Single Slam – A Stare Bound in Stone by At The Gates (To Drink From the Night Itself)

At the Gates have released the second single from their upcoming new album called To Drink From the Night Itself. The new track is called A Stare Bound in Stone and it is another old school sounding, heavy riff monster. The new album is due out on the 18th of May via Century Media.

A Stare Bound in Stone is the second track released from the new album by the Swedish melodic death metal overlords. It follows on from first release and title track, To Drink From the Night Itself. Aside from so far trying to set records with song and album title lengths, it is a really strong song, harking back to a raw and unpolished sound reminiscent of albums like Slaughter of the Soul. Check out our thoughts on here.

At the Gates are approaching 3 decades in the business, though with a decade off in the middle. The band consists of Tomas Lindberg on vocals with Adrian Erlandsson on drums. Jonas Bjorler is on the bass while rhythm guitars are in the hands of Martin Larsson while the only new member (after 1993) is lead guitarist Jonas Stalhammer. Stalhammer replaced Anders Bjorler in 2017.

A Stare Bound in Stone is just over 4 minutes long and is a heavy and raw sounding track. The band are definitely going for a more traditional production on this album. Both songs so far have the same sort of muddy, chugging sound. Unpolished perhaps? Considering this band pioneered the melodic death sound back in the 90’s and this is reminiscent of that sound, I think it is more a case of a band doing what they do rather then a dodgy mix.

A Stare Bound in Stone starts with a mid tempo riff and quick drumming. The riff is a real head banger and sucks you in from the off. Vocals are typical Lindberg, raspy and harsh and the tempo picks up when he starts growling through the verses. A catchy rhythm leads the chorus as it heads into a chunky spine snapping section. We get a solo but not really in the expected style of a high toned, melodic tune. Instead the melody is delivered distorted and more like an instrumental rhythm section. It is pretty cool and leads back into a final verse/chorus with Lindberg shouting over blazing drums, a thick bass line and banging riff.

A Stare Bound in Stone is another strong song from the death metal veterans showing they still have plenty to offer the modern metal scene. The raw and abrasive mix adds some real depth and character to the tracks out so far. It really does look like To Drink From the Night Itself is shaping up to be a cracking album.

Pick up A Stare Bound in Stone from all the usual streaming services like Apple Music and Spotify now. You can preorder a copy of the new album from Century Media here. You can also grab the single and the preorder, and more from the band, at the Amazon links below. Check out At The Gates on Facebook, Twitter and at their website for more information on them and the new album, as it is released.

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