At the Gates Release 'Death and the Labyrinth' Video from Forthcoming Release 'At War With Reality' (Century Media)

Not to be a total fanboy geek but...meeting At The Gates was one of the highlights for me of MDF 2014. The band's studio followup to 1995's Slaughter of the Soul, entitled At War with Reality, will be released in North America on Monday, Oct. 27th. Similar to last year's comeback album from Carcass, Century Media is releasing this disc in a number of different formats and on different color vinyl.

At War With Reality is available in the following versions:
- Jewelcase CD (20 page booklet)
- Digipak CD (20 page booklet; 2 bonus tracks; patch)
- Cassette (limited to 500 copies worldwide)
- Digital download
- Gatefold 180gr. LP (20 page booklet; poster)
- Ltd. mediabook CD (40 page booklet; 2 bonus tracks; patch)
- Ltd. 3-disc artbook (48 page booklet; 4 bonus tracks; 5.1 surround mix DVD; patch) - limited to 3000 copies
- Ltd. 2x10" boxset (20 page booklet; poster) - limited to 1000 copies worldwide via CM Distro

The limited edition mediabook and digipak format will include the bonus tracks "Language Of The Dead" and "The Skin Of A Fire", as well as a vintage ATG-logo patch. The 3-disc artbook format will also include the patch and those same two bonus tracks, as well as a demo version of "Eater Of Gods" and a cover version of "Re-Animation" by Canadian cult thrash metallers Sacrifice. The 3rd disc is an exclusive bonus DVD featuring a special 5.1 surround mix of the album.

The 12" LP format will be available in the following colored vinyl editions:
- Black (unlimited)
- Transparent red (limited to 300 copies via CM Webshop EU)
- Dark green (limited to 500 copies via CM Distro EU)
- Clear (limited to 500 copies in Sweden)
- Lilac marble (limited to 100 copies via CM Distro USA) *sold out*
- Blue marble (limited to 200 copies via CM Distro USA) *sold out*
- Magenta marble (limited to 200 copies via CM Distro USA) *sold out*
- Ash grey marble (limited to 500 copies via CM Distro USA)
- Silver (limited to 400 copies in the USA)
- Gold (limited to 1500 copies in the USA)
- White (limited to 100 copies; exclusive 2015 MDF edition in the USA)

In advance of the release, At The Gates has now debuted a video for the album track "Death And The Labyrinth" which was directed by Patric Ullaeus (IN FLAMES, ARCH ENEMY, LACUNA COIL, etc.).



Tomas Lindberg (vocals) comments: "We had a very special idea about the kind of approach we wanted for the first video from 'At War With Reality'. What we needed was someone gifted enough to throw himself artistically into the project full on. The lyrics to the song are very multi-layered and surreal, so we wanted someone to create a fevered dreamworld that went with the melancholic frustration and dramatic desperation that we feel comes across in the song. This is exactly what Patric has created for us. It's his vision of the music and lyrics, which compliments the track perfectly in my opinion. I couldn't be happier!"

Director Patric Ullaeus adds: "It's always nice to work with creative artists who are like-minded. Ideas seem to flow easily. We had a lot of fun making our vision come true. Being on these amazing locations in Antelope Canyon, Arizona was truly an unforgettable experience."

Links:
At The Gates

At The Gates, Taake, Solstafir, and MGLA will be making exclusive US appearances at the 2014 Maryland Deathfest

The first bands to confirm for Maryland Deathfest XII were posted to the festival's Facebook page earlier today:

The following bands have already confirmed for MDF XII:

AT THE GATES (Sweden)
GORGUTS (Canada)
TAAKE (Norway)
SOLSTAFIR (Iceland)
MGLA (Poland)
EXCRUCIATING TERROR
BONGRIPPER
HEMDALE
DIOCLETIAN (New Zealand)

We thought there would be more to announce today, including a band that will definitely headline one of the days, but that will take another week or two to finalize. Expect the next announcement in about 2 weeks.

Notes: At the Gates, Taake, Solstafir, and MGLA will be making exclusive US appearances at MDF.

We have a feeling many of you will ask what's going on with Carpathian Forest, so here's what's going on. We had preliminary discussion with them right after MDF XI and all parties understand what needs to be done for them to come to the US next year, but since our contact person for the band has been on vacation with no access to e-mail, we have to wait until he's back before confirming that officially. So, as of now, they are NOT confirmed, but chances are likely that they will confirm sometime soon.

Links:
Maryland Deathfest

Municipal Waste Shops at Generation Records Prior to Irving Plaza Show

Metal Injection just posted a video interview with Municipal Waste prior to the band's show with At The Gates in July. Metal Injection's Grim Kim talks with the band as they shop for records in Generation Records in the Village.



Municipal Waste is doing a mini-tour next month with The Casualties but the tour isn't coming any closer than Philadelphia.

