At War with Reality

At War with Reality is the fifth studio album by Swedish death metal band At the Gates, released on 28 October 2014.^[1]^[2] It is the band's first album since Slaughter of the Soul (1995), marking the longest gap between two studio albums in their career, and their first release on Century Media Records.^[2] It is a concept album based on the literary genre of magic realism.^[3] At War with Reality received positive reviews from music critics, and music videos were released for "Death and the Labyrinth" and "Heroes and Tombs".

Background

After breaking up in 1996, At the Gates announced on October 18, 2007 that they would reunite for several reunion shows in the summer of 2008.^[4] Throughout July 2008, they toured the US and Canada on what was dubbed the "Suicidal Final Tour", and the last date of the tour took place in Athens, Greece, with guest The Ocean on September 21, 2008. Despite playing a handful of successful reunion shows, members of At the Gates stated that they would not record a new album,^[5] suggesting that it would be "pointless to release something more than ten years after Slaughter of the Soul."^[6]

After a two year hiatus, At the Gates announced their second reunion in December 2010, and that they would do a "limited run of select shows" in 2011. They also announced that they would "stick to the initial promise of not making any more music."^[7] Asked in October 2012 about the possibility of new At the Gates material, frontman Tomas Lindberg replied, "Well, basically, I've learned never to say never. We said we'd never do any more shows whatsoever and now we're doing shows [again]. 2008 was the last tour we were going to do and now we are doing more [shows]. I learned not to say never you know."^[8]

On January 21, 2014, At the Gates released a distorted video on YouTube showing lines of lyrics on it, followed by text saying "2014", possibly hinting toward possible lyrics for an upcoming album. Six days later, the band revealed on Facebook via a new cover photo and profile picture, that they had signed to Century Media Records, and would begin recording their fifth album At War with Reality in June/July for a tentative October/November 2014 release.^[2]

On August 14, the band announced they had completed the album, and that it would be released on October 28.^[1]

In a November 2014 interview, Lindberg was asked whether At War with Reality is At the Gates' final album or the band will continue recording. His response was, "We can't say really. We have no plans of stopping but we've broken promises before so it's best not to say anything."^[9]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Alternative Press	^[10]
Blabbermouth	^[11]
Exclaim!	10/10^[12]
MetalSucks	^[13]
Pitchfork Media	6.9/10^[14]
Punknews.org	^[15]
Rock Sound	8/10^[16]
Sputnikmusic	2.5/5^[17]
Wondering Sound	^[18]

Reviews for At War with Reality have been mostly positive. Ray Van Horn, Jr. of Blabbermouth.net rated the album eight-and-a-half stars out of ten, and called it "probably the most anticipated metal album" of 2014. He finished his review by saying that "At the Gates make mincemeat out of this album and efficiently plot most of their songs to wrap in far less time than their acolytes. The average song on At War with Reality clocks in between two-and-a-half and four minutes, yet all feel like far more has transcended. That's something special. Inadvertently and unfairly credited for the ascension of metalcore, At the Gates releases a demonstrative comeback album that's simply metal, forget the 'core-rellations."^[11]

At War with Reality was At the Gates' first album to chart in multiple countries. The album peaked at number three on the Swedish chart Sverigetopplistan,^[19] and reached number 53 on the Billboard 200.^[20]

Track Listing

All lyrics written by Tomas Lindberg except where noted, all music composed by Anders Björler and Jonas Björler.

No.	Title	Lyrics	Length
1.	"El Altar del Dios Desconocido" ("The Altar of the Unknown God")	Ernesto Sabato	1:06
2.	"Death and the Labyrinth"		2:33
3.	"At War with Reality"		3:09
4.	"The Circular Ruins"		4:28
5.	"Heroes and Tombs"		3:59
6.	"The Conspiracy of the Blind"		3:19
7.	"Order from Chaos"		3:26
8.	"The Book of Sand (The Abomination)"		4:28
9.	"The Head of the Hydra"		3:38
10.	"City of Mirrors" (instrumental)		2:06
11.	"Eater of Gods"		3:51
12.	"Upon Pillars of Dust"		2:39
13.	"The Night Eternal"		5:37
Total length:			44:16

Mediabook and Digipak
No.	Title	Length
14.	"Language of the Dead"	4:09
15.	"The Skin of a Fire"	4:14

Limited Edition
No.	Title	Length
1.	"El Altar del Dios Desconocido" ("The Altar of the Unknown God")	1:06
2.	"Death and the Labyrinth"	2:33
3.	"At War with Reality"	3:09
4.	"The Circular Ruins"	4:28
5.	"Heroes and Tombs"	3:59
6.	"The Conspiracy of the Blind"	3:19
7.	"Order from Chaos"	3:26
8.	"The Book of Sand (The Abomination)"	4:28
9.	"Language of the Dead" (Bonus track)	4:10
10.	"The Skin of a Fire" (Bonus track)	4:14
11.	"The Head of the Hydra"	3:38
12.	"City of Mirrors" (instrumental)	2:06
13.	"Eater of Gods"	3:51
14.	"Upon Pillars of Dust"	2:39
15.	"The Night Eternal"	5:37
Total length:		52:38

