Swedish melodic death metal pioneers At The Gates are preparing to release their new album “The Ghost Of A Future Dead” on April 24 via Century Media Records.

The record serves as a tribute to founding frontman Tomas Lindberg, who passed away in September 2025 after battling adenoid cystic carcinoma.

In an interview with Finland's Chaoszine, bassist Jonas Björler reflected on the emotional weight behind the album.

“It’s like with all the cancer diseases, it’s always a rollercoaster ride,” he said.

Lindberg’s final months were described as a devastating emotional rollercoaster by Jonas.

The band members were able to visit him in the hospital during his final days.

However, Lindberg was in a “really bad shape” and the situation took a turn for the worse.

Despite this, Lindberg remained determined to complete his vocal work for the album.

He managed to record all the vocal demos for the songs before undergoing surgery.

The vocal sessions were completed in late 2023 and early 2024.

Jonas stated that only a few tracks were unfinished when Tomas received the news about the severity of his illness.

The band chose to delay the release of the album, hoping Lindberg’s health might improve.

However, they could have released it one year ago as the album was fully mixed by June 2024.

Jonas emphasized that Lindberg remained hopeful throughout his battle.He was always positive about his chances of beating the cancer,” he said.

Musically, the album marks the return of guitarist Anders Björler and blends eras of the band’s storied career.

The band is still weighing its options for celebrating Lindberg’s life onstage.Yeah, we haven’t really discussed those things because we’re gonna release the album first and then we’ll see,” Jonas said.