Wie kun je nog vertrouwen? In 1996 stopte de Zweedse death metalband At The Gates; dat betekent geen muziek meer, live noch op CD. Toch? In 2007 kondigde de band live-reünie aan en in heel 2008 was de band live te aanschouwen op verschillende podia. Goed, je kunt als artiest geld nodig hebben. Er werd toen al beloofd dat er geen nieuwe muziek zou komen. Na een gat van twee jaar kondigt de band in 2010 een nieuwe live-reünie aan. At The Gates gaat weer op tournee, ditmaal in 2011. Toen Thomas Lindberg in 2012 gevraagd werd of At The Gates nog nieuw materiaal gaat uitbrengen antwoordt hij: “Well, basically, I’ve learned never to say never. We said we’d never do any more shows whatsoever and now we’re doing shows [again]. 2008 was the last tour we were going to do and now we are doing more [shows]. I learned not to say never you know.” En nu kondigt de Zweedse death metalband At The Gates de release van hun nieuwe CD At War With Reality aan. Dit album verschijnt via Century Media Records laat in 2014 en is hun eerste plaat in 9 jaar; hun vorige album Slaughter Of The Soul is namelijk uit 1995. Gelukkig is At The Gates beslist niet de enige die dit soort trucs uithaalt. Het lijkt meer regel dan uitzondering als een band het einde aankondigt en op zijn belofte terug komt. In ieder geval betekent het meer muziek, maar of we daar nou altijd zo blij mee moeten zijn?

Commentaar van de band: “So, here we are almost 24 years since the birth of At The Gates, and some 18+ years since our latest album Slaughter Of The Soul. A lot of years have passed and we have embarked on some life-changing reunion tours and shows the last couple of years. So, why make a new album you might ask, and why now? Well, what we learned from the last couple of years hanging out and playing shows together, is that we enjoy what we do to the fullest extent. We love playing music together, and we love to hang out as friends. But, as a musician, we constantly write new music. It’s a huge part of our identities. We are fully aware that we have made some very drastic statements in interviews as well as the closing words on the DVD about the longevity of At The Gates, but things change, situations change and people change. When Anders sent the first song last summer, we had zero expectations of the outcome. We only knew one thing – That it sounded amazing! At the time we weren’t even sure there would be an album, but as things progressed, more songs came into existence, and we knew we were on to something great.

We know you are all curious about the new material, and to make a simple explanation of where we are at musically, we would describe it as a perfect mix between early At The Gates & Slaughter of the Soul-era At The Gates, trying to maintain the legacy and the history. We chose Century Media as a worldwide partner for the upcoming album. We have all been friends for years with people at the label. Jonas & Anders have a history with The Haunted there (as well as Adrian with Paradise Lost). So, we hope to bring you updates about the progress of the new album soon. The plan is to record the album in June/July with a tentative release in October / November of 2014 on Century Media Records.”

Century Media Records voegt toe: “We are extremely proud and super excited to have teamed up with one of the most legendary and influential bands in metal. At The Gates have not only been a staff favourite since their very inception, but also a group of members that we individually like, respect and are always glad to support. As the reunion shows of the recent years have demonstrated, At The Gates are currently on top of their game and more relevant than ever before within and for the metal scene of these days. We truly look forward to pushing At The Gates to new heights with their new album At War With Reality. Let’s…GO!!!”