At the Gates is a Swedish melodic death metal band from Gothenburg. Formed in 1990, the group is known as one of the pillars of this musical movement. Originally active between 1990 and 1996, the group reformed in 2007 for a tour before separating again in 2008. However, they meet again in December 2010, and continue to perform on stage. The band releases At War with Reality, their first album in 19 years, at the end of 2014>.
In 1990, the former members of the Grotesque group decided to form At the Gates, which will become one of the precursors of the wave of the second Swedish death stream. Along with In Flames, Dark Tranquility, Hypocrisy and Edge of Sanity, they will bring the death metal style to more melodic shores and release their first EP Gardens of Grief that same year. Decided to break certain stereotypes of death metal, their texts address social alienation, suicide and depression, socio-political conflicts and the absurdity of modern existence in a capitalist society based on productivity at the expense of humanism.
The band released in less than a year two consecutive albums The Red in the Sky is Bear and With Fear I Kiss the Burning Darkness, respectively in July 1992 and May 1993.
After the recording of the second album, Alf Svensson left the band and founded Oxiplegatz. What will not change anything to the productivity of the group that comes out in July 1994, Terminal Spirit Disease .
