Customer Reviews

Fiction

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Bring this misery down on me! I love dark tranquillity, one of my favorite bands ever (if not my favorite) and I own everything they have done. Ever since I heard "shadow duet" from their first major full length, I was hooked. Since then and over the years, I have gone back and bought their whole catalog and never once been dissapointed. With each album they expand on their sound without giving into mainstream ideals and still managing to pay homage to their roots. Here is a band that writes in depth, exciting, emotional music and they will never stop if this album is any indication. I'm not sure how they did it, but with this album, they managed to write their best since Projector.

Stanne's vocals on this album sound EVIL as all get out. I mean, really, he sounds down right frickin' scary on all the tracks. With each album, his vocals continue to grow and they are doing so in the right direction. He spits venom into the mic on this release and I love it. And that's not even mentioning the return of his clean vocals! It's been years and a couple of albums since we've heard his very unique and baritone singing style and I'm glad it's back. Even these have been upgraded by him, still sounding better with even more venom and emotion. Even the last track has both clean vocals AND female vocals, which is a nice return to form. It feels nice to my ears to hear angelic vocals pop up, something they haven't used in quite some time (since projector if my memory serves me correctly).

The drumming is once again intricate and he (anders) is using everyting on the kit at his will. However, unlike most metal drummers, he isn't constantly bashing the drums, seeing how fast he can play or how much noise he can make. He makes use of what he has when he has to. He is easily my favorite drummer of all time.

Next we have the twin guitar attack. Some of their fastest, heaviest, riffs are on this album and the guitar tone is excellent. Guitar solos even pop up a great deal, something that DT hasn't done in awhile. The bass and the keyboards continue to add an awesome back drop. Once again, they keyboardist isn't a traditional metal keyboard player: he uses more ambient noise and dark melodies as opposed to a more silly, epic, sound used by other bands, such as power metal.

I really can't praise this album enough. Any bad points? Well no album is perfect, not even this one. I wish the drumming was louder, more up front in the mix. It would also been cool to have a little more use of clean vocals and female vocals. Finally, I wish they would do some acoustic interplay mixed with the heavy. But please be aware that these things are just fan boy nitpicking and in no way do they have any merit on my score and review (obviously).

Dark Tranquillity, I doubt you'll read this, but thank you for the great music you have given us over the years (almost 20!). When other bands make terrible records or sell out, you give us hope and can always been counted on.

UP THE IRONS!!!!!!!!!!

Great metal bands are usually lucky to have 2-4 amazing albums, with the rest being somewhere between good and mediocre. Dark Tranquillity, on the other hand, have been producing nothing but phenomenal albums since their 1995 release of The Gallery. Ten years and five albums later, we have their latest and possibly their greatest masterpiece: Fiction.

Anyone who loved their last album, Character, will love Fiction even more because it's better at every level. It has the same dynamic blend of aggressive, heavy riffing, melodic passages, guttural growls, and synths that manage to provide background and texture to DT's beautiful melodic aggression. I was pleasantly surprised to hear these elements, so well-utilized on Character, blended with clean vocals and even female guest vocals on Fiction. I was also surprised that I could understand most of the lyrics without the booklet, a testament to the fact that vocalist Mikael Stanne has honed the uncanny ability to growl demonically and scream while retaining total control over his voice.

While Character was a great album, there were a few tracks that I wasn't crazy about. Fiction, on the other hand, does not have a single weak/mediocre/could-have-been-better track - they are all phenomenal. To me, a lot of the songs on Character sounded the same, perhaps because they didn't really have any slow sections or breaks to them. Fiction is far more dynamic with evenly balanced peaks of aggression and troughs of atmospheric keyboard breaks and everything in between.

How a great band can become greater with each passing album without falling into a musical rut after more than fifteen years is mind-boggling. They could have retired long ago as THE premier Gothenburg/NWOSDM band, but instead they chose to persevere, to remain true to their death metal roots and at the same time grow, change, evolve, incorporate new elements into their amazing sound, and to continue releasing unbelievable albums.

As an atheist, I have to say: thank God for Dark Tranquillity!

