After decades of absence from the melodic Death Metal scene, GATES OF ISHTAR is back in force with new music and many live shows already scheduled! The historic band from Lulea, Sweden, which defined the sound of melodic Death Metal in the mid 90s, announced their reunion and released some new material, causing great excitement among fans of the genre.
GATES OF ISHTAR was reunited last year for just one live show. The show has taken place in House of Metal Festival located in Umea, Sweden, on the 10th of November, 2023. After that, 2024 came up with more shows all over the world, so the band seems to be in a good shape, reunited and on fire!
In a recent interview, the members stated that the reunion is not just a nostalgic move, but a meaningful return with fresh ideas and passion for music. More specifically the mainman of the band, Mikael Sandorf reports:
“We are ready to bring back to life the ideas we had left on the sidelines and push the boundaries of our sound“.
The announcement of this reunion in 2024 is one of the biggest surprises in the modern Death Metal scene. The band members, including Mikael Sandorf (vocals) and Andreas Johansson (drums) are back with renewed energy to restart their musical career. In other news, the band announced the departure of Niklas Svensson, who was one of the founding members of the band. Markus Parkkila (Helltrain, Vengeance) has already taken his place on the bass!
The band’s official statement follows:
“With the utmost respect and love for our brother Niclas, we have come to the point in this band’s journey where he no longer has the time to fulfill his duties on bass, as he is also part of 2 other great bands with full ongoing touring and festival activities. Niclas has therefore decided to hand over the low-end mastery to our good friend and brother Markus Parkkila (Venegence, Helltrain, Devil’s Force). He has already joined us on stage at Symbolic festival and he is a true force of energy that fits the band perfectly both as an musician and on a personal level. This gives us the opportunity to continue our return to the stages giving you, our fans, the experience of our music in a live environment.
We can’t wait to see you all out there! Niclas sends greetings to you all!
Hail Ishtar!“
Although no official release date for the new album has been announced, GATES OF ISHTAR promise that fans will not be disappointed. This reunion is not limited to new material, as the band is also planning a tour of Europe and America to reconnect with fans after so many years. The band has already started writing and recording new material, which according to their statements will combine their classic melodic sound with more modern elements of production and experimentation. You can take a first sample of this new piece of music, at the video below:
GATES OF ISHTAR was formed in 1992 in Luleå, Sweden, at a time when melodic Death Metal was in its infancy. Their debut album, “A Bloodred Path” (1996), received positive reviews for its combined use of aggressive Death Metal elements with melodic riffs and atmospheric melodies, characteristics that became the hallmark of the Swedish sound. This was followed by the albums “The Dawn of Flames” (1997) and “At Dusk and Forever” (1998), which cemented their place in the international Metal scene.
However, despite their success, Gates of Ishtar disbanded in 1998 due to personal differences and other commitments of the members, leaving a void in the scene that was difficult to fill.
