Dark Tranquillity – Character

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Century Media
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These days, death metal is pretty much the same and after years of listening to it over and over again it is rare that something actually catches my ear and makes me want to know more about the band and the music. Dark Tranquillity’s latest album Character achieves this. Having never heard of the band until I skimmed an article in one of the many (and mostly lacking) metal mags I thought little about them until I first heard and saw the video for their first single from Character which also happens to be the opening song.

Dark Tranquillity are a Swedish Death band who pioneered something now known as the “Gothenburg Sound”. Formed in the mid-1990’s the band started out playing mellow metal mixed with electronica but, since this caused little reaction by anyone, they stepped it up a little and progressed to thrash. Former In Flames singer Mikael Stanne heads this band and has a voice highly suited for this style of music. It is very intense, but understandable, which is a bit rare for death metal. His vocal styling should help someone making the transition to listening to death metal. The guitar work by both Martin Henriksson and Niklas Sundin is just shy of incredible. Michael Nicklasson’s bass playing ability isn’t as easily heard, what with the drums and keyboards on top of everything else but, when you actually try to hear it you can tell he is a vital part of this album and the overall sound. The drumming isn’t all standard double bass kicks, a common technique that, although cool, does get annoying with it’s repetitiveness, and you can thank Anders Jivap for that. And lastly adding just that touch of electronica that the band can’t completely stray away from is keyboard player Martin Brandstrom.

The opening track of this album is called The New Build. The very opening of the track is a bit clichéd but, once you get past the first few seconds, the bass line and vocals start and then the song literally takes off. Very tightly played, it has a bit of everything most metal fans would enjoy. Very heavy riffing work by both guitarists and the solo exchanges are quite nice. Not a lot of noticeable bass, but that really is nothing new and won’t upset anyone except bass players. The drumming is nice, tight, and uniform throughout the entire song. Played as it should be in my opinion. Stanne’s vocals while throaty and deep are done right. Not over the top and not so low you can’t hear them.

Through Smudged Lenses takes off musically where the opener left off. Possibly my favorite track from this album. With more attention being paid to the guitar work it makes it so easy to get into. The hooks in this song just seem to draw you in and bang your head while strumming the good old air guitar. Slamming drum beats that perfectly compliment the guitar work and further influence your head banging. Again the vocals are awesome and quite amazing for a Death Metal band.

The whole album is wonderfully done. Recording in three separate places for the different instruments doesn’t show at all. The album is seamless and if you didn’t read the liner notes you’d never know. Definitely one of the top five albums of the year and it is a must have. I’m not sure I can recommend this enough or speak of it any higher. Even if you are not a fan of death metal it is still one that should be given a serious listen because it doesn’t have the same old, worn out and tired feel of a death metal record.

“ very intense ”

Tracklist: The New Build / Through Smudged Lenses / Out Nothing / Endless Feed / Lost To Apathy / Mind Matters / One Thought / Dry Run / Am I 1? / Senses Tied / My Negation

Written by Mike Conrad
More: Albums, Black/Death Metal, Dark Tranquillity