At the Gates

Swedish death metal exponents At the Gates were formed in 1990 from the ashes of the band Grotesque by vocalist Tomas Lindgerg and guitarist Alf Svensson. At the Gates achieved only moderate commercial success until the release of their third album Terminal Spirit Disease (1994) which elevated the band into potential contenders in the hardcore world of death metal. Next year, their fourth album Slaughter of the Soul proved to be a defining record for the band and established them as the founding fathers of the so-called Gothenburg sound, which is the name applied to the more melodic strains of death metal practised by bands from that region such as Dark Tranquillity, In Flames, Meshuggah and Scar Symmetry. Slaughter of the Soul was well received internationally and on the back of the interest generated by the album the band toured the USA and the accompanying video for the track "Blinded by Fear" made it onto MTVs playlist. Despite the hype surrounding the band, behind the scenes things were not working out and after the departure of two key members, twin brothers Anders and Jonas Björler, the band broke up in 1996 with the various members going on to pursue other projects. From 2007 until 2014 the band performed a series of reunion gigs and then released At War with Reality in 2014 which earned them a Swedish Grammis Award. The band followed with To Drink from the Night Itself (2018) and The Nightmare of Being (2021). After guitarist Anders Björler rejoined the band in 2022, At the Gates was working on a new album when singer Tomas Lindberg died of a mouth cancer on September 16, 2025, at the age of 52.