Review Summary: Outstanding variety, experimentation, and dynamic contrast make for one of the finest releases in Dark Tranquillity’s catalogue.
Dark Tranquillity’s bold decision to abandon the well-established sound of their previous works must have been shocking to the band’s fans in 1999. Their distinctive style, which prominently featured melodic guitar work contrasted with harsh death metal vocals, was critically acclaimed, and 1995’s
The Gallery is now seen by many as one of the peak points of the melodic death metal genre. However, at the close of their tour for their 1997 album
The Mind’s I, Dark Tranquillity became disenchanted with what was now beginning to be referred to as the “Gothenburg sound”. While they were friends with members and fans of the other two flag-bearing bands of the scene (
In Flames and
At the Gates), the band did not wish to be categorized; they wanted to be original, and to create something entirely unique that could not be placed under a genre label. There were significant line-up changes during this time as well; guitarist Fredrik Johansson was fired and replaced by bassist Martin Henriksson, who in turn was replaced by Michael Nicklasson, while Martin Brändström was introduced as the band’s first keyboardist. All this in mind, enter Dark Tranquillity’s fourth full-length studio effort,
Projector.
Projector is different in several ways from Dark Tranquillity’s previous work. The band’s music up to this point had been almost exclusively guitar-oriented, working at fast tempos, contrast being achieved through the use of both electric and acoustic guitars as well as both harsh male vocals and clean female vocals.
Projector was the first of their albums to prominently feature keyboards and electronics, as well as a wider variety of tempos and Mikael Stanne’s clean vocals, which are used on the album more than on any other Dark Tranquillity release. The album’s sound, as a result, bears a stronger resemblance to the gothic sensibilities of
Tiamat or
Moonspell than to any of Dark Tranquillity’s other work, and it suits them well. The keyboards and electronic elements provide an added depth to the melodic and atmospheric aspects of the band’s music. The contrast of slower and faster tempos works beautifully and makes the album as a whole more exciting and memorable than many of the band’s other albums. And, of course, Stanne’s vocals, both clean and harsh, are superb and provide excellent dynamic contrast throughout the album.
Almost every song on the album is a highlight, due to the highly varied nature of the material and the rich textures achieved through the colourful instrumentation. “Auctioned”, especially, stands out due to its almost ballad-like character and its extremely effective use of the resonant combination of piano and acoustic guitar. Other highlights include: the opener, “FreeCard”, with its tightly controlled dynamics and powerful transitions; “UnDo Control”, featuring guest vocals by Johanna Andersson and a gorgeous guitar solo in its mid-section; “The Sun Fired Blanks”, featuring a faster tempo and low, heavy guitar riffs; and the closing track, “On Your Time”, which uses a driving 10/16 time signature to bring the album to an exciting and satisfying close. Also noteworthy is the uncharacteristic use of the uplifting key of E major in fan-favourite “ThereIn” and penultimate track “Dobermann”; the result is a bright sound that is very different from typical Dark Tranquillity and that makes those tracks exceptionally interesting and memorable. The only misstep, albeit small, in the album’s runtime is the inclusion of the strange downtempo track, “Day to End”. While it is not necessarily bad on its own, its sparse instrumentation sounds somewhat awkward and uncertain in the context of an otherwise bold, confident, and dynamic collection of songs.
Projector is an often overlooked album in Dark Tranquillity’s acclaimed discography. This is, admittedly, partially the fault of the band themselves, who went so far as to refuse to play material from their first three records in order to exclusively promote their new, drastically different sound, resulting in an understandably alienated and frustrated fanbase. However, if one pushes aside the controversy that it caused at the time of its release, one can see that
Projector has aged remarkably well; especially in the context of Dark Tranquillity’s most recent album,
Construct, the album seems to represent the next logical step forward, a sound that the band now could very much benefit from returning to again. And yet, the departures in sound that were first explored here were what came to later define the band’s sound in the new millennium.
Projector, thus, is perhaps more significant to Dark Tranquillity than any other album in their discography; while
The Gallery can be seen to perfectly represent the accomplishments of their past incarnation,
Projector can be equally seen to have brought about the achievements of their present and future. It goes without saying that this is essential listening for any fan of the band, and it certainly stands out as one of their finest releases to date.
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