Showing posts with label At The Gates. Show all posts
Showing posts with label At The Gates. Show all posts

Monday 31 December 2018

My Top 10 Music Discoverys In 2018

 
Last year I wanted to tone down the amount of routine Metal records I delved into. I'm still yet to break that cycle but looking back over the past twelve months I am far happier with the short list of new discoveries. Narrowing it down to just ten, we have only three strictly metal outfits! Success... maybe, then again it should be about finding quality music, regardless of type. Anyway my plan for 2019 is to focus my efforts to music beyond what I normally gravitate to and not paying attention to releases from mediocre bands.

(10) Sleepy Sun

I only got into a single record of theirs but what an amazing listen Fever was! This American Rock band pull influences from many of the greats and put together an engulfing experience that ebbs and flows at all musical levels. It was a peach to engross in and Ill be sure to grab another record of theirs soon, I hope it will be as gorgeous as this one!

(9) Algiers

A fond discovery! Algiers are another act similar to Zeal And Ardor in resurrecting century old Blue and Chain Gang singing, fusing aspects with Post-Punk and Psychedelic Rock together, even Industrial accents encroach aesthetically. Its a real cluster of influences that has a clear vision and soul at the heart of their music.

(8) Janis Joplin

She's a legendary name in the history of music from decades gone by and I'm glad I found the connection at last but I am guilty once again of only getting into the one record! Pearl is simply stunning, a treat fueled by her passionate singing, a voice one can't forget easily. No doubt Ill pick up the other record she released soon.

(7) Pallbearer

Doom Metal most certainly goes a little beyond what clicks with me but one can really appreciate what this band do musically even if its not quite your cup of tea. Getting through the Pallbearer records has certainly lured me in closer and I am always fond of these scaling, epic songs whenever they return on shuffle.

(6) Myrkur

I was blessed to hear her angelic voice live twice this year! It was first at Download Festival, a happy accident! I have since worked through their records of which the latest, Mareridt, is the best. This band show huge potential and her singing and cultural roots is at the heart of that. She is as good live as on record!

(5) At The Gates

The name is unmissable at Metal shows and finally Ive haven gotten around to checking them out. Their early records are far more interesting and their later, like Slaughter Of The Soul, firmly fit them into the foundations of the Melodic Death Metal sound I know all to well through bands that came after them. It takes the edge of somewhat but you can still hear the magic of the music at that time.

(4) Steve Roach

My exploration of ambient music is often thwarted by its palatable nature but Structures From Silence and Dreamtime Return are exactly the sorts of albums I seek out. Magical records stemming directly from principle and inspiration that birth magic from minimalism. I was fortunate to hear of Steve, he is a pioneer in the genre and these records are mood transforming magics from the 80s before the connectivity and accessibility of the internet.

(3) Old Tower

I adore the idea of Dungeon Synth. In reality its a genre bogged down with waves of low effort music and releases given the low bar of entry. That's made it hard to discover decent artists over the years and Old Tower certainly started in that low entry range but with The Rise Of The Specter the dutch musician excelled and birthed something unique to give meaning to the Old Tower moniker. Its a uniquely meditative and spiritual take on the sound.

(2) Turnstile
 I cannot get enough of this band right now. Having gotten through all their records Ive found a Hardcore band that excels at being energetic and passionate without barbaric machismo. Their lyrics get in your head while the music continuously propels the momentum. Its infectious and which each record they have grown leading to the fantastic Space & Time with made My Top 10 Albums Of 2018 list this year!

(1) Logic

 Who else could it be? With a firm collection of records in his back catalog Ive spent the year getting through them and growing to really appreciate this artist. His name does not carry as much clout as it should. Being of the Eminem inspired generation I think critics don't give him credit where his technicality outshines originality. Logic also lacks curation but there are plenty gems to be unearthed in his plethora of songs. As records I think The Incredible True Story and Young Sinatra: Undeniable are his strongest. Only a few projects of his left to get through now!

Monday 17 December 2018

At The Gates "Slaughter Of The Soul" (1995)


Another musical journey comes to an end! It has been well worth the time and Ive come to understand why this band are so revered. They sit like a jewel in the heart of Melodic Death Metal, though it has to be said, The Red In The Sky Is Ours and With Fear I Kiss The Burning Darkness are praised more so their third and this. It is these two that possess the classic sound many bands have re-spun to their own flavor, a far brighter, palatable sound, easy to enjoy with gleams of melody between aggressive aesthetics. Slaughter Of The Soul is essentially the same sound as Terminal Spirit Disease, however it is an actual album lasting over the thirty minute mark.