Comparing the Dark Tranquillity's recent work with that of their historically related band In Flames, it seems almost counter-intuitive for dark tranq's standards to have remained so high. This review is not of course to speak of In Flames, but merely keep them in mind when considering how different Dark Tranquillity's work has become. Instead of forcing their music to fit a preconceived notion of commercialism to the point where all of the songs end up sounding like it was churned out of somebody's Swedish metal factory. _Fiction_ marks the third masterpiece in a row, and by now they have utterly perfected the stylistic turn that began years back with the mostly successful experiment _Projector_. It is easy enough to lump _Projector_ into the same category as stuff like _Clayman_ or _Natural Born Chaos_, although such a comparison does not bear much usefulness as _Projector_ did not mark a turn to commercialism in the scope of dark tranq's career, but instead was an experiment in the grand scheme of finding awesome music.

With gorgeous pianos and keys shining alongside the ever-brilliant guitar leads and riffs, _Fiction_ also marks the return of Stanne's clean vocals on two tracks and a female-voice supported chorus on the final track, the stunning finale "The Mundane and the Magic". The music is very close to _Character_, but where _Character_'s tracks came off sounding a bit blurred together, _Fiction_'s variety and imagination shows that if anything, Dark Tranquillity is only getting better and may yet peak beyond even what they attained with their youthful masterworks of genre-defining melodeath godliness, _The Gallery_ and _The Mind's I_. In fact, this is the best album since those. Tracks like the grumbling opener "Nothing to No One", the soaring "Focus Shift", or the ripping speedmetal of "Blind at Heart" are mainstays of the band's modern sound, combining the band's literally unmatched ear for melody and arrangement with their impeccable classical (as in western art music) sense of development and structure. Also of great interest is the churning, massive "Inside the Particle Storm", the driving metal of "Misery's Crown", with its sparse clean verses, growly-crunchy choruses and bridge with a blistering riff that screams for air guitar, and of course the INCREDIBLE closer "The Mundane and the Magic", where Stanne and guest singer Nell trade off lines on the chorus to chilling effect, and verses develop with seething guitar crunch and melancholy piano. This song in a way evokes "Bolt of Blazing Gold" without sounding at all like it, and that is of course a good thing. The production has been compressed to a grey smear with little breathing room for the arrangements, heavy and thick, which would out of context appear as a bad thing were the music not so perfectly incredible. Any other production would feel like it belonged with a different recording.

It's all here: the memorable melodies and harmonies, the technical song structures, the classic raspy vocals, the HAVEN/DAMAGE DONE-era growls, the ambient, spacey keyboards, and even a few long-thought-to-be-lost elements (namely Mikael's terrific clean vocals on TWO songs, and even a female guest vocalist on "The Mundane and the Magic"!

This could easily be seen as a "best-of" album from this endlessly talented and always-impressive Swedish progressive death metal band, and easily a good introduction to their varied and awesome legacy in metal.

Do yourself a favor and pick up this album RIGHT NOW!

Okay. First off, I have always hesitated before buying ANY Dark Tranquillity record; save for Haven and Damage Done. I did get Character through one of my friends, and thus, seeing as how ''Focus Shift'' was such a great song, I thought, why not, let's give them a shot.

Now well over 15 years into the music, Dark Tranquillity manages to do what most have almost failed to do (Soilwork's Figure Number Five, In Flames' Come Clarity; not bad albums, not good either); bring out a piece of sublime work with new things.

The guitar work mixed with the keyboard creates a great harmony; often times, while the two guitars join and deviate from each other, the keyboard fits into this picture with an entirely different twist. Often times, you don't get what you expected of an everyday 'melodic death metal' record, and often times, you do, and remain satisfied by the interplay of this. Stanne's vocal work is stunning, simply stunning; and, just to top it off, he lends his beautiful, dark, melancholic clean vocals in two songs (''Misery's crown'' and ''The Mundane and the magic''). Drumming is just what you expect of DT; with more blast beats this time. I, while despising blast beats with a passion, have enjoyed them immensely. The keyboards, usually are not heard very clearly (maybe it was intentional) but this time, they make an exception as to lend the keyboards individual parts that do not just give an atmosphere but become an integral part of the music itself; as it should be. The music mostly is clear-cut Dark Tranquillity; dirty, murky, dark, aggressive, and often times, incredibly melancholic (a la doom/death metal or Novembers Doom). The production is not overdone, it is perfect and crystal-clear; you can hear everything perfectly and even separately (if you can see through the polyphonic melodies of course).

