This album starts off with “Der Widerstand”, and right off the bat some people may not be into this intro. But personally, I love to hear a certain campiness when I’m listening to Metal. And this track is scratching all the right itches. It’s epic, short, and there are these tense violins and eerie instrumentals. I have literally nothing bad to say about it. Then, At The Gates absolutely tear into this album with no fear and no regrets with “To Drink From The Night Itself”. This track is just the absolute blast of Metal I needed to hear right about now. Tomas on vocals sounds at his most guttural and animalistic. And while they still absolutely pull a little more from the MetalCore style like the band’s last effort, it comes off so much more vicious here. Some of the slower, more building passages are actually brilliant. Meaning every time one of these ripping verses come along, it’s like hearing it for the first time. This track is absolutely brutal and takes no prisoners. But in true At The Gates fashion, to an extent it certainly is catchy. Just don’t tell them that. The very determined sound of this album continues with “A Stare Bound In Stone”. I feel like I haven’t heard the band this focused in a really long time. That slight melodic edge is all but gone here, and this is a much more technical Death Metal jam. The result, really doesn’t have as much personality sadly. But At The Gates continue to play with the intensity of a band half their age. Not to mention, the last 30 seconds or so is an absolute onslaught in the best way. On the other hand, “Palace of Lepers” is much more along the lines of where I love hearing this band. It’s not as technical and constantly morphing. But it’s these moments here where the band just constantly bash forward that things get wild. It’s gritty, dirty, and absolutely pummeling. I love some of the imagery in the lyrics. As wild and out there are this is, this is 100% where I need to hear Metal, completely over the top. I love the determination on this one and just how focused the band sound. They may be well over 30 years into their career, give or take some time off. But they haven’t sounded this explosive in years.
But if one track took the cake completely on this album, it would have to be “Daggers Of Black Haze”. This track is the band at their absolute campiest, but by no means is it goofy. It plays to the themes that this genre was built on wonderfully, while helping it evolve as well. It’s funny, as far as a Death Metal tune goes, this is one of the lighter tunes of the album. But the band make up for it with some of their most memorable vocals yet and absolutely tons of personality. It’s still vicious, and while it may be the band at their most dissectible, it’s without them giving up anything of what made them truly great to begin with. I love the atmospheric passages, the moody strings that pop in, and just how immense this track really is. This is the kind of Epic tune that they can pull off so well. “Daggers Of Black Haze” gives me the chills friends. But for all of you that just want to hear At The Gates absolutely freak out and get back to their more technical onslaught, this is the track for you. As far as a main riff goes, I actually can’t get enough of this. There is absolutely no stopping it, it’s pummeling and barely gives you a chance to breathe. Now, I’m not really into Tomas’s vocals here once again. It’s these moments where things get a little less melodic that things really do get a little iffy. But this one has enough atmosphere and epic instrumentals to stay interesting. “In Nameless Sleep” however gets things back in an even more vicious way. On the other hand, I’m so much more into Tomas’s more vicious and cutting performance here, especially at that sort of break. I have to commend the band for continuing to venture down this very grand style of Death Metal. It ends up keeping this album surprisingly fresh. And the playing here, whew, this one rips boys and girls. They literally give you absolutely no room to breathe with “The Colours of the Beast”. But what the hell is going on with this one? I don’t mind the band slowing down to build some tension. And I do like some of the atmospheric playing in the background. But this one is just so muddy and sticks out like a sore thumb. Even on the slower, earlier tracks it was so clear that At The Gates were playing with their everything. This is just a really awkward track all around. There’s nothing epic or even determined, just really sloppy.
Thankfully, “A Labyrinth Of Tombs” does bring back some of the intensity that was lost. This one is a big step back in the right direction. It doesn’t come off nearly as awkward, and the band are back to at least playing with everything they possibly can. But this one lacks a little something I crave as well. The atmosphere just isn’t as encompassing here, and this is so much more faceless than other tracks. Especially with just how dripping with personality some of this album has been. On the other hand, “Seas Of Starvation” is just the excess of personality I need. This one has everything that At The Gates has been known for over the years, between the intense playing and the visceral vocals. But it also has tons of glorious personality. The atmospheric intro, the gong banging in the background, this one just has so much going on and it’s brilliant. But all of that doesn’t take away from anything at all. Just the opposite, it makes this one even more intense. Not to mention, this may be Tomas’s most brilliant performance of the album. Then we have “In Death They Shall Burn” which is just as pummeling and brutal as you would expect. The drums are intense, the guitars are soaring, and Tomas sounds solid as well. But while this one is good, tracks like this to me just come off as At The Gates in their comfort zone. But even buried in their own comfort zone, this is easily the best Death Metal album you’ll hear this year. But from the sound of “The Mirror Black”, At The Gates are ending this album off with all the fantastic personality they can. This track is absolutely massive and powerful. It’s easily the slowest track here, but that doesn’t stop it from being aggressive and absolutely epic. But like I said, this one is all about personality. I love the more spoken word vocals from Tomas which just end up sounding so sinister, and give this finale a truly evil feel. But trust me, “The Mirror Black” isn’t pretty, it’s disgusting in the best way. It’ll rip your damn guts out and eat it, and not feel sorry at all.
Rating: 8.2/10
Give A Listen To: “To Drink From The Night Itself”, “Palace of Lepers”, “Daggers Of Black Haze”, “Seas Of Starvation”
Least Favorite Track: “The Colours Of The Beast”
Genre: Death Metal / Melodic Death Metal
Overall Thoughts: Death Metal legends At The Gates after all these years are doing the genre so much justice, and making it look easy. This album does away with the more MetalCore style vocals of their last effort and has them returning to the routes of what got them on the map in the first place. The vocals are visceral. the drums are intense, everything you would expect from an At The Gates album. But where this album really stands out, is its personality. From little details like strings and atmospheric passages to more in-your-face moments like the gruesome but memorable lyrics, At The Gates here are at their campiest, in the best way. It's melodic in parts, crushing throughout, and after all these years At The Gates are still on top of the game.
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