Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’ contains the line “I have to be cruel to be kind”. The self-contradiction there is known as a paradox. The biggest paradox in this life is sat reading this right now. You are a paradox. You know your time on Earth is limited yet it’s this mortality which stops you living. This notion powers At The Gates’ single ‘The Paradox’.
Pulled from upcoming album The Nightmare Of Being, ‘The Paradox’ takes atmospheric piano melodies and slams them into crushing riffs. Tomas Lindberg shouts of “futile monotonous lives”, drilling existential dread into us harder than previous single ‘Spectre Of Extinction’.
“Mankind is nothing but self-conscious flesh” hammers home the true insignificance of humanity in the grand scheme of things. As homosapiens, we strangely demand to know all the workings of the world. The unknown scares us, cripples us. The weight of this mystery bears down on us in the form of thick riffs and obliterating drums.
Sent into the “dreamless night”, the understated solo still packs a punch. Rippling melodies slow the death metal like the sands of time. Exposing our paradoxical nature, At The Gates treat us to weighty riffs at song’s end. Yet this gift comes with the caveat of being left with “pessimism and paradox”.
‘The Paradox’ is available now on all major streaming platforms. For the latest At The Gates news, including new releases and tour dates, visit their website or follow their social media linked below.
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