Author: Rok Klemše
Artist: Dark Tranquillity
Label: Century Media
Release: 2007
A full eighteen years have passed since the champions of the Gothenburg sound got started, yet Dark Tranquillity still stand on the front line of Swedish melodic death metal, proudly carrying an unblemished, fluttering flag. Dark Tranquillity are counted in the same breath, along with At The Gates and In Flames, as the founders of melodic death metal, or Gothenburg metal if you like. At The Gates, sadly, are already sleeping with the fishes, In Flames veered off the path of the true Gothenburg sound long ago and fell into shameless trend-chasing, and Dark Tranquillity have finally, without a shadow of a doubt, taken their rightful place on the throne, picked up the scepter and put a well-deserved crown on their heads!
Fiction is only the band’s eighth studio album, which for some is a pretty small number for an eighteen-year career, but Dark Tranquillity really do put quality before quantity. From the debut Skydancer (1993) all the way to the previous album Character (2005), they’ve kept the quality of their output consistently high. Character was the record that represented the peak of the band’s evolution, but Fiction confirms that evolution is relatively endless. True, Fiction isn’t as big a departure from Character as the differences between albums were in the past, but Fiction is a blend of all the band’s highlights from Projector (1999) onward, spiced up with a new sound.
Fiction is a record packed to the brim with excellent melodies, frequent keyboard parts, lightning-fast riffing, infectious choruses and electronic touches. This is exactly where Dark Tranquillity have matured compared to Character, since Fiction is fuller both synthetically and organically, and so offers more variety between songs, which was the weak spot of Character. And yes, that makes Fiction even more complete than its predecessor.
The record is a balancing act between aggressive heavy/thrashy parts reminiscent of Character and the melodic, catchy side that only Dark Tranquillity are capable of writing. Fiction is an album that hooks you with the melodicism of the guitars and keyboards while also getting you headbanging to crushing riffs. The guitars are faster and sharper this time around, and the leads and solos seep into the songs in a truly incredible way. The drumming and bass playing don’t lag behind much either, though the bass sadly gets lost in the songs quite often. With the strong interplay of two guitars and keyboards you don’t miss it all that much, but after the excellent bass line that opens the record in Nothing To No One, I personally expected a similar follow-through.
Nothing To No One is thus an opener in the style of Character, and The Lesser Faith continues in a similar vein – excellent growl from Stanne, aggressive drumming with death metal blast beats, atmospheric keyboards and thrashy guitars with great melodic leads and fills. Terminus (Where Death is Most Alive) recalls Monochromatic Stains from Damage Done (2002). Next up is an excellent energy bomb in the form of Blind at Heart, with dynamic drumming, Dark Tranquillity harmonies and, once again, fantastic guitar patterns, which Niklas Sundin spices up with a great solo that even has a bit of shredding in it, not exactly typical for the Gothenburg sound. The record calms down with the melancholic, atmospheric mid-tempo number Icipher, which recalls Haven (2000). Inside the Particle Storm continues with the gothic atmosphere set up by Icipher. It’s in these and similar songs that all the beauty and emotion Dark Tranquillity carry themselves with shines through. Keyboardist Martin Brändström impresses this time with more “pianistic” parts that turn the music into an even more magical experience. The new wave electronic parts Martin handles also turn Dark Tranquillity’s guitar-driven, death metal rawness into a unique experience. If only In Flames had learned something from their godfathers. Empty Me injects some adrenaline again and recalls the melodic thrash sound of Character/Damage Done. With Misery’s Crown, Dark Tranquillity return to the Projector era, mainly thanks to the renewed use of Stanne’s clean vocals, which have only gotten better. Focus Shift was the first track released from the new album, and it’s an excellent modern melodeath song, so a good choice for a single. And finally, The Mundane and the Magic has a surprise waiting for us. In the slower closing section, a female vocalist joins Stanne, something that hasn’t happened since Projector, and she makes a lovely contrast to the brutal, raw growl.
With Fiction, Dark Tranquillity are empirical proof of Darwin’s theory of evolution. Survival of the fittest! Forget In Flames and their experiments with nu-metal and techno, forget the remains of At the Gates with the mediocre The Haunted. Here come Dark Tranquillity!
Lineup
Mikael Stanne – vocals
Martin Henriksson – guitar
Niklas Sundin – guitar
Michael Nicklasson – bass guitar
Martin Brändström – electronics
Anders Jivarp – drums
Production
Tue Madsen and Dark Tranquillity
Track list
1. Nothing To No One 04:10
2. The Lesser Faith 04:37
3. Terminus (Where Death Is Most Alive) 04:24
4. Blind At Heart 04:21
5. Icipher 04:39
6. Inside The Particle Storm 05:29
7. Empty Me 04:59
8. Misery�s Crown 04:14
9. Focus Shift 03:36
10. The Mundane And The Magic 05:17
