 | Tracklist:
1. Nothing to No One
2. The Lesser Faith
3. Terminus (Where Death is Most Alive)
4. Blind at Heart
5. Icipher
6. Inside the Particle Storm
7. Empty Me
8. Misery's Crown
9. Focus Shift
10. The Mundane and the Magic
| Ranking: #56 for 2007 | |
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On 85 Lists
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| Summary: Dark Tranquillity continues their legendary career with their best album in over 10 years... |
7 of 7 thought this review was well written
From behind a wall of silence, a low, monotone bass line comes into play. Striking a simple riff as the drums thunder behind it, the twin electric guitars sweep in over the still raging bass and drums. Seemingly all this chaos becomes one, becomes a thrashing, head banging riff fest. The raspy, harsh vocals rip their way through the instruments before a bone cracking break in the instruments gives way to more harsh screams. Slowly and heavily, the guitars, bass and drums pummel the listener, then go silent, then pummel you again. No way can this be real; no way can a band which has been putting out consistently excellent material for over 18 years still be able to write such jaw-dropping material as this. It could be real, it could be a dream.
No, this is not a dream. Nor is this real. This, my friends, is Fiction.
As a band which needs little or no introduction, Dark Tranquillity continue to re-write the book of Melodic Death Metal, constantly bringing the genre to new heights and adding more and more original (not to mention amazing) touches to Metal as a whole. I mean really, these guys went from shoving riff after riff of melodic glory down the listener’s throat (The Gallery, The Mind’s I) to going completely off track and throwing in electronics and keyboards (Haven, Damage Done, Character) to even putting in some deep, emotional clean vocals (Projector). Dark Tranquillity touch every possible human emotion you can think of. From hatred and sadness to glory and love, from depression and anxiety to redemption and vengeance, Dark Tranquillity convey it all, sometimes wrapping all those up into one single song. Their influence is felt everywhere, from Metalcore to Black Metal, the void which Dark Tranquillity has filled has erupted into worldwide recognition and success.
We’re not here to dwell on the past, though. The time is now, and in 2007 Dark Tranquillity have released their astonishing 8th full length album full of Melodic Death greatness. I can think of maybe a handful of bands which have put out 7 or more albums which live up to their hype and show the exact same level of musicianship and thoughtfulness. Every singly aspect of Fiction is full of a certain tasteful, modern, yet heavy sense which conveys to the listener that Dark Tranquillity is certainly not here to release the same thing over and over again, but to continue to push the boundaries on what a band can do for the genre throughout their careers.
In Fiction, Dark Tranquillity take a little bit of everything from their previous albums and combine them into one epic album. They took the rawness of Skydancer, the melodies of The Gallery, the dark atmosphere and female vocals of The Mind’s I, the clean vocals of Projector, the electronics and keyboards of Haven, the fast pace of Damage Done, and the innovation of Character and sort of fuse it together into something recognizable, but also something certainly different and innovative. Each song displays their individual qualities and certain aspects taken from their different albums. The opener “Nothing To No One” sound like a tune off of Damage Done, the ballad-like “Misery’s Crown” sounds like a piece off of Projector, the furious and melodic “Focus Shift” is like something off of Character, and the slow, depressing “The Mundane And The Magic” is like a track off of The Gallery. Not to mention the underrated “Empty Me”, which sounds straight off of The Mind’s I. It’s really all there waiting for you if you listen for it.
Instrumentally, this album is solid as a rock. The guitars, as always, bring some insanely catchy melodies without giving up on the overall heaviness of this album. Fiction is probably one of Dark Tranquillity’s heavier albums, because every songs sneaks in those oppressive, crushing guitar riffs amidst the ambiance of the keyboards and the surprisingly good bass guitar. A perfect example is the opening to “Nothing To No One”, which was described in my first paragraph. This, along with the melodies in “Focus Shift”, “The Mundane And The Magic”, “Terminus (Where Death Is Most Alive)” and “Empty Me” let you know that Dark Tranquillity definitely have plenty of ideas left in their heads. The drumming compliments the bass and the heavy guitar lines and the simply stunning vocals, slamming away at full speed and with terminal intensity in nearly every single song on this album.
Another staple of the new Dark Tranquillity sound is the stunning use of keyboards and electronics to enhance the atmosphere that the guitars and the vocals create. Whether it’s straight-up classical piano like in “Empty Me” or ambient sounds and electronic keyboards as in the fantastic closer “The Mundane And The Magic”, the keyboards and electronics of Martin Brandstrom add a third dimension to the sound of Melodic Death Metal, with Dark Tranquillity being some of the forerunners of keyboard use in Death Metal.
