History
Formed as the oddly-named Septic Boiler, Dark Tranquillity is another band in the long list of acts which Century Media has plucked from other labels in its short history. Formed in the December of 1989 in Billdal Sweden and quickly changing monikers, the new name act released the singles Trial Of Life Decayed (Guttural Records) and A Moon Reflection (Germany's Exhumed Productions) which also saw a cassette release in Poland. When Fridden jumped over to the more successful In Flames, guitarist Stanne took over the vocal duties and was replaced on the strings by Johansson. The band's Spinefarm and Osmose periods are marked by melodic and speedy Gothenburg-style metal. No wonder given how the Swedes helped establish the style. The later albums show a band increasingly enamoured with electronics a la Depeche Mode. In 1995 the band released the MCD Of Chaos And Eternal Night on Spinefarm and further released the Enter Suicidal Angels MCD on Osmose. Sundin has written lyrics for In Flames and the band has toured with that band as well, as Arch Enemy, Children Of Bodom, etc. Released in the summer of 2002, Damage Done sees the band on a slightly heavier bent again. To support the album, the band toured with Nile in America and participated in many festivals in Europe. A Mexican and Colombian tour was cancelled in early 2003.
The Swedes released a DVD called Live Damage in the summer of 2003 featuring a concert taped late in 2002 in Poland.
The band set a North American release date of June 15th, 2004 for its rarities and compilation double CD Exposures: In Retrospect And Denial. The band signed a new worldwide recording contract with Century Media for three records in 2004. As a precursor to the band's album, Character, November brought a low-priced, four-song EP titled Lost To Apathy. The title track also served as Character's first single. The band's keyboardist Martin Brändström and Talisman guitarist Fredrik Akesson also toured with Tiamat. Bassist Michael Nicklasson left in the summer of 2008. The band intended to find a replacement and fulfill its scheduled shows. Michael Håkansson, formerly of Evergrey and Engel, played the bass on the Loud From The South festival in Holland. Michael had left Engel only a month prior.
Reviews
DARK TRANQUILLITY - DAMAGE DONE - CENTURY MEDIA
Now thirteen years of age, Gothenburg's Dark Tranquillity has certainly
earned its status within the metal scene. Having released a couple of
underground seven inch EPs and concurrently an album through Finland's
Spinefarm, the Swedes recamp to Osmose Productions and quickly gain in
popularity. Signed to Century Media, the band solidified its reputation
as
one of the originators of the Gothenburg sound and begins to
experiment.
Damage Done is the band's seventh album and the follow-up to the
meandering
Haven which was released in 2000. Past the abstract cover, the first
element
encountered is how the group has scaled back its Depeche Mode-isms as
heard
on Haven. The sound is more aggressive and the keyboards are set in the
background. A rare instrumental called Ex Nihilo is here which further
helps
the band distinguish the current album. Not unsurprisingly for Dark
Tranquillity, the new album is quite catchy and boosted by a powerful
production courtesy of long-time producer Fredrik Nordstrom. The
technical
niveau is quite high too and it is clear that the band is tight and the
members master their instruments. Having said that, given the presence
of
keyboards, will it be too late for a modicum of respectability or is
the
damage done? Seeing that Damage Done proves the band to not be
irrelevant
and harbour much potential, were the band to completely drop the
keyboards
they would be a cool band to listen to again.
DARK TRANQUILLITY - CHARACTER - CENTURY MEDIA
The latest Dark Tranquillity album, simply entitled Character, incorporates much that is both aggressive and fast. The vocals are aggressive and angry and the music - writers will note that the biography supplied by the label gets the band's line-up wrong - often serious about its razor sharp precision. It is obvious that beginning with its prior album, 2002's Damage Done, the Swedes drew a line in the sand beyond which they would not commercialize their output. Having said that, the band still maintains a keyboardist within its ranks and features electronic moments, samples and synthesizers. The first two songs, The New Build and Through Smudged Lenses, are aggressive and admirable, but beginning with Out Of Nothing the keyboards make the obligatory appearance. It is too bad. Elsewhere, Lost To Apathy is the band's melodic video, Dry Run is a strange mix of darkness and Helloween harmonies, Am I 1? is very melodic and the album's closing number My Negation is doomy and atmospheric.
Dark Tranquillity is not getting worse and is better than many of its contemporary countrymen, but Character is nowhere near the aggressive melodic metal opus it is hyped up to be. The keyboards keep the band back and separate this band from excellent bands like Kreator whose new album Enemy Of God is what this could have been. - Ali "The Metallian"
Interviews
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