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At the Gates
Slaughter of the Soul
Release Date: 1995 11 14
Label: Earache
Rating:

While "Blinded by Fear" begins Slaughter of the Soul with a screwy and interesting semi-industrial percussion loop, about 40 seconds in it becomes all light-speed crunch, riffs, and snarls, so those who never liked thrash in the first place aren't going to be convinced by the goings-on here. But for those for whom such stuff is like oxygen? It depends. Singer Tomas Lindberg actually steers away from the typical Cookie Monster growl in favor of a higher but equally strangled register, while his lyrics avoid bad fantasy poesy, at least for the most part, in favor of more existential crises. If nothing else, he has a good line in influences, with quotes from everyone from William Burroughs to the 13th Floor Elevators. As for his bandmates, nothing here sounds too different from what those who worshipped at the wells of Kill 'Em All and Reign in Blood would have created, but what they do they do quite well. The arrangements are tight and performances strong (guitarists Anders Bjorler and Martin Larsson clearly have practiced their riff action many a time), and the occasional extra touch like acoustic guitar or notable space in the production, holding back at points rather than just grinding things into the ground, never hurts. "Cold" is a good example of this, with a soft electric guitar break about two minutes in, while the instrumental "Into the Dead Sky" consists of nothing but similarly calm guitar and whooshing background noises. Sometimes the contrast can be a bit odd -- hearing Lindberg's howls against nothing but brief flamenco runs in "Unto Others" isn't the most typical of combinations! While Slaughter may not be the best album of its kind, it's definitely better than most, with its own character. Ned Raggett, All Music Guide

Tracks:
TitleComposerTime
1Blinded by FearBjorler, At the Gates, Bjorler, Lindberg3:12
2Slaughter of the SoulAt the Gates, Bjorler, Bjorler, Lindberg3:02
3ColdBjorler, Lindberg, Bjorler, At the Gates3:27
4Under a Serpent SunBjorler, Lindberg, At the Gates, Bjorler3:58
5Into the Dead SkyBjorler, Lindberg2:12
6Suicide NationAt the Gates, Bjorler, Lindberg, Bjorler3:35
7World of LiesLindberg, Bjorler, At the Gates, Larsson, Bjorler3:35
8Unto OthersBjorler, At the Gates, Lindberg, Bjorler3:11
9NauseaBjorler, At the Gates, Bjorler, Lindberg2:23
10NeedBjorler, Lindberg, Bjorler, At the Gates2:36
11Flames of the EndJohansson, Bjorler, Lindberg2:57

Other Releases:
Slaughter of the Soul [Import Bonus Tracks]
Release Date: 1995
Label: Import

Slaughter of the Soul [CD/DVD] [Limited Edition]
Release Date: 1995
Label: Earache

Slaughter of the Soul [Bonus Track]
Release Date: 1995
Label: Japanese Import

Slaughter of the Soul [Bonus DVD]
Release Date: 1995
Label: Earache

Slaughter of the Soul [Bonus CD]
Release Date: 1995
Label: Earache

Slaughter of the Soul [2002 Expanded]
Release Date: 1995
Label: Ear Kandy Records








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