The atmospheres are incredible. From the rebellious mood of ''Nothing to no one'' to the literal feeling of everything falling apart all around you in ''Blind at heart''; from the feeling of being amidst something HUGE and incomprehensible as an all-encompassing storm in ''Inside the particle storm'' to the spite and self-deprecation in ''Focus shift'', it has a variety of atmospheres. Lyrically, it is very critical of most things around you; against depravity and uselessly violent ways of humanity; war, sexuality, and likewise... best part being the different ways to read into the lyrics.

To sum up, this album verges on being even beyond perfection; it almost seems that the ''fiction'' is that this album was composed by human beings. An absolute must-have for any DT or melodic death fan. It is also a valuable and good item if you have hesitations whether to start DT or not.

My initial assessment of the new Dark Tranquillity opus was that it did not touch their prior accomplishments like "The Gallery", "Mind's I", "Haven", "Damage Done" or my personal album of the year 2005, "Character". "Fiction" seemed too messy and too simple at the same time, while I loved "Focus Shift", everything else seemed like a lousy attempt at revisiting "Mind's I". I consider myself an expert on DT, I have all of their albums + "Exposure..." double CD, and I love them all, every period of DT music has its own magic and brilliance, they are my absolute, uncontested, unmatched number one band, since Death ceased to exist due to Chuck's death (no pun intended), so I tend to be rather very particular in my assessment of every new production by this quintet. BEWARE OF YOUR INITIAL JUDGEMENTS. The first impression about anything, especially such creative and complex music as DT is most of the time faulty and deceiving. Dark Tranquillity ain't no Green Day, and "Fiction" ain't no "Dookie"! It takes a very patient ear to appreciate any DT album, and this one is no exception. "Character" for all its brilliance contained one song, which still good, was clearly less exciting than the rest, number 2, "Through Smudged Lenses". I still like this song, but not as much as "Lost in Apathy" or "New Build", though my favorite is the last one, "My Negation". "Fiction" on the other hand has no better or worse songs, in fact it is rather difficult to pick a favorite. It took me more than 5 times to fully absorb this masterpiece. It reminds me of bits and pieces of EVERY single of DT albums, but it has definitely an identity of its own. Whereas most of melody in Dark Tranquillity's previous efforts came from guitars, "Character" signaled a change in this approach, and the keyboards begun to take over a little. This transition is complete on "Fiction". The melodies come from both instruments, fairly equally, as the polyrhythmic compositions sport often multiple, seemingly dissonant ideas. But the most incredible aspect of this album is the sound: heavy, extreme and depressing. Like last year's Katatonia, if "Inside the Particle" storm doesn't cause the suffering and injustice of the world, so rampant everywhere today, to be so frighteningly tangible you can taste it, Michael Stanne & Co. had failed. The lyrics to this piece (our children drown like dogs) are so real of what is happening today that the words almost function as another instrument, very intelligibly growled by DT's vocalist. The main melody of "Inside..." is one of the most eerie keyboard motifs I have ever heard in all of music. It raises the hair at the back of my head, every time I listen to it. THIS IS NOT A CASE OF SELLOUT as some purist fan of substandard metal had previously suggested. He is a classic example of an impatient listener with highly developed addiction for instant gratification, who no doubt judges any album based on no more than two spins, if he is even THAT gracious.If you like Dark Tranquility's any album, you'll love the way they continue to grow on this one without sacrificing an ounce of what made them THE best modern metal band on the planet. Ignore the purists and BUY FICTION NOW!