With a string of fast and keen songs lingering around the three minute mark the music sprints its way through a deluge of riffs on a slick, crunchy, tearing guitar tone fit for chugging rapid rhythms and splicing infectious melody into the fold. Simple song structures and a keen ear for dynamism between groove and melodic surges let the music sway between the two worlds. It has to be said a lot of the riffing styles steer away from the brutality of Death Metal and sound more along the lines of Proto-Metalcore. I'm guessing these guys has an influence on that scene too given the similarities in riffing techniques heard on this record and before.

The aesthetic is pleasing, it comes together with a touch of gloss yet on closer inspection their is some grit in the guitar tone. Singer Lindberg's screams are the same crass, raspy howls as before yet something about how they are mixed in let his barks chime in, more so than tear through. This makes them quite likeable. The drums sound fantastic and snappy on a great sounding production that has held up over the two decades since. Obviously the music itself is king and At The Gates nail their style here. They also show off a little dexterity with a folk-ish acoustic guitar interlude, Into The Dead Sky, and a symphonic outro track lined with a drum beat. It shows off the genuine talent behind the music. Fantastic record!

Favorite Tracks: Slaughter Of The Soul, Suicide Nation, Unto Others
Rating: 8/10

Wednesday 21 November 2018

At The Gates "Terminal Spirit Disease" (1994)


This is the record I have been expecting to hear. Swedish band At The Gates, labeled as Melodic Death Metal, had yet to reach the iconic sound pioneered by Carcass with their Heartwork album of the previous year. Taking a bold step towards a slicker, cleaner sound the band also shape up their compositions into simpler forms. While they do retain some dissonance and unusual approaches to riffing, the music comes together through simple song structures and a focus on the melodies rising from the aggressive construct of battering drums, darkly distortion guitars and fierce screams.

The move forward is fantastic, however to call this an album is a bit of a stretch. Packaged along side three additional live songs, we only have six Metal songs and one fantastic acoustic guitar interlude with And The World Returned. Its the only track to include signature stringed instruments and the seven songs only make up twenty two minutes, however short and sweet is preferable when the bar is set this high.

The record is especially enjoyable from a retroactive perspective. All the tropes and expectant riffing styles of Melodic Death hit from different angles with a unique tone. The band are still transitioning and with that comes the tremolo shredding strings across two guitars exchanging dissonance and harmony in a bright setting. The typical tune chugging, string jumping riffs get interchanged in between and with colorful, energetic drumming all the components gel as abridged sections form with variety.

All components gel sweetly and the guitar leads occasionally burst into life with memorable solos. Its all really good stuff. Perhaps only singer Lindberg is fractionally tiring with his beastly howls and throaty cries becoming drab as they rarely change. I tend to zone him out when listening, its the music below his roars that is great and even riveting on its best songs with riffs the leap out. I can understand on lot more about their place in Scandinavian Metal's history from this record and am very much excited for Slaughter Of The Soul, their last record before splitting up.

Favorite Tracks: Terminal Spirit Disease, Forever Blind, The Fevered Circle
Rating: 7/10

Sunday 11 November 2018

At The Gates "With Fear I Kiss The Burning Darkness" (1993)


Stripping back on some of its Avant-Guarde songwriting and non-metal instrumentation, bar sparing acoustic guitars, Swedish outfit At The Gates return with a sophomore album just doesn't spark any magic within me. Its dated, dull and dingy aesthetic dominates the mid ranges leaving a narrow feeling in the ears. Its a firm step backwards compared to The Red In The Sky Is Ours. The approach to riffing clearly has a keen experimentation in mind but not as fortuitous as before. Dissonant and moody tunes, plaid mostly through tremolo picking shapes up a resemblance of melody within its gloomy and pale tone. Sudden riff changes and energy shifts gifts the music when the chemistry works but dispels charm when the shifts make little sense, which is more often the case. Its such a consistent approach that the result is constantly hitting and miss. The good bits get buried fast.

I really gave this one a good go. Theie previous album revealed itself after some time listening but I believe the poor production value is a true hindrance in this case. I used words like gloomy and dingy in an unflattering sense. Often low fidelity aesthetic sparks imagination and vision when done right. In the case of this record it holds back the music with an uninspired tonality. Sunken within are a couple of good grooving riffs and gothic atmospheres but these are also in competition with the harsh and unfavorable howls that salt the wound of this ugly sounding record. I'm being harsh because this could of been much more. Its not awful, I can sit through and enjoy it on a mediocre level but ultimately is a disappointment worsened by its dreary production.

Rating: 4/10

Tuesday 9 October 2018

At The Gates "The Red In The Sky Is Ours" (1992)


My recent enjoyment of their latest effort, To Drink From The Night Itself, prompted me to finally get around to checking out a band held in high regards among the Metal elite. The Sweedish outfit have a near perfect score for this record over on the Encyclopedia Metallum. Its an ugly, gritty old school Death Metal record that does little conventional to charm and much experimentation to conjure a dark, broody wallowing atmosphere that would undoubtedly been more impressive in the context of 1992. Even if I Cast my mind back to the likes of Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel, Decide, Death, Hypocrisy and fellow Swedes Entombed, I couldn't specifically say why this record stands apart but I do have some hunches that become obvious on inspection.

