Dark City 3: Vienna Collector's Edition

The shifting tempos, rhythms, and time signatures of Dark Tranquility's 1993 debut, Skydancer, limit the record's appeal, just as the inspired performances of challenging material offer promise for the Swedish death metal band's future. The only recording to feature vocalist Anders Fridén's throaty vocals, Skydancer also includes performances from original bandmembers Niklas Sundin and Mikael Stanne on guitar, Anders Jivarp on drums, and Martin Henriksson on bass. Jivarp has the most difficult task of setting the percussive tone for music that stutters and shakes constantly. Each player handles his assigned role with precision and the production is competent enough. The material is the only thing that holds this disc down…

Dark Horizon were born in the September 1996, as a power metal cover band. After several local live-exhibitions, in 1997 the band decided to write their own songs and began to create riffs and lyrics for a fantasy concept-album which contained eight songs. Four of these were recorded in May 1998 into the demo-tape “Legend in opera”, that received good reviews and approval from the specialized press…

Melodic death metal pioneers Dark Tranquillity, part of Gothenburg, Sweden's unholy trinity with In Flames and At the Gates, are the only one of those bands able to maintain anything like an original sonic identity, despite personnel changes and the evolution of recording technology. Moment is Dark Tranquillity's 12th studio album. Though its cover bears another stunning Niklas Sundin design, it is the band's first outing without him as lead guitarist. He has been replaced by veterans Johan Reinholdz (Nonexist, Andromeda) and Christopher Amott (Arch Enemy, Armageddon). The set was produced by keyboardist Martin Brändström, mixed by David Castillo and Jens Bogren, and mastered by the latter. Also compelling is the band's sense of economy here. Though 50-minutes long, none of the set's 12 tracks reaches the five-minute mark…

As one of the godfathers of the Gothenburg sound, you just can’t deny the impact that Dark Tranquillity had on the face of metal music when bursting onto the scene back in 1989. Some 27 years of service, 10 albums, and many imitators later, and the Swedes are still going strong as they unleash album number 11.
Despite founding member and main songwriter Martin Henriksson departing the fold earlier this year, it’s pretty much business as usual for Dark Tranquillity here as thrashy opener Encircled kicks things off in fine style and the likes of the storming Neutrality and The Pitiless go on to whip up a melodeath storm…

Intricacy, musicality, craftsmanship, and nuance are words that, back in 1989, were hardly ever used to describe death metal - a style so extreme, so ferocious, so intent on annoying parents at any cost that it seemed destined to self-destruct. But Dark Tranquillity and their expansive colleagues in Gothenburg, Sweden, refused to believe that death metal could not be musical, nuanced, and melodic, and that outlook continues to define them on Fiction. This rewarding CD was recorded in 2006 and released in 2007, the year that marked Dark Tranquillity's 18th anniversary. Perhaps 18 years isn't all that long compared to the Rolling Stones celebrating their 45th anniversary in 2007; nonetheless, 18 is an impressive number when one recalls all the naysayers who, in the late '80s, thought death metal would be long gone by the 21st century…

Always inspired, Dark Tranquility has reached yet another career milestone for the realm of melodic Swedish death metal. Gone are the rapid-paced melodies and controversial clean vocals of Michael Stanne - opting a return to his trademark snarling vocals, albeit noticeably toned down - enduring are the electronic elements and mid-tempo catchy song structures. In fact, all of Haven has a more polished subdued nature to it, the type that requires multiple listens to appreciate. Musically similar to Projector, the album is as ambiguous as the cover suggests. Rich electronic keyboard textures linger beneath each song, occasionally rising to crescendo and tastefully complimenting the melodic twin leads…