AT THE GATES
“TO DRINK FROM THE NIGHT ITSELF”
Album Review by Dark Juan

7/10

At The Gates are:

Tomas Lindberg – Vocals
Jonas Björler – Bass
Adrian Erlandsson – Drums
Martin Larsson – Guitars
Jonas Stålhammar – Guitars

The Swedish melodic death metal titans return with a new album. To say I am a bit excited is like saying that a kid loves cake. I have been hanging on to this record for a week or so before imparting my wisdom to you lot because I wanted to appreciate it properly before spouting nonsense about it. And also because Igor the Evil One has been tormenting me for days. Not even the threat of cattle prods has stopped him this time. And also because I fell asleep during the Formula One qualifying. So much for the review mountain I was going to subject MGTV editors to this weekend…. Anyway, I have opened a pleasant biere blonde and I am going full steam ahead, all shipshape and Bristol fashion and also to rid myself of the horrors of Eurovision last night! I mean, what? The Israeli entry won and it was composed of a big boned lass waving her arms about and making chicken sounds. I wish I was making this shit up but I’m not.

On to what I am supposed to be writing about then. I have great hopes for this record, having been a massive fan of Terminal Spirit Disease and Slaughter Of The Soul. Is To Drink From The Night Itself worthy of being included in this magnificent pantheon of metal greatness or is it a lame duck from a band living on past glories? We’ll find out together….

Once we get the obligatory moody intro out of the way we are into the metal proper and I’m pleased to report that we can hear the classic, pin sharp At The Gates production values that have stood them in such good stead over the years. Every instrument is as clear as a summer’s day in Valhalla and the band appear to have lost none of the Viking hunger for battle they displayed so ably in their earlier recordings. Hang on, the Evil One is shouting again…. he has this peculiar habit of shouting at me and not settling until he nibbles my fingers. He’s currently attacking Zeus, my big old dog, so I’m going to write more waffle until he notices again. In Nameless Sleep is a stand out track with lacerating guitar solos, a tempo that death squads would march to and Tomas unleashing that distinctive visceral bark he is so well known for. It’s also a real treat to hear Adrian Erlandsson back behind the kit for At The Gates after sojourns in Cradle Of Filth and Paradise Lost. This is where he is most at home and it shows. His drumming has regained the je ne sais quoi that his work with other bands has been missing. This is especially evident on A Labyrinth Of Tombs, arguably the highlight of the entire record. It has everything that a metal fan desires, this song. Punishing vocals, guitar lines that eviscerate and drums which could power an aircraft carrier. Simply wonderful and to quote my friend (and liege, lord and master for he is a metal hero and a thoroughly nice chap to boot! Watch the BBC Arena documentary on heavy metal for more details. It’s on Youtube) Mitch Hale, “You can’t play Iron Maiden at 400 miles an hour! Course you can!” At The Gates are the prime exponents of proving you can play Iron Maiden at 400 miles an hour, with some twin guitar lines of staggering beauty and complexity, played with mucho speed and accuracy.

So what’s the downside then? Well, there’s a couple of things. The mix of the record appears to be a little bass averse and there is a bit too much noodling in places for my taste, and the bass drum is almost inaudible and has the resonance of hitting a wet blanket with a naughty little French Bulldog named Igor. But these are minor complaints because this is a band approaching the height of their powers again after a hiatus and a poor album last time out. My benchmark for quality where At The Gates is concerned is their song The Swarm. That is a sublime song and there are points where this album comes close. But not quite. It’s like a shiny painted battlewagon but with the scars of battle showing through… the paint is blistered and scorched and there are dents and holes in the armour but it’s still fully capable of handing you your arse many times over. A fine record, but not classic.

The Dark Juan Blood Splat Rating System has an evil French Bulldog free to a good home because he is doing my Swede in and awards At The Gates 7/10. That is the equivalent of returning to Kattegat after raiding Lindisfarne and finding that Jarl Borg has raided it and killed a few of your bezzies. And the aftermath of your revenge raid. Blood and severed limbs everywhere.

TRACKLIST:

Der Widerstand
To Drink From The Night Itself
A Stare Bound In Stone
Palace of Lepers
Daggers Of Black Haze
The Chasm
In Nameless Sleep
The Colours Of The Beast
A Labyrinth Of Tombs
Seas Of Starvation
In Death They Shall Burn
The Mirror Black

www.atthegates.se
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