy metal, particularly the NWOBHM. While some At the Gates fans still lament this change, and dislike Slaughter of the Soul for its forays into a more melodic territory, the band certainly found a bigger audience as a result of their experimentations. The band found greater fame as a result of Slaughter of the Soul, and it is fair to say that At the Gates became much more influential as a result. If it was not for Slaughter of the Soul, and a handful of other albums released around the same time, the modern melodic death metal scene would not really exist. Bands like Dark Tranquility and In Flames probably would not have taken the routes that they did without Slaughter of the Soul, and there would probably be no Arch Enemy or Children of Bodom either. Even the metalcore scene, headed by bands like Killswitch Engage and Trivium in the mid-2000s, would have probably not existed either without At the Gates' efforts, so metal fans of various persuasions have a lot to thank At the Gates for. Since 2014, however, I have rarely listened to the band. I did see the band at the 2018 iteration of Bloodstock Open Air, where they played a strong set before the Sunday night headliners Nightwish, but that was an exception to the rule. I also missed out on 2018's To Drink from the Night Itself around the time of its release too, although I have picked it up more recently. Earlier this year however I decided to get back on the At the Gates train, and I pre-ordered their seventh album The Nightmare of Being. The Nightmare of Being was released last month, and it is an album that I have been listening to a fair amount since getting it. I am certainly more open to extreme metal than I was back in 2014, and At the Gates' penchant for melody makes them an enjoyable listen. There is still plenty of dirt under the fingernails however, and The Nightmare of Being is a great mix of darkness and melody.
I have only listened to To Drink from the Night Itself a couple of times, but to me it seems that The Nightmare of Being picks up where that album left off three years ago. The band's melodic death metal sound is much more firmly rooted in death metal than many of the bands that followed them, and as a result The Nightmare of Being is a heavy listen. There has always been a slight avant-garde element to At the Gates' sound however, particularly since their 2010 reunion, which is something that The Nightmare of Being pushes at times - and a somewhat more experimental sound is featured on some of the songs. The album also solidifies the band's current line-up on their second outing together, with four of the band's classic era members joined once again by lead guitarist Jonas Stålhammar. Despite some of the experimentation throughout, the album opens up with one of its most anthemic cuts Spectre of Extinction. A brief classical guitar intro soon gives way to a great melodic lead guitar line, which acts as the song's opening hook, before the song explodes into a fast-paced death metal anthem with more spooky guitar leads and some furious drumming from Adrian Erlandsson. The song is one that draws the listener in from the off, and shows why the band have had such an influence on the melodic death metal scene. Frontman Tomas Lindberg's harsh vocals have something of a punky edge throughout the fast-paced verses, while during the choruses he adopts a more anthemic approach as he duels with Stålhammar's guitar leads. Lindberg's voice might not be what it was, but he still possess a lot of power - and the slight rough edge helps him to stand out. He carries the song well, and the chorus hits home due to his anthemic delivery. A speedy guitar solo courtesy of Andy LaRocque (King Diamond), who has guested on a few of At the Gates' albums previously, keeps the energy levels high - and the song is one of the album's best cuts as a result. The Paradox is similar, but reins in some of the melodic lead playing to instead focus on something heavier. Stålhammar and fellow guitarist Martin Larsson focus on tough riffing throughout the fast-paced track, with the two teaming up for a number of tight, interlocking riffs during the song. There are occasional guitar leads, but on the whole this is a song that focuses more on riffing. The song is much more atmospheric than the album's opening song however, with lots of subtle keyboards throughout providing depth. Bassist Jonas Björler is responsible for the album's keyboard work, and the atmospherics that he adds to a number of the songs here help to enhance the band's overall sound. A lengthy Stålhammar solo adds some melody however, and shows what the band's newest recruit brings to the table. The album's title track slows the pace down somewhat, and goes for a more creepy approach with a strong bass presence and the occasional spoken word line. The verses here are mostly quite slow and sparse, with the bass dominating, before the rest of the band kick in in a big way during the choruses - which fuse slow-burning guitar leads with Erlandsson's double kick drumming. There is still a lot of melody to be found however, with a guitar solo that channels some neo-classical phrases, but this is a song that focuses more on its dynamic arrangement to make an impact - with the unsettling slower sections working well to offset the more typical driving metal parts.
