Swedish melodic loss of life steel pioneers At The Gates are getting ready to launch The Ghost Of A Future Useless on April 24 through Century Media Information, and bassist Jonas Björler has now mirrored on the emotional weight behind the album.
The report serves as a tribute to founding frontman Tomas Lindberg, who handed away in September 2025 after battling adenoid cystic carcinoma, a uncommon oral most cancers he was identified with in December 2023.
Chatting with Finland’s Chaoszine, Jonas described Tomas‘s ultimate months as a devastating emotional rollercoaster. “It is like with all of the most cancers ailments, it is all the time a rollercoaster experience. It is optimistic information and it is dangerous information. And we acquired optimistic information each different week and we acquired unfavourable information each different week.
“So it was [up and down]. So it is actually unsettling… The final month, from mid-August [2025] to mid-September [2025], the scenario was actually dangerous, as a result of he had huge infections and stuff like that, so that they could not actually deal with it. So we form of knew that it was going within the flawed path, for positive.”
Many of the band — besides drummer Adrian Erlandsson, who resides within the U.Ok. — had been capable of go to Lindberg within the hospital throughout his ultimate days. “However he was in a very, actually dangerous form. It was actually powerful.”
Regardless of the severity of his situation — together with a significant surgical procedure that eliminated a big portion of the roof of his mouth and later radiation remedy — Lindberg remained decided to finish his vocal work for The Ghost Of A Future Useless.
“We entered the studio and began recording the music when Tomas truly had his first surgical procedure. And he managed to sing all of the vocal demos for all of the songs. So that is what we used for the album… He did good variations or good takes in a studio in Gothenburg earlier than the surgical procedure.”
These vocal periods had been accomplished in late 2023 and early 2024, simply earlier than the band started recording in February 2024. In accordance with Jonas, just a few tracks had been unfinished when Tomas acquired the devastating information concerning the severity of his sickness.
“The one factor that wasn’t completed when he acquired the horrible information, it was lacking three or 4 songs that [weren’t] recorded but. So he simply went to the studio and did it earlier than the surgical procedure, as a result of he knew that was a really invasive surgical procedure; they took half the jaw away. So he knew he could not sing or would have issues singing.”
Although the album was absolutely blended by June 2024, the band selected to delay its launch, hoping Lindberg‘s well being may enhance.
“All of us need it to get out now, I feel, so folks can hear it… I do know Tomas was happy with it and wished it to be launched. So we simply waited in case his scenario would enhance. In order that’s why we waited. However we may have launched it one 12 months in the past. It was absolutely blended in 2024, in June, it was already completed, the whole lot. So it has been there for one and a half years, all completed… I heard [the songs] for thus lengthy now, [they are] feeling form of outdated to me. But it surely’s gonna be good to listen to folks’s response to it.”
Jonas emphasised that Lindberg remained hopeful all through his battle. “He was all the time optimistic about his probabilities of beating the most cancers. And all of us had been. That is the one probability to outlive it, I feel, or get via it.”
Musically, the album marks the return of guitarist Anders Björler and blends eras of the band’s storied profession. “In the event you like At Struggle With Actuality, you’ll like the brand new one, I feel. There is a combination of Slaughter Of The Soul, At Struggle With Actuality and a few progressive components of the final two.”
As for celebrating Lindberg‘s life onstage, the band remains to be weighing its choices. “Yeah, we’ve not actually mentioned these issues as a result of we’re gonna launch the album first after which we’ll see. Possibly some reveals to have fun him or one thing, however we’re not positive about something proper now.”
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