Firstly the limited production ability of those times doesn't overwhelm us with thick, overtly loud and punishing guitar tones. Instead the instruments feel rather separated and sparse in comparison to what would of been common at the time. The result of which is music that's far less nauseating to follow and lets its melodic streak flourish in a limited sense of the word. It would be another two records before they would be associated with the emergence of Melodic Death Metal pioneered by Carcass. Here on The Red In The Sky Is Ours there is clearly an inclination to melody in its darker form over blunt force tonality and primitive rhythms.

After just a couple of listens it becomes very clear At The Gates are not trying to dazzle you with simple brutality, crushing grooves or bombastic syncopation. Many of the riffs feel non-circular and linear with some drawn out grinding leads and tremolo picking sequenced in shorter arrangements that cycle swiftly. The result is a spectacle of perceived oddity. With repetition it grows in vision yet the music always falls mercy to strange moments of unconventional riffs that stop the music in its tracks with drop outs between its notes. It is also characterized by the inclusion of folkish violins that both chime in and play linking interludes between songs. As stated before they don't immediately feel natural but end up making sense and leaving a memorable mark.

The unusual and strange runs deeper than its observations. The mood and tone of the record has vibrations unlike typical Death Metal. It leans towards atmosphere when its brooding tracks can culminate in layered guitar leads and violins that feel more visionary than primitive. But what is its vision? I am still unsure but I know it is dark and dimensional. In other times it drifts to the Avant-garde as its baselines plod to the forefront with a murmurous dance. The drumming arrangements seem to flop over from the battery of pounding atypical grooves into experimental sporadic shuffles of madness mostly helped on by a sloppy outdated recording aesthetic.

 Its clear the group attempted to write music that's complex, challenging and subverting norms within a subversive genre that has quickly established some boundaries. It has also produced results in doing so. A mysterious atmosphere brews through its endless string of experimental riffing that is continuously shifting, evolving, unwinding, providing delight and a unique mood to indulge with. Each listen uncovers another secret as one slowly dissects the arsenal of experiments crammed in behind the red haze of its ambiguous, red sky cover art.

Favorite Tracks: Within, Claws Of Laughter Dead, Night Comes Blood Black
Rating: 8/10

Thursday 23 August 2018

At The Gates "To Drink From The Night Itself" (2018)


It doesn't feel right to start here. I have barely given the Swedish group a listen in the past, Ive heard the praise, recognize their album covers and am very much aware of their legacy within the broader Metal community. After a string of well regarded albums in the early nineties At The Gates split in 97 for over a decade long, returning with the original lineup many years later in this era of sustainability for bands given the increased wealth in music and large amount of festivals to support and give exposure to bands, especially old bands die-hards want to see again.

To Drink From The Night Itself is the bands second album after their reunion and the first proper listen Ive given then. Unfortunately it falls into the "generic" Melodic Death Metal camp but of the vein I can very much enjoy. That is only because I know this sound all to well, they may have once been at the forefront of this style but their is little fresh or new on this record, it is however very well written and strongly executed, making for a healthy dose of a sound and style I really enjoy.

The band put together songs without flash or flair, their consistent pounding pace and temperate approach to guitar riffing lets the mood and tone of the tracks eminate from steady and composed melodies hidden in the exterior of harsh distortion guitars. When they do break in tone an introduce acoustics its rather underwhelming in the wake of their steady Metal machine that drives ever forward at this consistent speed that feels simultaneously sluggish and hastened as the drums never swing into break downs or blast beats.

The production aids the music well, the instruments feel rounded and cushioned to share a space without piercing through one another and this is again reflected in temperate music that lets its self speak without aesthetic tricks. Vocalist Lindberg's dry screams play up the atmosphere of this drone as his flat and drawn screams brood in the dreary aggression that is only and rarely split by the timely introduction of simple and gleaming guitar solos, bursting to life but fitting sweetly into the direction.

It may be in the title but this is truly a recollection of the night time, the steadily aggressive and evolving guitars unleash darkly moods and tones that the music frequently unravels as its guitars wind and weave their way forward with melodic inflections between the grinding of subtle grooves and darkly tunefulness. Its a solid listen from front to back, a bold and consistent approach that has the record swiftly establish its realm and hold you there for the forty five minutes. Great record, I may have to go back and get through their classics now.

Favorite Tracks: Daggers Of Black Haze, In Nameless Sleep, The Colours Of The Beast
Rating: 7/10