Off The Upcoming Album The Nightmare Of Being, Out July 2nd

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Swedish melodic death metal pioneers AT THE GATES release their second single/video for “The Paradox”, which was directed by Patric Ullaeus/www.rEvolver.se (ARCH ENEMY, IN FLAMES, DIMMU BORGIR, etc.). Watch the music video on KNAC.COM HERE. The track is off their upcoming album The Nightmare Of Being, out July 2nd, 2021 via Century Media Records.

AT THE GATES vocalist Tomas Lindberg Redant states, "Humanity is the biggest paradox. We as humans always want justification for the big things: death, the meaning of life, etc. Our knowledge of being mortals drives us away from being human, hence the paradox. We invent defense mechanisms to protect us from the thought of death, religion, different –isms, etc.

This first time our producer Jens Bogren heard this song, he said “This is a monster!”. It touches on some core parts of the AT THE GATES sound, but builds further, on top of that, some classic NWOBHM/MERCYFUL FATE vibes thrown in for good measure. It is a death metal song, but has its progressive moments. Enjoy!

This was a very fun video to record, as we tried to create most of the “special effects” in an analog way, and not just to be added in the editing. Hence we were drenched in tons of crushed coal and soil, which took over a week and a lot of showers to get out of our hair, haha. We really wanted an oppressive, apocalyptic emotion for this video. And Patric Ullaeus, being the master that he is, went all the way to make that happen!"

Check out AT THE GATES’ previously released music video for the album’s opening track “Spectre of Extinction” on KNAC.COM HERE.

While main parts for The Nightmare Of Being were recorded in several different Swedish studios (drums at Studio Gröndal with Jens Bogren, guitars and bass with Andy La Rocque at Sonic Train Studio and vocals at Welfare Sounds with Per Stålberg), the album was mixed and mastered at Fascination Street Studios (AMON AMARTH, OPETH, KREATOR, etc.) by Jens Bogren, who previously worked with AT THE GATES on their 2014 comeback album At War With Reality. The album’s visual concept and album cover was developed by artist Eva Nahon.

The Nightmare Of Being Tracklisting:

• "Spectre of Extinction"
• "The Paradox"
• "The Nightmare of Being"
• "Garden of Cyrus"
• "Touched by the White Hands of Death"
• "The Fall into Time"
• "Cult of Salvation"
• "The Abstract Enthroned"
• "Cosmic Pessimism"
• "Eternal Winter of Reason"

The Nightmare Of Being is available in the following formats:

• Ltd. Deluxe Transparent Blood Red 2LP+3CD Artbook
• Ltd. 2CD Mediabook
• Standard CD Jewelcase
• Standard LP
• Digital Album

The album’s limited deluxe 2LP+3CD Artbook contains exclusive transparent blood red vinyl on 180g. and will include a 9-track live LP and CD as well as an exclusive instrumental version of the entire The Nightmare Of Being album as a bonus CD. Furthermore, it comes with an extended 32-page booklet, a double-sided A2 poster and 4 art prints. The album’s limited 2CD mediabook comes with an extended 32-page booklet and a 9-track live CD as bonus.

Tracklisting for the 9-track live LP:

• "Red" (King Crimson cover, Live at Roadburn)
• "The Scar" (Live at Roadburn)
• "Koyaanisqatsi" (Philip Glass cover, Live at Roadburn)
• "The Burning Darkness" (Live at Roadburn)
• "Daggers of Black Haze" (Live in Stockholm)
• "Death and the Labyrinth" (Live in San Francisco)
• "A Stare Bound in Stone" (Live in San Francisco)
• "Heroes and Tombs" (Live in San Francisco)
• "The Night Eternal" (Live in San Francisco)

The standard vinyl version of The Nightmare Of Being comes on 180g vinyl and with double-sided A2 poster. It will be available in the following vinyl color variants and limitations:

• Black LP – Unlimited
• Transparent Blue LP – 300x copies via CM Webshop and CM Distro Europe
• Bright Gold-Deep Blood Red Splattered LP – 500x copies via Amazon Germany
• Sky Blue – 300x copies via EMP
• White LP – 300x copies via Nuclear Blast
• Bright gold LP – 300x copies via Supreme Chaos
• Lilac – 300x copies via Napalm Records
• Silver LP – 300x copies via Bengans / Sweden
• Transparent Petrol Green – 300x copies via Eyesore Merch / UK
• Bone Colored LP – 500x copies via Indie Stores / CM USA
• Black Ice LP – 300x copies via CM Webshop USA
• Ultra Clear LP – 300x copies via Revolver USA
• Tan Colored LP – 300x copies via Decibel USA