At the Gates fans couldn’t be happier with the return of the band. The influential group had one hell of a 2015 as they headlined the Decibel Tour and now they’re kicking 2016 off with the massive 70,000 Tons of Metal Cruise. After the cruise, the band is staying in the States for a tour in support of their latest album At War With Reality. We had the opportunity to chat with At the Gates frontman (and middle school social studies teacher) Tomas Lindberg, who expressed his excitement about the upcoming cruise, tour dates and what he hopes the future holds for At the Gates. Check out the full interview below:

70,000 Tons of Metal is coming up soon, what are you looking forward to most about this cruise?

Well we’ve been on one, there was one called Barge to Hell a couple years back and that was awesome! I’ve always considered this one, 70,000 Tons of Metal, to be the real one, the big one, we’ve always heard about it, it’s one of those crazy things. Barge to Hell was actually quite mellow but I think the whole over the top thing with this one is what I’m looking forward to. There’s going to be a lot of good bands and sun which I haven’t seen for a long time here in Sweden. [Laughs] It’s minus-10 degrees Celsius right now. We’ll be in Jamaica, even if only for a half a day I can set foot on the land and say I’ve been there.

There are so many bands on this vessel – If you could be in any band on this cruise, besides At the Gates, which band would it be and why?

Oh that’s a tough one. [Laughs] The thing with this cruise is that it’s a big mix and I like that, it’s got diversity, it’s a little like the European festivals in a way. I really love Aura Noir, they’re a great band, we’re actually friends with them so it wouldn’t be the most crazy thing if I joined them. Krisiun from Brazil, I love them, that’s a great band. There are so many different bands, there are classic bands like Sodom but they wouldn’t be the same without Tom [Such] so what would I do there? [Laughs]

After the cruise, you’re on the road in the States and then you play bunch of festivals in Europe. For you what is the biggest difference between touring the states and Europe?

Europe for us, even though it’s a continent, it’s not so different from country to country. It’s almost like the U.S. where it’s one country in a way.  For us, touring Germany or Holland is not so exotic, it’s like Sweden and people are fantastic, it’s very well organized, European festivals are very diverse. Touring America, it’s like being in a film, I’ve been to the states probably about 20 times now but it’s still like going into a film when I go there. This time we’re going to hit the more Southern spectrum of the U.S., the places we didn’t go on the Decibel Tour last year.  Those are places At the Gates haven’t been so much, the last time we did a good tour down there was about 1996 so there’s a lot of people we haven’t met for a long time.

You’re touring in support of the latest album At War With Reality. With a year gone by since the album was released, how has the entire process of touring and playing these new song and old songs been for you?

It’s been amazing, we did this comeback and it’s been an amazing experience. When we have this new record with us and we’re playing the new songs, it feels more real, it’s a total new level almost like a new band. We wanted to be a contemporary band that matters again not just playing the old hits, being an At the Gates cover band. I believe we’ve never been so good than we are now, especially in a live situation. We’ve always taken it seriously but now, we’re here for a reason.

What does 2016 have in store for you and the rest of At the Gates?

Our idea right now is to tour this record until we feel that we’re done with it. At around September it will be two years since the record came out and then we’ll decide if we just want to play live or write a new record and what’s going to happen with the band after that period. We haven’t decided any of that, my guess is that two years is a good touring cycle and then we’ll see what everybody else wants to do. I’m anxious to write a new record but we all have to be on the same page, we’re a super democratic band. [Laughs] I feel it’s going to be an exciting year personally and as a band.

Our thanks to Tomas Lindberg of At the Gates. Be sure to pick up their latest album 'At War With Reality' here.

Watch the At The Gates Video for "The Night Eternal"

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