Here are the current tour date:
Oct 8 2008 7:00PM, The Ottobar, Baltimore, Maryland
Oct 9 2008 7:00PM, J C Dobbs, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Oct 10 2008 7:00PM, Club Paradise, Buffalo, New York
Oct 12 2008 8:00PM, Riot Fest,Chicago, Illinois
Nov 1 2008 6:00PM, The Fest!, Gainsville, Florida

For anyone who missed the Irving Plaza shows, here is what looks to be a cell phone video of the "Wall of Death" from the July 10th show.



Links:
Municipal Waste's MySpace Profile

New Municipal Waste Video Premiered on MTV last Saturday/NYC Shows with At The Gates are Sold Out

You have to love that Municipal Waste's latest video was filmed at the Hyperion Sewage Treatment Plant in Playa del Ray, California. The video for "Sadistic Magician" made its premier on MTV Headbangers Ball last Saturday night. Video director Jeff Speed commented that "[h]umor, horror, metal and mayhem have always been a winning combination. It's 80's throwback to the fullest - back when videos were fun and the music was still dangerous. MUNICIPAL WASTE is the perfect band for it because this is exactly who they are - no bullshit."



Municipal Waste - Sadistic Magician Video


Municpal Waste is touring with the reunited At The Gates this month. Both shows at Irving Plaza/The Fillmore (July 9th and 10th) are now sold out but there are still tickets on eBay and Craig's List.

Checking In on Adrian Erlandsson (x-At the Gates/The Haunted Drummer)

Lately I have been listening to a lot of At the Gates and the band members' post-ATG work.

Adrian Eralndsson is keeping very busy since leaving Cradle of Filth last year. On his MySpace page, he just announced his first drum clinic.

I am doing my first Drum clinic for 2007 on the 6th Feb!
Check out the guys profile here.

Kev and the irrepressable Drumcrew have been hard at work organising the next show which will take place on Tuesday 6th February 2007.
7pm: doors £5.00 entry

Show starts at 7.20pm with a 'TBA' drummist, followed some bloke who hopefully will have a grip on current sound technology; Mike Ellis, then onto Nuneaton's favourite; Jordan Terris and finally, Swedish HM drummer Adrian Erlandsson.

As usual, there will be lots of freebies to be grabbed as well as prizes for t'raffle from various generous drum companies!!Queens Hall, 75 Queens Road (Above "The Crew"), Nuneaton, Warwickshire CV11 5LA. +44 (0)2476 347402 www.queenshall.net

Adrian is currently playing drums for Nemhain and the band just uploaded the initial mix of a new track, Dirty Weekend, to their website. Nemhain also recently recorded a Misfits cover for KEG Rocks Misfits 30th anniversary tribute compilation which will be released February 2007

At The Gates - Slaughter of the Soul CD/DVD Review

Earache has done a really nice job with some of its recent reissues. The inclusion of six bonus tracks along with a bonus DVD with the recent reissue of Slaughter of the Soul should make fans seriously consider picking up a second copy of this release. (As this release is routinely included in "Best Metal Album/CD" polls year after year, I am assuming most people reading this already have a copy).

For those who aren't familiar with At The Gates, Slaughter of the Soul was originally released 11 years ago and the band broke up in 1996 (after two US tours in support of this CD). This CD is a rarity as it is one of those few CDs that define a musical genre and serve as a blueprint for bands that follow. Slaughter of the Soul set the standard for melodic death metal and its influence can be heard in a number of current bands today (most notably Shadows Fall).

There isn't a bad track on this CD and the music has aged well over the years. The first track, Blinded By Fear, was a MTV Headbanger's Ball staple (and the video is included on the bonus DVD) and starts the disc off with pounding intensity. The band never loses its heaviness as the songs range from brutal onslaughts to beautiful instrumentals. The final track The Flames of the End is an instrumental that would fit well as the soundtrack to a horror film. (This track was originally written by Anders for one of his low-budget horror movies). The bonus tracks are also a real treat. They include the two track demo from 1995 (Onto Others and Suicide Nation) which got the band its contract with Earache along with covers by No Security, Slayer and Slaughterlord.

I have never been a fan of "The Making of the Record" documentaries as I immediately associate them with poorly made VH1 Behind the Music specials. This DVD was surprisingly good. It features Tomas Lindberd, producer Fredrik Nordstrom and a very quiet Martin Larsson (who gets very animated when talking about just how bad Anders' homemade horror films were). The documentary adds a lot of insight on how the record was made (on a shoe-string budget) and why the band broke up after its recording. The new liner notes in the CD booklet also add to the understanding of where Tomas and the band were at this point in their lives and career.

Rating: 10/10

I have seen a lot of questions on the 'net about new At the Gates material and the persistent reunion rumors:

• Anders has put up at At the Gates website and MySpace page which has some interesting info about the band and its past history. While neither of these sites discuss reunion rumors or what the band members are currently doing, there are some pretty cool YouTube clips from the band's final tour posted on the MySpace page.
• Peter (vocalist from the Haunted) and others have hinted about an At the Gates reunion (see text from an interview he gave last year). These rumors have been denied by other band members.
• Adrian posted a three track demo from Terror, a side project he worked on with Anders and Jonas prior to the recording of Slaughter of the Soul