Dark Tranquillity
Fiction (Promo)

THE REVIEW

Dark Tranquillity are perhaps the leading exponents of the current Melodic Death Metal scene. True to themselves, they have never followed trends, pursuing an impressive evolution, significantly changing their sound, but never their nature as bold experimenters, proving to be sublime musicians with a very personal style.

The evolution after the soft and dreamy "Haven" (2000), halted with "Damage Done" (2002); the first quite electronic, simple in execution but complex and intricate in listening, the second decidedly more violent and technical, yet more direct.

These two excellent albums were followed by "Character" (2005), which picked up the themes developed in the previous one, but this time the album, even if slightly stripped of the charm given by the keyboard backdrop, managed to push further beyond the limit. The melody perfectly melded with the violence, making the work solid, monolithic, and extremely engaging, even from an emotional perspective thanks to highly refined lyrics. It is in this episode that the emotional peak of Dark Tranquillity's entire career is found: the song "My Negation", one of the most beautiful metal songs of the last fifteen years. A gem that stands out from the rest of the album, a slower, more elaborate piece. Symphonic and melancholic.

Two years have passed, and the anticipation for the next work of the Swedish band is growing. The release is scheduled around April 20, but the promo of "Fiction" (the album title) comes into my hands, which, excluding the bonus tracks meant for special editions, should be 99% similar to the original album. The cover without that "dt" would certainly be better: sober, sparse, essential but effective. I hope a different choice will be made for the album's release since so far Dark Tranquillity, in terms of artwork (besides songwriting), have always done commendable things.

The much-anticipated change of direction is not there, "Fiction" is even more "bare" than its predecessor, so much so that Mikael Stanne and company, rather than short of ideas, seem to have so many that they can communicate wonderful sensations in such a simple way. Essential without resorting to excessive experimentalism, the opposite of "Projector" and "Haven", even if there is a resumption of elements common to both in certain episodes. The potential first single "Focus Shift" picks up where "Lost To Apathy" left off, and in many tracks, we find a continuity that transforms the album into a unique work. In addition to the use of blastbeats in some tracks ("Blind At Heart" is the most evident example), there are three other songs that take us back to atmospheres already experienced in the past:

"The Mundane And The Magic" takes us back to the historic Gothic-tinged duets where Stanne's growl and clean vocals were paired with sweet female voices. "Misery's Crown" brings back the Stanne of "Projector" with less charm but in excellent form. "Inside The Particle Storm" is the dark twin of "My Negation", a sulfurous air of a gray storm (under the "dt" of the cover, it is breathable in all its freshness).

Dark Tranquillity have taken the second part of their career and summarized it with a work that does not rise to masterpiece status, but which comes close to the difficult feat. An enviable continuity, a discography hard to match for variety and quality that renews itself from album to album. While others play with Metalcore (for better or worse), in Gothenburg there is still someone who can gift us, through music, poignant apocalyptic landscapes, foggy and decadent.

Ideal for channeling anger and post-romantic sentimentality.