#TheMetalDogArticleList
#Blabbermouth
MIKAEL STANNE On AT THE GATES' TOMAS LINDBERG: 'There Would Be No DARK TRANQUILLITY Or IN FLAMES Without Him'

https://blabbermouth.net/news/mikael-stanne-on-at-the-gates-tomas-lindberg-there-would-be-no-dark-tranquillity-or-in-flames-without-him

#MIKAELSTANNE #ATTHEGATES #ThereWouldBeNo #interview #vocalist #Blabbermouth #metal #music

The first review of the year always brings a strange sensation. After a long year of reviewing great, good, meh, and fucking terrible records, it gets even longer come November/December with list season. The amount of work increases more than ever as you write your blurbs, edit others, and constantly monitor comments by those who wrongfully disagree with you. After list season comes to an end, there’s an involuntary sigh of relief that all the work got done, and while a lot of the lists were shit, stylistically and format-wise, they looked good. But the first review of the year is a different kind of sigh. Not one of relief but one of “here we go again.” So, with my knuckles cracked and promo downloaded, I dive into Spanish thrashers, Furi Helium, and their sophomore outing, No Altar Stands Eternal.

I’m not gonna lie, I absolutely picked this promo because of the band name. Ignoring spelling and pronunciation, the thought of “furry helium” is fucking hilarious to me. As I rolled around on the floor, with kids and cats alike watching in bewildered horror, it was brought to my attention that “furi helium” can be translated to “black sun” in Latin. Fine. Take all the fun out of my life. But, after my initial spins, I came to appreciate this little gem because Furi Helium is much in the vein of Spanish brethren (and one of my favorite thrashers), Crisix.1 So, instead of imagining furry gases that give you a high-pitched voice and furballs, I’m pummeled with crushing riffs, punchy gangshouts, memorable choruses, and a bass presence deserving of better production. Which, I suppose, I can accept.

No Altar Stands Eternal by Furi Helium

Like many of the other neothrash outfits these days, the opening track, “Bloodspiller,” launches into a simplistic approach that sets the tone for the album. But it isn’t until a couple of songs later that No Altar Stands Eternal really takes off. “Criminals” introduces some nifty guitar work and a charging attitude. From there, it alternates between a galloping riff and one of the more memorable choruses on the album. At the album’s midpoint, the back-to-back “Tidal Disruption” and “Fall in Disgrace” rule the roost. While both have killer riffs throughout, what makes these songs so special is the massive bass presence. While it’s been there up to this point, it’s dialed up to eleven, and the performance is stellar. “Tidal Disruption,” in particular, is a banger. It features punchy vocals that perfectly match each drum hit, plenty of melodic At the Gates vibes, and the standout chorus on the record.

Others worth mentioning are “12 Mirrors” and the closer, “The Chronophage.” The first is up there with songs like “Tidal Disruption,” laying to waste anything in its way with a kickass thrash groove and gnarly fucking vocals. It’s a monster mash of Crisix attitude and riffs that get better as they go. The closer is the black sheep of the record, loaded with a thick layer of melodic laquer and dark, swirling atmospheres. It also gives off a lot of The Haunted vibes—growing and falling along a path of thick riffs and soothing movements—producing a near-perfect ending to this sophomore effort.

The main issues I have with No Altar Stands Eternal are that it takes a bit to get going, and the production is not worthy of the skill. While the first handful of songs are worth a listen, by the time you get to “Criminals” (the fourth track on the album), the album really begins to blossom into something special. From there, it’s nonstop satisfaction. I only bring this up because some might bail before the good stuff emerges, and that would be a terrible mistake. While the production isn’t bad, it only bothers me because the nooks and crannies are what I’m most interested in. Whenever the bass controls a song’s flow, it feels dialed up to accommodate it. Otherwise, it sits comfortably in the background. With a dynamic master that can breathe and throb with all the intricacies throughout, we might experience the bass and other subtleties as intended. So, someone sign these sons of bitches and give them money for a higher-quality product. All that to say, I really enjoy this record and shall be jamming to it for months to come.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Self-Released
Websites: furihelium.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/furihelium
Releases Worldwide: January 22nd, 2026

Listening to At The Gates and their most recent album ‘The Nightmare of Being’.

