There's no escaping from the fact that John Ricci has his name connected to EXCITER, so when he parted ways with the legendary Thrash band, no one could think he would start from scratch. That's right; Ricci is not trying to continue EXCITER under a different name, but decided to hit the 'reset' button by forming POWERRAGE. On the singing duties, there's Jacques Bélanger who was also part of EXCITER with three albums under his belt.

There are albums you look forward to diving into, and then there are albums you approach with mere hesitation; not because of the music itself, but because of the emotional weight they carry. This is one of those albums. I wasn’t really looking forward to hearing it. Not because this is the final AT THE GATES release, but because Tomas Lindberg recorded it knowing it would be his last. That realization alone reshapes the entire listening experience. It becomes impossible to separate the music from the circumstances surrounding it. In fact, they become part of the listening experience. Completed under devastating conditions, with Lindberg laying down his vocals just before undergoing critical surgery, “The Ghost Of A Future Dead” carries a sense of finality that feels too real. Even the title itself reads like a premonition, now frozen in time with an eerie clarity that is difficult to ignore.

What can trigger a musician's inspiration to start composing new music? It can come in different shapes and forms, though I’d imagine being commissioned to write music for a company ranks fairly low on that unofficial list. Still, whatever sparks creativity leads to the same result, new music, and that’s never something to complain about. Especially when the musician in question is Gus G. I’ve followed his solo work from the beginning, largely this format feels liberated from expectations. I love FIREWIND, but their signature sound can naturally impose certain boundaries. With that in mind, let’s see what “Steel Burner” has forged.

“Run to the Light...”