Review Summary: Good melodeath band made good melodeath.
Many consider Dark Tranquillity to be the best that melodic death metal has to offer due to their strikingly consistent output of excellent studio albums that include their seemingly natural flair for making strong guitar melodies. This is not an unsound take either, and their EP’s are no exception, especially with
Of Chaos and Eternal Night.
It is indisputable that Dark Tranquillity are great melody writers, as each of the four tracks here are overflowing with memorable leads. The last minute of
With the Flaming Shades of Fall contains one of the most engrossing melodic lines from the entire runtime. The EP’s irrefutable highlight is
Away, Delight, Away due to the absolutely infectious lead guitar melody. While it is repeated quite a bit during the song, it never gets old or loses its magnetic aura. Both the title track and
Away, Delight, Away displays the bands technical abilities the best here, which is what helps the band to stand out amongst the other melodeath groups within the Gothenburg scene. The riffs hit hard, and the solos are nothing but impressive, while never getting too caught up in their complexity. Although
Alone ‘94 may appear a bit unnecessary at first, it is without a doubt more polished than the original version off of
Skydancer. Mikael Stanne’s vocals bring new life to this track as it is more intense and refined than Friden’s more raw performance previously.
Overall,
Of Chaos and Eternal Night is a strong EP containing more of the classic melodeath sound. This is Stanne’s first release as the lead vocalist for the band, and he provides a first-rate performance straight off the bat. The melodies and riffs are outstanding as they never allow for a weak moment. The EP acts as a preview to their magnus opus,
The Gallery, of sorts. It is similar in sound, but it withholds the best that the band is capable of, without ever feeling like half of the idea.