The death of vocalist Tomas Lindberg last year due to cancer is upsetting. It’s reported he completed work that will be released posthumously on their next album, perhaps this year.

#AtTheGates #MelodicDeathMetal #Metal

#NowPlaying #TheMetalDogIsNowPlaying
#AttheGates
Purgatory Unleashed - Live At Wacken
Nausea

🎸 Live Stream:
https://nowplaying.themetaldog.net/

YouTube Search:
https://youtube.com/results?search_query=At%20the%20Gates+Purgatory%20Unleashed%20-%20Live%20At%20Wacken+Nausea

LastFM:
https://www.last.fm/music/At+the+Gates/_/Nausea

Lyrics:
https://genius.com/At-the-gates-nausea-lyrics

Listen on major platforms:
https://song.link/s/2eTQMrCkjoxGAVb4ybNG3U

#AtTheGates #TomasLindberg #AndersBjorler #JohanOrnborg #PeterHuss #MelodicDeathMetal #DeathMetal #SwedishMelodicDeath #GothenburgScene #Metal90s

#NowPlaying #TheMetalDogIsNowPlaying
#AttheGates
Purgatory Unleashed - Live At Wacken
Forever Blind

🎸 Live Stream:
https://nowplaying.themetaldog.net/

YouTube Search:
https://youtube.com/results?search_query=At%20the%20Gates+Purgatory%20Unleashed%20-%20Live%20At%20Wacken+Forever%20Blind

LastFM:
https://www.last.fm/music/At+the+Gates/_/Forever+Blind

Lyrics:
https://genius.com/At-the-gates-forever-blind-lyrics

Listen on major platforms:
https://song.link/s/4ASJwnM65gbezeMCRyK3AL

#AtTheGates #TomasLindberg #AndersBjörler #JohanÖrnborg #PeterStjärnvind #DanielErlandsson #MelodicDeathMetal #DeathMetal #GothenburgScene #SwedishMetal #Metal2000s

Dark Tranquillity, The Crown & The Halo Effect set for Tomas Lindberg tribute concert:

#DarkTranquillity #TheCrown #TheHaloEffect #AtTheGates #TomasLindbergTribute

Link: https://metalinsider.net/news/dark-tranquillity-the-crown-the-halo-effect-set-for-tomas-lindberg-tribute-concert

Mezzrow – Embrace the Awakening Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier

Two years ago, I reviewed Mezzrow’s comeback record, Summon Thy Demons—a return that was thirty-three fucking years in the making. Being that they only had one record before their 2023 comeback, I can’t say they’ve left a lasting legacy on the Swedish thrash genre—especially with so many legends that dominated the Swethrash space. With age and wisdom, it appears this quintet is looking to make an impact decades after the heydays of this unique flavor of thrash came and went. The energy, since the release of Summon Thy Demons, must continue to surge in their veins because I’m back to deliver a review of this year’s Embrace the Awakening. While none of their albums are terrible by any means, will the ‘third-times-the-charm’ bring Mezzrow the breakout success they seek?

After unloading three decades of bent-up riffage with their return, Mezzrow has cut the fat with this newest release, reducing the amount of output by fifteen minutes. This move is good for the band because they’ll continue to throw everything they have at a song, but without exhausting their listeners with the vast amount of content. Trimmed to a tight eight tracks, Embrace the Awakening delivers everything from simple thrashers meant to pummel and retreat to others that fill every nook and cranny of living space with all kinds of trinkets. Always with a dark, sinister tone in their songwriting, this new record sees them following familiar territory, combining Bay Area thrash with Swethrash influences like Sodom, Witchery, and At the Gates, to deliver a maelstrom of thrashy licks, melodic choruses, and adventurous solo work. Time to awaken deez nutz.

