At the Gates are a Swedish melodic death metal band who are considered by many to have had a great influence upon the genre. Originally formed in 1990 after Grotesque broke up, the band began as a traditional death metal band, but soon combined the speed and anger of thrash metal with the burgeoning death metal scene in Gothenburg, Sweden, crafting a unique melodic sound, rich with dizzying tremolo harmonies. After releasing The Red in the Sky Is Ours in 1992, and With Fear I Kiss the Burning Darkness in 1993, At the Gates decided to cut a lot of the innovative aspects of their earlier material, and focus on writing catchier, less intricate songs for Slaughter of the Soul, released in 1995. This album, ironically, became arguably their most popular and influential work, especially in the Modern Metalcore scene, influencing acts such as Darkest Hour, The Black Dahlia Murder, and Himsa. At the Gates are considered one of the Pioneering Swedish Metal Bands which includes bands such as In Flames, Dark Tranquility, Hypocrisy and Soilwork among others.

Alf Svensson formed Oxiplegatz after At the Gates released With Fear I Kiss the Burning Darkness with unused material he had written for At the Gates. When At the Gates broke up in 1996, drummer Adrian Erlandsson, bassist Jonas Björler and guitarist Anders Björler formed The Haunted while vocalist Tomas Lindberg bounced around between many groups including Skitsystem, Disfear, The Crown, Lock-Up, Nightrage and The Great Deceiver. Adrian Erlandsson left The Haunted to join UK black metal outfit Cradle of Filth later on.

In october 2007 the band announced that they will be reuniting for selected festivals in 2008.

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