Fear, Emptiness, Decibel: At the Gates, On the Cover
Before there were blogs there were these things called magazines, and the only metal magazine we still get excited about reading every month is Decibel. Here’s managing editor Andrew Bonazelli…
Three days ago, the world got to hear the title track from At the Gates’ first record in 19 years, At War With Reality. Axl was impressed (“Exactly how you’d want ATG to sound in 2014. I can’t stop listening to this…”), most of you guys seemed to concur (“Way better than the Slipknot reunion!”), and we obviously feel the same (especially about the Slipknot part—holy shit, that new album). I mean, Slaughter of the Soul was Decibel’s second-ever Hall of Fame—following obvious first-balloter Reign in Blood; it’s safe to say that everyone’s expectations were/are a little out of control on this one. For the same five guys to shake off nearly two decades of rust (collaborating together, that is; we’re all familiar with the Haunted/Tomas Lindberg’s hundreds of side projects) and successfully follow up such an unassailable and influential record… yeah, one might say that’s an achievement worthy of a cover story.
So, J. Bennett got in touch with Tompa and the Bjorler brothers to find out how ATG took that brave step from the nostalgia festival circuit to making new melodeath. Lindberg breaks down the unique lyrical conceit behind AWWR (if you want a head start, Wiki “magic realism”), while Anders Bjorler takes a cue from fellow comeback contemporary Jeff Walker, crowing that “[At War With Reality] is not only as good as Slaughter of the Soul, but I’d say even better.” Sadly, there’s still just over a month to go before you can judge for yourselves. Or, if Geno Smith personally assures me that he won’t throw any more backbreaking bubble screen pick-sixes for the duration of the 2014 season, I’ll just leak my copy! Anyway, odds are you’ll have a little reading time before the next song drops, so check out the November issue. Important: This issue is not on newsstands yet. If you want to read it ASAP, consult our webstore, and we’ll hook you up.
The November issue of Decibel also features Cannibal Corpse, Obituary, and L7, and can be purchased here. But why not just get a full subscription to ensure that you never miss an issue?