Embrace the Awakening gets rolling in a classic thrash-metal style with “Architects of the Silent War,” marching through an intro that builds and builds on itself before settling into a solid, sinister groove. When we arrive at the chorus, it ends up being a solid effort with plenty of gang shouts but not a lot of memorability. Which also applies to the new riff change on the back half. While not as strong an opener as the one on the previous album, the rest of the front half of Embrace the Awakening is banging. “Sleeping Cataclysm” opens with some killer blastbeats and a badass lick that successfully transitions through a punchy pre-chorus and soaring, melodic chorus. Even the back-end chugtastic lick kicks some major ass. “Foreshadowing” is a fun little ditty whose foundation is built around an old-school Witchery assault. Throughout, it alternates between slower, melodic sessions, verses that pick up pace as they progress, and an evil fucking chorus with massive gang shouts.

“In Shadows Deep” is another with some Witchery tendencies, but this time in the song’s melodic chorus. Surrounding it is a razor-sharp introduction, chugging verses, and a hefty conclusion. For more diversity, “Symphony of Twisted Souls” tosses in some clean bass and guitars, then it traverses through a couple of headbangable riffs before erupting into the chorus. After completely collapsing on the back half, things get really weird with the lonesome bass and vocal effects that remind me of that weird, mid-career shit Megadeth did because Mustaine realized he sucks at singing. Yet, somehow, through all these strange mood shifts, it pulls itself back together to conclude as a well-rounded song.

Along with some of the songwriting decisions in the opener, that leaves something to be desired, “The Moment to Arise” is a short little piece that is as filler as it gets. From bland riffs to a bland chorus, it’s the most forgettable song on the record. But it’s an easier piece to listen to than “Inside the Burning Twilight,” a boring-as-fuck chorus, and its desire to continue one minute longer than necessary. That said, Embrace the Awakening is a solid outing that continues where the comeback release left off. The first half is stronger than the second, but when the riffs hit, they hit pretty hard. And, when the choruses work, they work well. Otherwise, the album suffers from forgettable moments and filler pieces.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Rock of Angels Records
Websites: mezzrow.black | facebook.com/mezzrowsweden
Releases Worldwide: November 14th, 2025

#25 #2025 #atTheGates #embraceTheAwakening #megadeth #mezzrow #nov25 #review #reviews #rockOfAngelsRecords #sodom #swedishMetal #thrashMetal #witchery

On November 14, 1995, Gothenburg's At The Gates released their fourth album, “Slaughter Of The Soul,” one of THE defining melodic death metal albums, before disbanding for the first time a year later.

"‘Gothenburg sound’ has become such a ubiquitous part of modern metal’s sonic vocabulary that few would dispute At The Gates’ status as pioneers."

04. Under A Serpent Sun

#AtTheGates #DeathMetal #MelodicDeathMetal

#TheMetalDogArticleList
#BraveWords
Today In Metal History 🤘 November 14th, 2025 🤘 AT THE GATES, QUIET RIOT, HELIX, BON JOVI, SAXON

https://bravewords.com/today-in-metal/today-in-metal-history-%f0%9f%a4%98-november-14th-2025-%f0%9f%a4%98-at-the-gates-quiet-riot-helix-bon-jovi-saxon/

#ATTHEGATES #QUIETRIOT #TodayInMetalHistory #November #BraveWords #metal #music

#TheMetalDogArticleList
#MetalInjection
MIKAEL STANNE Remembers AT THE GATES' TOMAS LINDBERG: 'He Was A Gentle, Soft-Spoken Guy, But On Stage He Was An Absolute Beast'

https://627e81c5fee2d202a5df846c.paas-p.smehost.net/news/mikael-stanne-remembers-at-the-gates-tomas-lindberg-he-was-a-gentle-soft-spoken-guy-but-on-stage-he-was-an-absolute-beast

#MIKAELSTANNE #ATTHEGATES #Remembers #HeWas #MetalInjection #metal #music