At The Gates – The Forum, London – 04/12/2014 | Live Review

Source: Graham Berry

At The Gates, one of the founding fathers of the melodic death metal scene, are the stuff of legend. Their fourth album Slaughter Of The Soul is regarded by many as one of the greatest metal releases of all time, and announcements of their reformation and subsequent new release At War With Reality were met with almost universal excitement. The Forum sees the stage set for the first night of their latest tour, and it’s arguably one of the most anticipated of the year.

Pittsburgh punks Code Orange see themselves in slightly more spacious surroundings than their show at the Old Blue Last the night before. It’s clearly not their natural habitat, but they do their best to dominate the stage, managing to get a handful of folks slam dancing despite the largely lukewarm reception. ‘Thinner Of The Herd’, ‘Alone In A Room’ and ‘I Am King’ still sound weighty and dense, and the three-way vocal assault is savage, especially Reba Meyers’ caustic tones. They deserve more than London gave them.

Stockholm’s Morbus Chron are a different proposition entirely. Straight up death metal with some licks that occasionally veer towards proggy, almost seventies rock worshiping prog, they’re like Enslaved via Opeth and Zeppelin. The more mellow and symphonic guitar led bits are their best, although drummer Adam Lindmark throws them through some more aggressive tempos admirably. Vocalist Robert Andersson seems a little redundant in places, and overall the band rarely transcend ‘okay’.

Source: Graham Berry

Tom G Warrior is metal royalty, his days in Celtic Frost among others meaning that Triptykon are just as anticipated tonight as the headliners. He informs us that due to having a ‘chaotic day’ the band almost had to cancel the show, but the audience reaction to tracks old and new makes it apparent that most are grateful they didn’t. Mr Warrior is like a prophet of doom, spouting gravelly vocals which are supplemented by guitarist V. Santura’s occasional screams and growls. The gothic-tinged chords and drawn out doomy melancholy are underpinned by Norman Lonhard’s apocalyptic, resonating drums, and the last track in particularly relentlessly plugs away, seeming to drag on eternally. While atmospheric, they prove a little unengaging, with one fan observing afterwards that they ‘Haven’t got any riffs’.

Riffs are something At The Gates have in absolute buckets. After what seems like an overly long set up and sound check, the lights dim and excitement reaches fever pitch. Coming onstage to ‘El altar del Dios desconocido’, they then tear into a remorseless ‘Death and the Labyrinth’. Their set is understandably rich with cuts from their latest release, but the band full know that many in attendance are only here for one thing: as much ‘Slaughter …’ as possible.

And ATG absolutely oblige. A fucking flawless rendition of the title track has every voice screaming “GO!” back at Tomas Lindberg, before kicking into a furious ‘Cold’ that sees Andlers Bjorler and Martin Larsson shredding like nobody’s business. The mix is a little patchy, and Lindberg’s vocals are a little more coarse and throaty than they used to be, but none of this matters. Newer offerings like ‘City Of Mirrors’ and the titular ‘At War With Reality’ are strong, savage offerings, but nothing can compare with the tracks off their magnum opus. Almost twenty years on, and genre defining classics like the groove laden ‘Suicide Nation’ and the bloody brilliant ‘Blinded By Fear’ sound as vital and brutal as they ever have. Adrian Erlandsson’s drums are absolutely thundering, powering the band through the set. Lindberg is one hell of a front man, whipping the crowd into a storm of pumping fists and banging heads.

Some in the crowd would have waited almost two decades to see At The Gates play some of these tracks. After such a commanding performance, they are sure not to have been disappointed.