I know several headbangers will never forgive DT after Projector (even thought that one is quite unique among DT extensive discography) and after Heaven with the use of electronics. But, specially when you compare DT with other bands like In Flames which have followed a more easy and dull path to money, DT stands out, Why? Because they create loud, powerful music with a sense of melody and still know how to innovate and sound modern. I think it's the only modern melodic death metal band around.
You only need to listen to the first track "Nothing To No One" to feel the power of their melody and sound. Their almost official twin guitars melody combined with a keyboard shows how they know how to combine heavy metal tradition with a fresh sound.
The rest of the CD is a chain of one great song after another... it's incredible how DT releases CDs with no fillers, just great songs. Another great songs on this one are Icipher, and the outstanding "Empty Me" which has all the DT music tricks making it an outstanding song in the same way like "Format C for cortex", "Uncontrol" or "Lost To Apathy".
Dark Tranquillity is one of the greatets Metal bands around and is now a living legend. If you like your music heavy and melodic, this CD is for you, a true masterpiece of melody, power and originality among a sea of dullness, conformity and boredom.

These guys are the true kings of swedish death metal/guthenburg. I mean it has to be a new record, 8 albums in a row, all improving on what came before. I mean even my favorite band Iron Maiden had a slow period, starting after their 7th CD, SSOASS. But Dark Tranquility keeps on churning out brilliance. I love the return of the clean vocals, he has a brilliant voice, both screaming and clean. It amazes me how much control he has over his voice, where you can understand what he is saying even when he growls, which is something a lot of screamer vocalists lack IMO. And his clean baritone voice is so awesome, I wouldn't mind if he sung a whole album like that, maybe like a release like Opeth's Damnation. Another exciting addition, or should I say return was the female vocalist on the mundane and the magic. Lovely.

Although this album is excellent, and beautifully done, I have a hard time deciding if its their best or not. I am still leaning towards character being their best release, and although I think Fiction is a little more consistent all the way through, Character had the more stand out tracks like My Negation and Lost To Apathy, which in my opinion are my two favorite songs by them. But arguing over which one is better is pointless, all their albums are must have for anyone into metal.

This latest release from DT kind of jumped out at me. I was not even aware of when it was coming out but when I saw it in my fave record store, I snatched it up!

Dark Tranquillity is one of the most recognizable names in the "Gothenburg" scene. Their peers of In Flames have chosen a much different path than these particular Swedes though. What I admire so much about DT is their uncanny ability to evolve and modernize their sound with each successive album without sacrificing quality or making their music sound "radio friendly". Sure, there is plenty of melody and electronic elements present, but it is all interwoven through their songs seamlessly, and it is still HEAVY!

That being said, I cannot say I liked this release more than their previous work "Character". Many have said this album is superior but I disagree. "Character" was perfect on every level. "Fiction" is an awesome disc, but it doesn't have quite the emotion and driving aggression of "Character". Still, there are some killer tracks here. From the opening thrash riffs of "Nothing to No One" to the modern streamlined sounds of "Terminus (Where Death is Most Alive)", this album will hook you. Some other standouts are the headbanging "The Lesser Faith", "Icipher" and "Empty Me". I gotta say I dont care for the clean vox that are present on this album. It just sounds too "goth" for my tastes. But thats minor gripe. The underlying music is still awesome! If you enjoyed "Character" and DT's other previous releases since "The Gallery", then this is a must-hear!

All I gotta say is this: WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I have been a fan of Dark Tranquillity for a few years now, ever since Damage Done was released, and I fell in love with both their newer stuff and older stuff, and this album does not disappoint at all. They have managed to mix the style of both their older and newer albums into one beautiful sound, and have even improved since their last masterpiece 'Character'. There are more fast and thrashier songs on this album than 'Character', such as 'Nothing to No One', 'Terminus', 'Blind at Heart', 'Focus Shift', etc., so this is where fans of DT's albums 'The Mind's I' and 'The Gallery' will really be happy. Also on this album, DT incorporated both Mikeal Stanne's clean vocals, and female guest vocals on the track 'The Mundane and the Magic'.


All in all, this is a fantastic release from one of the world's best Melodic Death Metal bands, and if you are a fan of that specific sub-genre, or just melodic metal in general, you should not let this slip away from your hands