Garden of Cyrus is one of the more avant-garde pieces here. It opens slowly, with some subtle drumming and chiming clean guitar melodies, but the song builds in a very natural way with the addition of Björler's bass to offset the melodies. There is also a big progressive rock influence found throughout the song, which surprised me. The song's opening guitar solo is very spacey, and almost Pink Floyd-esque, while squawking saxophone lines courtesy of Anders Gabrielsson replace many of the traditional guitar leads throughout the song. Lindberg also approaches the song differently from a vocal perspective, with much of his vocal delivery being that of a creepy, deep whisper. There is something of a doom vibe to these parts, but as the song moves on he does to return to his traditional shouted harsh vocal approach - while the heaviness builds up around him before coming to sudden stop. Touched by the White Hand of Death also goes for a more atmospheric approach, at least early on. The song's intro is characterised by a dark sounding string section that helps to set the tone for what is to come, but it is not long before the song explodes into another fast-paced death metal track. After a couple of slower numbers, Touched by the White Hand of Death injects a bit more pace into the album, with Stålhammar and Larsson once again being pushed to the fore; their interlocking riffs forming the basis of the song. While the song retains the atmosphere from the intro, there is less trickery going on this time. The focus here is more on traditional death metal elements, and the song is one of the more typical numbers here as a result - with a strong chorus that is sure to stick in the brain. The Fall Into Time builds on the atmospherics of the previous song, with the opening string section and choir sounding more like something from a symphonic metal album than the sound that At the Gates usually pursue - but the choir has been well-integrated into the song to keep it from standing out. As with the previous song however, the strings and the choir dominate the intro but then are largely relegated to the background. Once the song gets going it is typical of the band's sound, but with less of an emphasis on pace which allows Stålhammar the opportunity to weave a number of Eastern-tinged leads into the song - which recall some of the string and choir melodies from the song's opening. The best part of the song for me however is the breakdown section, which starts off with the string section before leading to a meandering guitar solo that again showcases the band's progressive rock influences - all while a busy Björler bassline keeps the song ticking. Cult of Salvation is less experimental, and instead harks back to the dark melodic death metal sound that I remember from At War With Reality. The opening guitar leads have a certain murk to them which helps them to make an impact, while the song itself is very reminiscent of the band's classic sound. Mid-paced riffing and Lindberg's barks keep the song ticking, but the hooks are not as strong as those found in some of the other songs for me. That being said however, there is still a little diversity to be found, with a piano-led breakdown adding a little change of pace.
The Abstract Enthroned ups the pace again and goes for the throat with an abrasive overall sound that focuses on speed above all else. The song harks back to the album's opening couple of numbers, but with less focus on melody and instead goes for a darker, more brutal sound. There are melodic moments, but they are largely short-lived. Stålhammar makes his time in the spotlight count however, and the leads he plays elevate the song and only help the heavier bulk to hit harder as a result. There is a little of the band's old sound coming through here too. While it is not as dark-sounding as the band's first couple of albums, the reined in lead guitar presence does bring that era of the band to mind somewhat - although the much lusher production complete with a string-led mid-section certainly places the song in the band's modern canon. Following perhaps the album's heaviest song is perhaps the album's most avant-garde song - but the contrast works well. Cosmic Pessimism is quite different for At the Gates, as it builds on the strange spoken word approach of Garden of Cyrus and runs with it. Lindbeg delivers the verse vocals in a dark, whispered manner; before returning to his barks for the short-lived choruses. Very little of the song can truly be classed as death metal either. The choruses are the only parts of the song that really sound like At the Gates, with the rest of the song sounding much lighter in comparison. Despite the overall lightness, there is still a creepy atmosphere that is present throughout the whole song. Erlandsson's drumming has a strange feel to it that creates an unsettling atmosphere, while the band's two guitarists weave clean guitar melodies above it that lock in perfectly to add to the overall murk. The experiment works well however, and it is a sound that I would like to see the band explore further in the future. The band return to their more typical sound for the closing number Eternal Winter of Reason, which is a mid-paced death metal track that doubles down on atmosphere and goes for a much grander overall sound. Much of the song is heavy, with big riffing and Lindberg's strained screams, but there is always an atmospheric depth from the keyboards or from the layers of guitar from Stålhammar and Larsson. There is also a fantastic guitar solo that comes during the early portion of the song. This part sees the heaviness drop out somewhat, which allows Stålhammar's leads to be focussed on properly. He is a great player that has brought a lot to his second outing with the band in the studio, and this solo in particular has a triumphant feel to it - which is a great contrast to the murk and darkness of the rest of the song. A gentle keyboard outro brings the song, and album, to a close - which is fitting given the album's overall approach to atmospherics. It shows the overall depth that the band have experimented with on this album, and as a result The Nightmare of Being is an album that needs to be listened to a few times before it can be fully appreciated. Over the past month it has become my favourite of the band's recent albums, as a the variety within helps each song to stand out in a memorable way. The experimentation helps At the Gates' core sound to shine too, and it is clear that they are a band that still have a lot to contribute to the scene.
The album was released on 2nd July 2021 via Century Media Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Spectre of Extiction.
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