Japan Edition Track listing
No.	Title	Length
1.	"El Altar del Dios Desconocido" ("The Altar of the Unknown God")	1:06
2.	"Death and the Labyrinth"	2:33
3.	"At War with Reality"	3:09
4.	"The Circular Ruins"	4:28
5.	"Heroes and Tombs"	3:59
6.	"The Conspiracy of the Blind"	3:19
7.	"Order from Chaos"	3:26
8.	"The Book of Sand (The Abomination)"	4:28
9.	"Language of the Dead" (Bonus track)	4:10
10.	"The Skin of a Fire" (Bonus track)	4:14
11.	"The Head of the Hydra"	3:38
12.	"City of Mirrors" (instrumental)	2:06
13.	"Eater of Gods"	3:51
14.	"Re-Animation" (Bonus track, Sacrifice cover)	3:38
15.	"Upon Pillars of Dust"	2:39
16.	"The Night Eternal"	5:37
Total length:		56:16

Artbook edition disc 2 - Bonus audio tracks
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Language of the Dead"	4:09
2.	"The Skin of a Fire"	4:14
3.	"Re-Animation" (Sacrifice cover)	3:38
4.	"Eater of Gods" (demo)	3:49
Total length:		15:50

Vinyl / Cassette

Side A
No.	Title	Length
1.	"El Altar del Dios Desconocido" ("The Altar of the Unknown God")	1:06
2.	"Death and the Labyrinth"	2:33
3.	"At War with Reality"	3:09
4.	"The Circular Ruins"	4:28
5.	"Heroes and Tombs"	3:59
6.	"The Conspiracy of the Blind"	3:19
7.	"Order from Chaos"	3:26

Side B
No.	Title	Length
8.	"The Book of Sand (The Abomination)"	4:28
9.	"The Head of the Hydra"	3:38
10.	"City of Mirrors" (instrumental)	2:06
11.	"Eater of Gods"	3:51
12.	"Upon Pillars of Dust"	2:39
13.	"The Night Eternal"	5:37

Double Disc

Side A, Disc 1
No.	Title	Length
1.	"El Altar del Dios Desconocido" ("The Altar of the Unknown God")	1:06
2.	"Death and the Labyrinth"	2:33
3.	"At War with Reality"	3:09
4.	"The Circular Ruins"	4:28

Side B, Disc 1
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Heroes and Tombs"	3:59
2.	"The Conspiracy of the Blind"	3:19
3.	"Order from Chaos"	3:26
Total length:		21:55

Side A, Disc 2
No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Head of the Hydra"	3:38
3.	"City of Mirrors" (instrumental)	2:06

Side B, Disc 2
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Eater of Gods"	3:51
2.	"Upon Pillars of Dust"	2:39
3.	"The Night Eternal"	5:37
Total length:		22:21

Formats

Jewel Case CD (20 pages Booklet)
Ltd. Mediabook CD (40 pages booklet, 2 bonus tracks & patch, CM Europe)
Digipak CD (20 pages booklet, 2 bonustracks & patch, CM USA)
Ltd. 3-Disc Artbook (48 pages booklet, 4 bonus tracks, 5.1 surround mix DVD & patch) / Limited to 3,000 copies
Cassette (Limited to 500 copies)
Digital Download
2×10” Boxset (20 pages booklet & poster) / Limited to 1,000x copies worldwide from CM Distro
12″ Gatefold 180gr LP (20 pages booklet & poster)

The 12” LP format coloured vinyl editions

Black (Unlimited)
Transparent Red (Limited to 300x copies from CM Webshop Europe)
Dark Green (Limited to 500x copies from CM Distro Europe)
Clear (Limited to 500x copies for Sweden originally, but was distributed all over EU)
Solid Red (Limited to 500x copies for Sweden)
Lilac Marble (Limited to 100x copies from CM Distro USA) (*SOLD OUT)
Blue Marble (Limited to 200x copies from CM Distro USA) (*SOLD OUT)
Magenta Marble (Limited to 200x copies from CM Distro USA) (*SOLD OUT)
Ash Grey Marble (Limited to 500x copies from CM Distro USA)
Silver (Limited to 400x copies from CM USA)
Gold (Limited to 1,500x copies from CM USA)
White (Limited to 100x copies, exclusive MDF edition in the USA)

Personnel

At the Gates

Tomas Lindberg – vocals, lyrics (except on "El Altar del Dios Desconocido")
Anders Björler – guitar
Martin Larsson – guitar
Jonas Björler – bass
Adrian Erlandsson – drums

Additional Personnel

Costin Chioreanu – artwork, design
MK – mastering
Jens Bogren – mastering and mixing (at Fascination Street Studios in Örebro)
Charlie Storm – mixing
Fredrik Nordström – recording, engineering
Henrik Udd – recording, engineering
Johan Henriksson – recording, editing

