AT THE GATES AT THE GATES

THE LEGENDARY MELODIC DEATH METAL BAND AT THE GATES WILL BRING THEIR INTENSITY AND ENERGY TO INFERNO FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME ACTING AS HEADLINERS ON FRIDAY. WE TALKED TO VOCALIST TOMAS LINDBERG ABOUT THE FESTIVAL, SETLISTS, BOOKS, THE EARLY DAYS AND MORE!

THE LEGENDARY MELODIC DEATH METAL BAND AT THE GATES WILL BRING THEIR INTENSITY AND ENERGY TO INFERNO FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME ACTING AS HEADLINERS ON FRIDAY. WE TALKED TO VOCALIST TOMAS LINDBERG ABOUT THE FESTIVAL, SETLISTS, BOOKS, THE EARLY DAYS AND MORE!

At the Gates is known for its signature sound and you are pioneers of a genre that has influenced countless bands around the world. What do you think were the keys to becoming so influential?

- Honestly, this is something we have never thought about, we don't even think of ourselves in these kinds of terms, i.e. “influential” etc. I think that would be a hinderance in the band developing naturally. I would say, and I hope this is also true, that we have always stayed true to ourselves, never backed down from what we want to portray as artists, and that we have never thought about the band as a career. This is of course also true for a lot of non-successful bands, but I don't think you can achieve anything artistically, if you are constantly thinking in terms of success, or a career. We might just have been at the right place at the right time. The rest is pure bonus for us.

Do you guys feel any pressure when writing a new album due to the status you have, or you don't even think about this?

- I think every artist have their fans in the back of their heads when they write music, even though we do try to write a 100% from the heart. Of course, it is a great bonus when you have written a new track, and it is well received by the audience. But, at the same time, that is not the gratification that we are consciously pursuing. When we wrote «At War with Reality», the first comeback album, we wrote unconditionally, we didn’t even tell our closest friends that we were working on new material. This was a trick, to fool ourselves a bit, if the material wouldn’t have reached our standards, we could still have aborted the project, without losing any credibility. I do feel that we made the right decision, sticking our necks out with releasing new music. Being a contemporary band means a lot more to us, than being a novelty act that just plays the old songs.

After so many years, there's still room for new ideas in this genre and you proved that once again in your latest album «The Nightmare of Being» where among other instruments we can hear a saxophone in the song «Garden of Cyrus» that took us by surprise. How did you come up with this idea?

- Basically, the same way any artist come up with ideas. We listen to a lot of different styles of music, and it's fun to see what happens when you let some of those influences bleed into your own sound. Our challenge is always to create something that didn’t exist before, as any artist does, a big part of that challenge is to, at the same time, remain true to the basic idea of what At the Gates is. Keeping the core sound, so to say, but at the same time painting a little bit outside of the lines.

“WE HAVE ALWAYS HAD A GREAT TIME IN NORWAY, THE PEOPLE THERE SEEM TO HAVE THE SAME LEANING TOWARDS THE MORE DESPERATE AND MELANCHOLIC SONGS THAT WE TEND TO WRITE, AS OURSELVES.”

– TOMAS LINDBERG

Once an album is finished, it's common for artists to think that something could have been done differently. I guess this has happened to you as well, but do you regret anything you've done in your career?

- You are so right, this is always the case, and I think that is the thing that drives us, as artists, on. If we would have made the perfect album, then it is time to split up? There is, however, nothing I regret. All the music we have written up to this day, is what has made us into what kind of artists we are today. Without those “mistakes” we would have nothing to learn from, and build upon, and that would, in all honesty, be a very boring situation. There is still so much to learn, so much more to explore. Every album we have put out, I see as a snapshot of the band at that particular time, and I think it is important to have that in mind. You have to see it in the context.

You were around during the early days of the Norwegian black metal scene. Among other things, you designed the Darkthrone logo and were close to Morbid's Pelle «Dead» Ohlin who ended up singing for Mayhem. What are your memories from that period?

- I guess you could say that I was “involved” in the underground death metal scene at the time, and that was (and still is) an international scene, it didn’t matter where a band came from, if they were good, and exciting, you supported them. At that time there was no second wave (or third wave, if you count Bathory, Hellhammer and the likes) of black metal. Mayhem was around, and that's about it. And I don't remember them calling themselves black metal. I think that all started round the “A Blaze in the Northern Sky” album, I would say. I was in contact with some people who would later become key persons in the Norwegian black metal scene, but there was no scene as such yet, at the time. And barely any gigs. I visited Metalion from Slayer Mag a few times in the late 80's, and he came down to Gothenburg a few times, and I was writing with Pelle, Gylve and Euronymous.

It's a whole different world when we think about all the changes, we've been through since those early days. Back then there was definitely more mystique when it came to the bands and there was this special connection between fans through tape trading and fanzines. How do you feel about this? Do you miss anything from the past?

