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Tomas Lindberg<\/a>, the lead singer of the Swedish death metal band At the Gates<\/a>, died \u201cthis morning following complications related to his ongoing cancer treatment,\u201d his bandmates wrote<\/a> on social media. \u201cYou were an inspiration to us all,\u201d they added. \u201cA true friend, both compassionate and sympathetic. You will always be remembered for your generosity and your creative spirit.\u201d Lindberg was 52 years old.<\/p>\n Born in Gothenburg, Sweden, Lindberg came up in the city\u2019s metal scene, trading tapes with fellow teenagers and designing the logo for Norwegian band Darkthrone. He adopted the pseudonym Goatspell upon joining his first band, Grotesque, who helped spearhead Gothenberg\u2019s emerging death metal scene in the late 1980s. He co-founded At the Gates in 1990, and the band\u2019s 1992 debut, The Red in the Sky Is Ours<\/em>, became a death metal landmark, twisting wiry melodies into the genre\u2019s backbone of piston riffs and bludgeoning rhythms.<\/p>\n In 1995, the band\u2019s fourth album in as many years, Slaughter of the Soul<\/em>, elevated At the Gates\u2019 status both at home\u2014alongside Stockholm compatriots like Entombed and Dismember\u2014and internationally, where fans were drawn in by Lindberg\u2019s surrealist, scream-along lyrics and the band\u2019s labyrinthine songwriting. Adulation and influence ensued, but At the Gates\u2019 whirlwind first phase was coming to an end. The band parted ways in 1996, primarily citing burnout, and Lindberg side-quested with an array of extreme-music voyagers including Lock Up, Disfear, Skitsystem, and the Great Deceiver.<\/p>\n At the Gates reunited for a tour in 2007 and embarked upon a second era as a studio band in 2014. They have since released three albums: At War With Reality<\/em><\/a>, To Drink From the Night Itself<\/em><\/a>, and The Nightmare of Being<\/em><\/a>. Lindberg remained a friendly presence in the heavy-music world and taught social studies in a Gothenberg middle school during respites from touring.<\/p>\n