"At the Gates were always focused on the underground, and I think we still are," says frontman Tomas Lindberg as he gives Revolver a tour of Truckstop Alaska, his favorite DIY music venue in Gothenburg, Sweden. Having just dropped their first studio album in 19 years, the critically acclaimed At War With Reality, hype for Lindberg's melodic death metal band is at an all-time high. But despite this, the singer hasn't lost focus on what matters to him most: preserving a thriving underground scene.
"Truckstop Alaska has done the most for today's underground scene in Gothenburg," says Lindberg. "It's a collective, and stands for something. I've deejayed there a lot, and Martin [Larsson, At the Gates guitarist] books shows there. It's the only true underground place that is professionally operating in a proper sense. It really means a lot to people."
Here, Lindberg reveals the depths of his D.I.Y. lifestyle, his love of his day job and passion for carbo-loading on Brooklyn pizza.
FAVORITE JUDAS PRIEST RECORD
SIN AFTER SIN
"Sin After Sin is the perfect mix of the early, more proggy part of the Priest sound, and their more sharpened metal sound that was yet to come. A perfect example of proto-metal, if there ever was one."
FAVORITE SWEDISH BEER
OPPIGÅRDS THURBO DOUBLE IPA
"I like a good craft beer. I always have a good local craft beer on our riders. There's a lot of micro breweries in Sweden now, and one brand that I particularly like is Oppigårds Thurbo Double IPA. It's really good."
FAVORITE PLACE TO VISIT IN THE U.S.
NEW YORK CITY
"I've only been a tourist in the States one time. My son and I went to New York, and spent a week there. It was winter, and we had a hotel near Madison Square Garden. New York in the winter is really nice! I love touring the States, too, and New York was really good to us the last time we went there."
FAVORITE FOOD TO EAT IN THE U.S.
CARBS
"Right now I'm on a low-carb diet, so I probably couldn't eat anything in the States! [Laughs] But I love a really good Brooklyn pizza and a good diner with a rich breakfast. Mexican food is brilliant when you're on the West Coast. And there's a place in Salem, Massachusetts, called Red's Sandwich Shop. It's amazing. The Converge guys took us there and it's the shit."
FAVORITE DAY JOB
SCHOOL TEACHER
"During the period we weren't active as a band everyone did other projects. I went back to university to become a teacher. I really like reaching people and getting them open and interested to the idea of knowledge. I teach in the more socially and economically frustrated areas, basically the projects. In Sweden one of our main goals as teachers is to even out the differences in society, one school for all. That factor is very important to me."
FAVORITE PLACE TO BUY TRUCKER HATS
ONLINE
"[Laughs] I actually order them from a website. They have like fifty thousand designs you can choose from, or you can make your own, which is what I do. But I cannot remember the name of the site! Just search online for "Make your own trucker hat." That's what I did. They're brilliant. I could even get [At the Gates guitarist] Anders [Björler's] face on one if I wanted. [Laughs]"
FAVORITE HEAVY READING
WITOLD GOMBROWICZ
"There's plenty of heavy reading in my bookshelf! [Laughs] Right now it's the South American authors. Currently I'm reading the Polish immigrant Witold Gombrowicz. He lived in Argentina and his diaries are amazing."
FAVORITE LEISURE ACTIVITY
SOCCER AND HORSES
"There are two things I do when I don't want to think. First, I watch soccer, and my team is Aston Villa. Second, we have a horse in my family, and I hang around in the stable. It's a really mindful and peaceful place. Those are the two places where work and music can't touch me."
