Eistnaflug special: A mammoth AT THE GATES playlist to celebrate one of earth's greatest bands!

No beating around the bush here, but to me, At The Gates is one of the most important metal bands from the beginning of time. And for this there are so many reasons, I have so much "evidence" to argue this point. The Gothenburg group isn't merely amazingly good, but they are influential game changers. They captured a lighting in a bottle that never seems to go out or leave us alone. They just had that special something other bands can only dream of. This band is one of the pillars in metal's evolution, people. There's no fucking around or fucking with that.

Anyway, where was I? ... Yes. I'm seeing them for the first time at this year's - this week's in fact - Eistnaflug (website) metal and rock festival, life affirming, life celebrating' festival bonanza. It happens every year in a town called Neskaupstaður, that's situated seemingly as far away from the city as possible (a great bottle neck for weeding out assholes and jerks). But yeah, fuck it, I'm so excited to witness one of my favourite bands on my home fucking turf that I'm seeing things, there are dots and spots in my vision, there are atheist butterflies air-drumming in my belly. My sixteen year old cat just woke up right now and screamed "GO!" for fuck's sake! That's how deeps this band runs with me and him. And YOU, presumably.

If you're not a goddamn poser, hit this link and bask in the glory that is almost one and a half hour of grim, melodic, beautiful, darkened death metal glory. That's 23 songs, boys and girls. Five from each studio release (foregoing Gardens of Grief) as well as "rarities," your not-so-usual-suspects and live cuts. It's relentless, exhausting, rewarding and epic! Play the fuck of it to get even more juiced up about their set at Eistnaflug 2014. This is one for the history books, friends.

"It is our world It has been stolen from us, bastards!"