We earlier reported a bit of a video tease from seminal melodic death metal band At the Gates which suggested that a new album might be on the way for the first time in almost two decades. And now, it’s official. Here’s a statement from the band; I’ve taken the liberty of highlighting a few passages of particular interest:
“So, here we are almost 24 years since the birth of AT THE GATES, and some 18+ years since our latest album Slaughter Of The Soul. A lot of years have passed and we have embarked on some life-changing reunion tours and shows the last couple of years.
“So, why make a new album you might ask, and why now? Well, what we learned from the last couple of years hanging out and playing shows together, is that we enjoy what we do to the fullest extent. We love playing music together, and we love to hang out as friends. But, as a musician, we constantly write new music. It’s a huge part of our identities.
“We are fully aware that we have made some very drastic statements in interviews as well as the closing words on the DVD about the longevity of AT THE GATES, but things change, situations change and people change. When Anders sent the first song last summer, we had zero expectations of the outcome. We only knew one thing – That it sounded amazing! At the time we weren’t even sure there would be an album, but as things progressed, more songs came into existence, and we knew we were on to something great.
“We know you are all curious about the new material, and to make a simple explanation of where we are at musically, we would describe it as a perfect mix between early AT THE GATES & Slaughter of the Soul-era AT THE GATES, trying to maintain the legacy and the history.
“We chose Century Media as a worldwide partner for the upcoming album. We have all been friends for years with people at the label. Jonas & Anders have a history with THE HAUNTED there (as well as Adrian with PARADISE LOST).
“So, we hope to bring you updates about the progress of the new album soon. The plan is to record the album in June/July with a tentative release in October/November of 2014 on Century Media Records.”
I don’t know about you, but this news makes me awful damned excited. I caught one of those reunion shows, and there’s no doubt this band still know how to bring it, and they definitely have fun doing it. They are also well aware of their own legacy, and I have to believe they will do their utmost to uphold it on a new record. How could you not have high expectations for what’s coming?
11 Responses to “IT’S OFFICIAL: AT THE GATES WILL RELEASE A NEW ALBUM IN 2014”
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I’m not sure about it. I think it will be incredibly difficult to even try and do a follow-up to an album such as SotS. It defined an entire genre, and either way they go, they will be catching hell for it. If they do an album that sounds just like SotS then people will complain that they are not bringing anything new to the genre (and considering how much that album has been copied by bands that came after them…), and if they do something completely new I am sure people will shit all over that too as not maintaining the legacy of SotS.
I think it’s a lose-lose situation for them. Perhaps if they had decided to do it under another name than At The Gates things would have been different.
Let’s hope I’m wrong.
You could change a few of the details of that post to read “Carcass” though, and it’d be pretty much the same misgivings people had about their return. And that worked out rather well.
Though I’ll admit, I’m more sceptical about AtG than Carcass as well (and though I’m a fan of both, I’m not an out and out slavering fan of either).
I’m still going to stand by my belief that the new Carcass album, as a near carbon-copy of Heartwork, goes against the spirit of the band as a constantly-changing entity (Heartwork and Surgical Steel are the first two albums to sound completely similar, beyond the modern mix of SS). Granted, it’s still a good album, as no one can copy Carcass like Carcass.
That said, I don’t see that same aesthetic in AtG, in that they don’t seem as progressive-minded. I think a carbon-copy of SotS could work just fine, if they pull it off right (which I have faith that they can). Changing their sound much would garner more ire for them than affirming their mastery over the Gothenburg sound.
My thoughts sound really jumbled in words. I should stop trying to articulate them.
Yes, but Carcass didnt have a 16 year period where 3/5 of the band was making really underwhelming music under a different name. Who knows..maybe adding Tompa and Larsson back into the mix will change something for the better, but Im not getting my hopes up
Yes, I hope you’re wrong too. 🙂
Wile I doubt they’ll do it, they should go back to the rawer sound they had on their earlier albums. It would throw off the stigma of trying to recapture Slaughter of the Soul while still staying true to their sound
I share that sentiment, and based on one of the quotes I highlighted in the post, it seems we may get our wish.
Nice Sadus shirt 🙂
With At The Gates final show of the Suicidal Final Tour still ranked as the best metal show I’ve seen yet, I’m definitely excited to hear a new creation from this group of great musicians is in the works. Admittedly, as has already been said plenty, I’m a bit skeptic as well. I was also skeptic when Carcass announced their new album, but Surgical Steel was great. Basically, all I hope for is a new album. Not the possible/slightly feared carbon copy Slaughter of the Soul, hell I don’t want a carbon copy of Gardens of Grief; I just want a new album from a band that’s legacy is already amazing capturing where they are now about 24-25 years after first forming.
There’s no way this isn’t just a tour.
this is so damn awesome….