At the Gates have announced the return of founding guitarist Anders Björler following his 2017 departure from the band.
Björler, whose playing appears on every At the Gates album from 1992 to 2014, announced he was leaving the group in 2017 as "the passion is just gone." At the time, he shared that his exit was "a personal decision, and it has 100% to do with the music side of things."
Now, Björler shares in a statement, "It feels like coming home for sure. I have been missing the guys of course, but also playing the guitar, writing music and the artistic creativity in general. I've been watching from the sidelines for a number of years, and I've been very proud of what they have created in my absence. I am really looking forward to writing a new album and getting back to playing live shows again..."
Björler's first show back with the band will come in November at the UK's Damnation Festival, ahead of the band's European tour alongside fellow formative melodeath makers In Flames.
At the Gates are also wasting little time following their most recent album, 2021's The Nightmare of Being. Vocalist Tomas Lindberg added in a respective statement, "We are excited to tell you that we are already starting the work on the follow up ... with the same line up that wrote Terminal Spirit Disease, Slaughter of the Soul and At War with Reality ... It really feels like a second rebirth of the band, and we are looking forward to this new chapter!"
At the Gates announced the departure of guitarist Jonas Stålhammar this past July, ahead of celebrating Slaughter of the Soul on a North American tour.
Björler, whose playing appears on every At the Gates album from 1992 to 2014, announced he was leaving the group in 2017 as "the passion is just gone." At the time, he shared that his exit was "a personal decision, and it has 100% to do with the music side of things."
Now, Björler shares in a statement, "It feels like coming home for sure. I have been missing the guys of course, but also playing the guitar, writing music and the artistic creativity in general. I've been watching from the sidelines for a number of years, and I've been very proud of what they have created in my absence. I am really looking forward to writing a new album and getting back to playing live shows again..."
Björler's first show back with the band will come in November at the UK's Damnation Festival, ahead of the band's European tour alongside fellow formative melodeath makers In Flames.
At the Gates are also wasting little time following their most recent album, 2021's The Nightmare of Being. Vocalist Tomas Lindberg added in a respective statement, "We are excited to tell you that we are already starting the work on the follow up ... with the same line up that wrote Terminal Spirit Disease, Slaughter of the Soul and At War with Reality ... It really feels like a second rebirth of the band, and we are looking forward to this new chapter!"
At the Gates announced the departure of guitarist Jonas Stålhammar this past July, ahead of celebrating Slaughter of the Soul on a North American tour.
