At The Gates, Municipal Waste and Thrown Into Exile at the UC Theatre in Berkeley

A balmy Friday evening in Berkeley California proved to be the perfect backdrop for a night of sweaty metal mayhem as At The Gates took over the UC Theatre along with Municipal Waste and Thrown Into Exile.

The Bay Area loves its metal so it was no surprise that the sold out crowd turned up early and got rowdy for LA’s Thrown Into Exile but things really kicked into high gear when Municipal Waste took the stage. Let’s face it, their unique brand of party-inspired metal is tough to resist and the pit quickly kicked into a frenzy as beltless frontman Tony Foresta did his best to keep his pants from falling down. Wrapping their 50 minute set with an invitation to crowd surfers and “Born to Party,” the ‘Waste’ proved why they’re always a tough act to follow.

After the Municipal Waste set the general admission floor clearly needed a breather as folks streamed to the lobby and the bar for some fresh air and hydration, a few folks seeming to consider a quick hop across town to catch Mordred’s set. But when At The Gates took the stage promptly at 10:15 pm there was no sign that a single person had opted out of what would prove to be a truly epic performance … indeed the floor in front of the stage was as packed as it had been all night.

If the promise of the return of Swedish death metal to the US wasn’t enough, At The Gates had plenty in store for the fans. Event with a new album The Nightmare of Being to celebrate, the bigger news was likely the band’s front-to-back performance of their classic 1995 release, Slaughter Of The Soul. But before breaking out Slaughter, ATG had some other work to do which included a dose of the new material and old.

Wasting no time after taking the stage, the band busted right into “Spectre of Extinction” before taking things back with “At War With Reality,” the smattering of old and new just a warm up for what was to come. Vocalist Tomas Lindberg’s signature roar cut through the crunch as the floor quickly opened up into a swirl of bodies while the length of the rail was punctuated by flying hair from all the headbanging. With hardly a break for the crowd to catch their breath, At The Gates proceeded to bust into Slaughter at which point the crowd dug deep for their second wind and things went sideways.

The show finally wrapped in a pool of sweat and spilled beer … always a good sign that a show was a success.

At The Gates