On November 14th, 1995, a group of early 20-somethings released an album that has since gone on to become one of metal’s most influential titles, laying the foundation for what would become known as “The Gothenburg Sound”. That album was At The Gates Slaughter Of The Soul.

Shortly after the release of the album, the group broke up and the members went their separate ways. The Björler brothers founded The Haunted while drummer Adrian Erlandsson played for several Cradle Of Filth albums. The band reformed a few times over the years but never committing to anything solid. Until now.

On October 28th, the band will release At War With Reality, the first new album from the band in 19 years. It’s completely evident that nearly two decades has had an effect on the band. However, that effect has only honed and sharpened their already razor-edged ferocity.

Before we head into this review, let’s take a moment to think of some memorable moments that have occurred in the last 19 years: 9/11, the release of the iPhone, Silent Hill 1 came out, Freddy Vs. Jason finally hit theaters, Hurricane Katrina, the Columbia space shuttle blowing up, the creation of Facebook… Have I listed enough events to make you realize just how long of a time 19 years truly is?

During that time, another event occurred that completely revolutionized the entertainment industry and how we absorb our preferred media: the internet. Whereas before finding bands was done primarily through word of mouth, sharing demos, tapes, and CDs, or reading reviews in whatever magazine/paper you enjoyed, nowadays you can go to websites that recommend tens, hundreds, even thousands of other bands that you’ll enjoy based upon your own tastes.

Because of this mass influx of music, this overabundance of options, we’ve had the opportunity to hear bands and sounds that we’d never even dreamed of. But what got lost was the time to appreciate a band before moving on and finding someone new to expand our horizons. Instead of listening to albums, we became a single-driven society. Why buy a whole album when I can just grab the songs I like off of iTunes, am I right?

Nearly 20 years of musical freedom has allowed people to constantly find something “heavier”, something “more extreme”, with the greatest of ease. And the landscape of music has shifted at what felt like a radical pace. What was “in” became passé far quicker than ever before.

But lest we forget, At The Gates were the progenitors of the melodic death metal sound. During their heyday, they were the apex of the genre.

Nineteen years can change a great many things for people. You can find a career, get married, have children… You can create a life. You can see that what originally was so important in your youth is but a passing thought as an adult. You develop strong, educated feelings on politics, religion, and the world around you. That life experience is exactly what you hear on this record. This is the anger of knowledge, the rage of awareness.

At War With Reality opens to the sound of a man speaking in Spanish. It sounds like some demonic incantation, some unholy ritual that is meant to awaken a destructive beast to lay waste to the Earth. And when “Death And The Labyrinth” kicks in, it’s immediately apparent that At The Gates is still the same raging animal that is was in the past, only this time it can hunt, using its past – in this case, there is a drum pattern that is nearly identical to the intro of “World Of Lies” – to know how to attack the jugular with precision and lethality.

The production and dynamics of this album are thrilling. From the haunting opening of “Order From Chaos” to the fast and melodically sinister “Upon Pillars Of Dust”, from the epic “The Book Of Sand (The Abomination)” to “Heroes And Tombs”, which screams “Gothenburg metal”, the album is a celebration of melodic death metal.

Vocalist Tomas Lindberg does sound a little different, but it’s more that his voice aged well with him, becoming deeper and more robust. Meanwhile, the harmonization between the guitars and bass is better than ever, again something I chalk up to experience. The drums are also just as fast and pounding as before.

At The Gates have not that changed their sound. It’s simply that it’s been almost two decades since we last heard them and we’ve heard a lot of music in that time, which changed our own expectations. This is most certainly a continuation in the history of the band and it feels glorious.

The Final Word: This is an album that truly deserves the music section’s first Editor’s Choice award. At War With Reality proves At The Gates are still the undisputed masters of their craft.