At the Gates--Slaughter of the Soul

At the Gates--Slaughter of the Soul (1995) Rating--7.7

Melodic Death metal, which is an ever-increasing brand of music.
Excellent technical thrash to the extreme, much like Death, or more extreme Sepultura, Violence, Slayer, or early Iced Earth.
A magnificent distortion sound, coupled with spectacular musicianship, makes this band somewhat of an underground favorite among the thrash community. Very strong chords and riffs-- lots of notes are played instead of plain chords, which gives the music much more vitality. Still, thrash to the hilt. In fact, there are times some may argue that it is too much thrash, because in places an absolutely killer groove is established, only to have the double-bass drums bulldoze through and push the beat to a frenzied pace. However, many fans prefer the frantic to the groove, and At the Gates is one of the best.
Vocals are death, but not in the deep, "Am I belching or am I singing?" vein. More of a higher-pitched sound (close to Black, but not quite), and almost understandable in places. In other words, if you're totally adverse to the growl, there is a chance you can deal with this after a few listens. If anything, the music warrants you giving it a shot.
Let's start with the best: "World of Lies" features one of the all-time best headthrashing riffs, bar none. Beware the pits on this one, kiddies. It lowers on you like a doomsday guillotine and threatens to not let you back up...
Many other simply solid songs, with strong riffs and thrash sections throughout. "Blinded by Fear," "Cold," "Nausea," "Under a Serpent Sun," "Need," and the title song all fit under this distinction. "Suicide Nation" features a power intro chug before giving way to the speed.
HOT CHOPS: All of "World of Lies," but especially check out the mega-smash at 1:30--and then right back intro that main riff! Ooooo, man!
Also, some nice guitar work around the 3:00 mark of "Under a Serpent Sun," which continues through to the end of the song.
TRACK LIST: Blinded by Fear/Slaughter of the Soul/Cold/Under a Serpent Sun/Into the Dead Sky/Suicide Nation/World of Lies/ Unto Others/Nausea/Need/The Flames of the End.

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