- It IS different, yes. I don't particularly miss anything. I am more happy that I got to experience it, it formed me into the person I am today. It was a lot of hard, but at the same time rewarding, work. When you think back upon it, it is crazy that a bunch of teenagers, globally, managed to create something like this. Of course, there was a blueprint for us, we copied a lot of the ideas about DIY straight from the punk/hardcore textbook (even though a lot of die-hard metal fans wouldn’t acknowledge this). I still feel the same way about music today, and the music has always been the driving force, even though of course, it was crucial to our identity-building process as teens, this sense of belonging to an underground network, that no one else understood, it was exhilarating.

I know you like to read, so I wonder what you've been reading lately and if it has inspired you to make it the theme of new songs. Are there any ideas for a new album?

- Lately, I have been deep into Sci-Fi. I think I read at least one or two books a week. The different styles of literature I indulge in varies from time to time, it is like music, it goes in periods. Right now, it is Sci-Fi, especially the “newer” English writers, such as China Miéville, Peter F Hamilton, Stephen Baxter, Adrian Tchaikovsky etc. I am just a big fan of this space opera style, and it is new to me as a reader, so I am throwing myself unto it with enthusiasm. Otherwise, I will always have my favourites; Cartarescu, Sabato, Robert Musil etc.

Are you into movies/documentaries as well?

- Anders (Björler, guitar player) is the movie guy in the band, so I get most tips from him actually. Lately I have been watching a lot of Danish crime shows (laughs)… But I love myself a really good movie, more than anything. Something challenging and interesting, but you should really ask Anders about this, I just follow his lead.

If you could choose one At the Gates song to be part of a movie soundtrack, what song and what type of movie would it be?

- That's another tough question. It all depends, I think the music should complement what you see on the screen, not the other way around. I would think instrumental music fits better to a movie? But at the same time, I had great fun with the main character in “The Killer” just listening to early Smiths the whole movie too… I would say we have some cinematic themes/passages in our music, but it is still death metal, so it might have to fit to a more violent scene/movie?

Coming back to books, have you ever thought of writing a book yourself? You have plenty of stories to share for sure.

- Nah, I leave this to the professionals, I would have too much pressure from myself. If I would write a book, I think it would become a bit flat, if you know what I mean? At my age, I am pretty comfortable with what I am good at, I have some professionality when it comes to writing lyrics to death metal songs, and maybe a little bit around that area of expertise, the rest I leave to other, more gifted people.

I guess it can be a challenge trying to choose songs for a setlist when you have several albums out, especially when you're playing a festival and have less time on stage. What criteria do you use when putting together a setlist in this case?

- For us it is important that the setlist has a flow, while still being dynamic. For a festival slot, we will probably never play the more hidden fan faves, such as «Daggers of Black Haze» etc, or some the more obscure pieces, then we usually focus on the “bangers”, so to say. But when we play in front of our own crowd, we can be a bit more adventurous, and lean into the more leftfield stuff, for sure, I almost feel that our crowd expects us to do that, to deliver something out of the ordinary. But if you go to a festival, and you maybe hear a band for the first time, it should be more of a straightforward set, that we deliver, if you get my point?

How do you prepare for a show? Do you have any warmup exercises?

- I try to sleep well, eat well, and drink a lot of water, basically. On stage, coca cola is good for me, sugar to keep me going, and it also “coats” the throat in a good way for me. Otherwise, it is a lot about being rested, I guess. I try to distract myself during the day, with record- and bookshops, maybe watch a bit of cross-country skiing or biathlon on the tablet. Reserving the energy for the show.

You've performed several times in Norway, including the Rockefeller and John Dee venues. Do you have a favorite stage of these two?

- We have always had a great time in Norway, the people there seem to have the same leaning towards the more desperate and melancholic songs that we tend to write, as ourselves. I am really happy about the reception of the newer material when we play Norway, it's not just about the «Slaughter of the Soul» songs, if you know what I mean. But choosing a favourite venue is hard, they all have a different charm.

Although you've played both stages in the past, this will be your very first time at Inferno! Have you guys been to the festival before as audience?

- I have been once. My other band, Lock-up, actually played Inferno, in one of its earliest incarnations. It is a great fest, and I like that it is kept broad, so to say, a lot of different, interesting bands every year. I wish I could say that I have been to more Inferno fests, but I have always kept an eye on the line up. The venue is perfect though, it really is.

What can we expect from this performance?

Anything special?

- We will arrive in Norway with our new album finished, and in the bag, so we will be fired up for the show, for sure. We haven’t started talking about a specific setlist yet, but I would love to do a mix of left-field stuff, and the “hits” so to say. As I said earlier, Norwegians have a very open mindset towards more challenging material, and our idea will be that everybody should enjoy this show, even if you are a die-hard At the Gates listener, or if you are new to the band. We look forward to the show a lot!

It's been 15 years since you reunited after splitting in 1996 and you've released three albums and toured extensively since then. What keeps you going?

- I would say to be creative. Every time we sit down together to write, something new comes out, that challenges us as artists and individuals. That would be my main motive, I guess. Playing live is also a driving factor for sure. To meet the listeners, that's when the songs really come alive, we are very much a band that feeds off the crowd when we perform.

At the Gates performs at Rockefeller stage Friday 29th of March 23.30.

SAT. 30.3

SUN. 31.3

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