Vocally, this album is simply flawless. Mikael Stanne is simply one of the best Metal vocalists ever to live. His voice is so emotional and has such a wide variance of tones and emotions it is mind-boggling. Here, he uses his voice to its fullest potential, and you’ll realize that when you hear it gasping over a depressing piano line at the end of “Empty Me” or during the verses and chorus of the “The Mundane And The Magic”, “Focus Shift”, or “Terminus (Where Death Is Most Alive)”. Also bringing back memories from past albums is Stanne’s very unique, and very deep, clean voice. Used toward the end of the album, it adds immeasurable amounts of emotion and meaning to “Misery’s Crown” and “The Mundane And The Magic”. On the closer, Dark Tranquillity bring back one of my favorite aspects of their sound: Female Vocals. Remember “…Of Melancholy Burning” and “Insanity’s Crescendo”? Well, the icing on the cake of those two masterpieces is back. Those ominous female vocals play a main part on the chorus of that song, something I hope Dark Tranquillity continues to do.
So, with this album my respect and admiration of this band simply climbs to new heights. I mean, seriously, this band has thought of unique songs, lyrics, and riffs for 18 years now. These six gentlemen from Gothenburg, Sweden have a serious gift; they write some of the best material in the Metal world. And yet again, with another immaculate and damn near perfect album, the crushing leviathan that is Dark Tranquillity shows no sign of slowing down.
Pros
+ Fantastic Vocals
+ Innovation, Innovation, Innovation
+ Surprisingly Good Bass
+ Perfect Guitar Work
+ Immaculate Songwriting Skill
+ A Blend Of All Their Previous Albums
Cons
- Only 45 Minutes
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| Recent reviews by this author | | | |
Album Rating: 4
I thought Character was better than this...
Digging: Spawn of Possession - Cabinet | | | Album Rating: 4
It is impossible to compare Character or Fiction being the better of the two. Both are equally as excellent and have their own strong moments that set themselves apart from one another. Tie between the two in my opinion. Another great review, I'll review Character when I rebuy it and give it a couple more listens, a bit rusty.
Digging: Isis - Oceanic | | | Album Rating: 4
Except that Character was done before this, making it much less repetitive.
| | | Album Rating: 4
Dont know if it's just me but I thought Character was more atmosphere based and had less impact from the guitars whereas Fiction somewhat divided it up between the guitars and keyboards giving Fiction a heavier edge that Character lacked. Still, both great albums.
| | | Album Rating: 4
My favourite DT album, simply amazing.
Oh, the review wasn't bad either ;)
Digging: World's End Girlfriend - The Lie Lay Land | | |
Character was the best album ever released in the Gothenburg scene. Fiction was not. Granted, it's still good, but it doesn't touch Character.
I've been listening to Inside The Particle Storm more and more lately, and that is an absolutely fantastic song. Bitchin' atmospheres and a crushing main riff make it one of the best songs on here. I've also come to the conclusion that the drum tone on this album (bass drum not included) is absolutely fantastic.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off
This is loads better than Character. It's like a much better version of it.
Good review, although I'm not certain why bold-"ing" the band name was necessary.
Digging: Dropkick Murphys - Blackout | | | Album Rating: 3.5
[quote=Crysis]No, this is not a dream. Nor is this real. This, my friends, is Fiction.[/quote]
Talk about the best ending to an intro. Pretty nasty review.
Make sure you check out my latest list for some stuff I know you'll love.
Digging: IXXI - Elect Darkness | | | Album Rating: 4.5
although I'm not certain why bold-"ing" the band name was necessary.
I was thinking the same thing, it didn't look to good, so I changed it.
And thanks ZooYorker, I'll look at your list now.
Digging: Drudkh - Blood In Our Wells | | | Album Rating: 4
Excellent review once again Crysis. Always enjoy reading your stuff. You did this album justice too, for the monster that it is. DT have never released anything remotely close to crap. They have always been consistent in my eyes.
Digging: Nadja - Radiance of Shadows | | | Album Rating: 4
Great review.
And this is better than Character. This album has no filler, and therefore is much more consistent throughout.
Digging: Emery - ...In Shallow Seas We Sail | | | Album Rating: 4
DT have never put out any filler IMO.
| | | Album Rating: 3
Excellent review.
Digging: Death - Scream Bloody Gore | | |
This album has plenty of filler. Blind At Heart, Empty Me, Misery's Crown...all of them are seriously lame. Character, on the other hand, while it didn't stray from formula too much, had all of its tracks on an equal level.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
I disagree Shattered, I think Character was full of filler tracks, at least half of them. Empty Me and Misery's Crown are fantastic songs.
| | | Album Rating: 4
Misery's Crown rules
Digging: Tegan and Sara - Sainthood | | | Album Rating: 4
Blind at Heart is one of thhe best songs the band has written imo, in their top 10. The closest thing to filler on this album is Icipher, which is still of good quality.
Character, while none of the tracks were band, has songs like Mind Matters, Am I 1, and Sense Tied, which were plainly not up to the quality of the other songs.
| | | Album Rating: 4
the dark atmosphere and female vocals of The Mind’s I There have actually been female vocals on every album up to and including Projector... only Haven, Character, and Damage Done didn't have them.
Good review though... voted.
Digging: The Shizit - The Shizit | | | Album Rating: 4.5
Ya I know that I just like the ones from The Mind's I the best.
| | | Album Rating: 3
Good review man. I agree; this album is way better than character.
Digging: DJ Shadow - Endtroducing | | | |
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