Dark Tranquillity
Enter Suicidal Angels

THE REVIEW

After the sonic-commercial success of the acclaimed "The Gallery", the Swedes from Gothenburg were faced with the difficult task of maintaining the same levels... an impossible feat according to the majority of industry insiders.
In my opinion, however, they managed to maintain the fantastic melodic touch of the previous album, while adding a greater dose of brutality and immediacy. And this "Enter Suicidal Angels" served as a tester for the following, and rockier than ever "The Mind's I".

In the four tracks present, the formula doesn't change but is enriched by the concreteness that in "The Gallery" was slightly set aside in favor of highly refined histrionic technicalities (Punish My Heaven, The Dividing Line). Perhaps that radiant royalty in the riffs and harmonies is missing, but the impact is favored, proving to be lethal.
"Zodijackyl Light" is an assault delivered by an almost Slayer-like riffing with more basic drumming and vocals privileging tones close to a very dark guttural (still always shrieky...). The central slowdown is excellent, and the melodies of the twin solos are sharp.
"Razorfever" is Maiden-esque in its soul but scratchy in its development (At the Gates again..). Stanne, a true gladiator of the microphone, rends and makes "suffer" conferring a ferocious fury to the piece while the guitar-drum battle creates sparks as usual. An elegant acoustic break and a winning solo close it.
The return to the sounds of the previous album is felt in "Shadowlit Facade" aided by intricate arrangements and the choice of leads of rare beauty. A track that allows you to dream sweetly but hits fiercely and abrasively in the accelerations. "Archetype" is a sound madness difficult to explain and place. Wild house-techno-trance loops chase each other, garnished with the singer's sampled screams. Really strange, it remains nonetheless a curious episode that will not be repeated or proposed so blatantly in the future.

In conclusion, a fine seven-inch where Dark Tranquillity demonstrated a greater dose of power and immediacy compared to the past, while standing out among the masses for their truly unique and brilliant harmony choices.