Personnel on "El Altar del Dios Desconocido"

Anton Reisenegger – guest spoken word
Danny Biggin – recording
Ernesto Sabato – lyrics

Charts

Chart (2014-2015)	Peak position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)^[21]	39
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)^[22]	78
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)^[23]	162
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)^[24]	15
French Albums (SNEP)^[25]	175
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[26]	25
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)^[19]	3
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[27]	51
US Billboard 200^[20]	53
US Independent Albums (Billboard)^[28]	10
US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)^[29]	4
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)^[30]	9
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)^[31]	11

References

↑ 1.0 1.1 "AT THE GATES Completes Work On 'At War With Reality'; Release Date Announced". Blabbermouth.net. 2014-08-14. Retrieved 2014-08-14.
↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "At The Gates Announces New Studio Album, Label Home". Blabbermouth.net. 2014-01-27. Retrieved 2014-01-27.
↑ http://www.centurymedia.com/newsdetailed.aspx?IdNews=14763&IdCompany=3
↑ "It's Official: At The Gates To Reunite For Select Shows". Blabbermouth.net. 2007-10-18. Retrieved 2014-01-27.
↑ "At The Gates Frontman Discusses Reunion, Touring Plans". Blabbermouth.net. 2007-10-30. Retrieved 2014-01-27.
↑ "At The Gates Oct/Nov Australian Tour". restassuredzine.com. Retrieved 2014-01-27.
↑ "At The Gates Confirmed For Sweden's Meltdown Festival". Blabbermouth.net. 2010-12-06. Retrieved 2014-01-27.
↑ "At The Gates Frontman On Possibility Of New Studio Album: 'I've Learned Never To Say Never'". Blabbermouth.net. 2012-10-15. Retrieved 2014-01-27.
↑ "Interview With At The Gates Vocalist Tomas Lindberg". Metalunderground.com. 2014-11-18. Retrieved 2014-11-23.
↑ Pratt, Greg (7 November 2014). "At The Gates – At War With Reality". Alternative Press. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
↑ 11.0 11.1 "CD Reviews: At War with Reality". Retrieved October 30, 2014.
↑ "'At War With Reality' Review". Retrieved October 24, 2014.
↑ Rosenberg, Axl. "At the Gates’ At War with Reality is Mercilessly Addictive". Retrieved October 12, 2014.
↑ Heller, Jason (3 December 2014). "At the Gates: At War With Reality". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
↑ thepopeofchili-town (18 November 2014). "At The Gates – At War with Reality". Punknews.org. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
↑ Sayce, Rob (20 October 2014). "At The Gates – At War With Reality". Rock Sound. Freeway Press Inc. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
↑ Thomas, Adam (28 October 2014). "Reiew: At the Gates – At War with Reality". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
↑ Wiederhorn, Jon (28 October 2014). "At the Gates, At War With Reality". Wondering Sound. eMusic. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
↑ 19.0 19.1 "At The Gates – At War With Reality". Swedishcharts.com. Hung Medien.
↑ 20.0 20.1 Illegal name entered At The Gates/At+The+Gates/chart?f=305 "At The Gates Album & Song Chart History" Billboard 200 for At The Gates.
↑ "At The Gates – At War With Reality" (in German). Austriancharts.at. Hung Medien.
↑ "At The Gates – At War With Reality" (in Dutch). Ultratop.be. Hung Medien.
↑ "At The Gates – At War With Reality" (in French). Ultratop.be. Hung Medien.
↑ "At The Gates: At War With Reality" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
↑ "At The Gates – At War With Reality". Lescharts.com. Hung Medien.
↑ "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH.
↑ "At The Gates – At War With Reality". Swisscharts.com. Hung Medien.
↑ "Illegal name entered At The Gates/At+The+Gates/chart?f=326 At The Gates Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Independent Albums for At The Gates.
↑ "Illegal name entered At The Gates/At+The+Gates/chart?f=795 At The Gates Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Top Hard Rock Albums for At The Gates.
↑ "Illegal name entered At The Gates/At+The+Gates/chart?f=408 At The Gates Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Top Rock Albums for At The Gates.
↑ "Illegal name entered At The Gates/At+The+Gates/chart?f=407 At The Gates Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Top Tastemaker Albums for At The Gates.

At the Gates

Tomas Lindberg Anders Björler Jonas Björler Martin Larsson Adrian Erlandsson Alf Svensson Tony Andersson

Studio albums	The Red in the Sky Is Ours (1992) With Fear I Kiss the Burning Darkness (1993) Terminal Spirit Disease (1994) Slaughter of the Soul (1995) At War with Reality (2014)

EPs/split releases	Gardens of Grief (1991) Cursed to Tour (1996)

Other releases	Suicidal Final Art (2001) Purgatory Unleashed – Live at Wacken (2008) The Flames of the End (2010)

Related articles	Cradle of Filth The Crown Disfear The Great Deceiver Grotesque The Haunted Lock Up Nightrage Skitsystem