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Rating: Premise: some time ago, I came into possession of the promo version of "Fiction," the latest album by Dark Tranquillity, and I wrote a positive review about it. The work in question literally captured me, so much so that, months later, I still listen to it regularly. Total addiction.
This mini-review will thus complement the one written a few months ago, and consequently, the final score will represent the album in its entirety.
As usual, the band led by the amiable singer Mikael Stanne reserves some gems for non-European markets; in this case, we had to settle for the base version of the album, or the special edition with the black cover and extended booklet, while Japanese and Australian fans each got to enjoy an extra track. Nothing groundbreaking, but still two songs that make an already excellent work even more complete.
"A Closer End," reserved for the Japanese market, is a song in full "Damage Done" style. The keyboard plays a fundamental role; the simple piano notes intersect the rhythmic carpet of the two guitars characterized by stopped riffs. Mikael Stanne makes his entrance with his characteristically theatrical growl, then takes on the main role in the driving chorus. Everything fades into the middle section, where the melancholy of the clean guitars reigns, accompanied along the arpeggio by a cadenced bass and Martin Brändström's usual icy piano notes. The discourse resumes
with the distorted anger of the two six-strings followed by two consecutive solos from Niklas Sundin and Martin Henriksson, simple yet incisive. Stanne returns on the scene majestic as always, and the song concludes with the initial theme. So much intensity in just four minutes and ten seconds.
Instead destined for the Australian audience is the less significant "Winter Triangle." A small ditty lasting just over two minutes, trapped in an ambient atmosphere where the only performers are the two clean guitars and the keyboard that weaves the background texture. There's not even time to relax with the lightness of this piece, that unfortunately we are already
at the conclusion.
"Fiction" by Dark Tranquillity thus enters among the contenders for the title of best extreme release of the year. Even if stylistically different, it will be decidedly a fierce battle with "The Apostasy" by Behemoth. After their appearance at Gods Of Metal, where they had little time to express their potential, it will be interesting to see them at the Alcatraz in Milan on October 10th, together with Iced Earth. I highly recommend you not to miss it.
Score: 8.5
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