Customer Reviews

We Are the Void

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

After the experimentation of earlier albums Projector and Haven, Dark Tranquillity have been on a creative roll since 2002. The absolute greatness from DT came in the form of Damage Done where they ditched the clean vocals that some felt hindered the last two records before, changed up the keyboard style a little, and introduced lead guitar riffs showing an obvious influence from The Gallery. Pretty much, Damage Done was a return to the more classic style from other previous records. The creativity would continue to flow onward as they put out two more great albums: Character and Fiction. Does the creative roll end there? In my opinion, I think not. The new album We Are The Void is definitely top notch, and there's no doubt that as soon as you hear a track (no matter which one it is), there's no mistaking this for any other band. It sounds like Dark Tranquillity. I don't know how most people felt about Fiction. It was basically my introduction to DT, so I felt that it was the perfect album. We Are The Void is kind of a darker, more melodic version of Fiction while still retaining some of the heaviness that the band is known for as well as the solid production heard on Fiction. Also, anybody that was worried that reintroducing clean vocals on the last album would backfire on the band don't need to worry. Fortunately, what worked on Fiction works here as well. I'm not gonna say that it's the band's best effort ever (it's a damn good one) since I'm sure that some will be convinced that their earlier stuff's the greatest, but I will say that it's for THE Dark Tranquillity fan. A fan that isn't expecting any particular sound from any other record they've put out, but is expecting to hear Dark Tranquillity, nothing more and nothing less.

There is a limited deluxe edition that is available, and it features two bonus tracks and a bonus dvd. The dvd has a half-hour documentary on the making of the album filmed by The Haunted guitarist Anders Björler, the making of the video for "Shadow In Our Blood," a trailer for the recently released live dvd Where Death Is Most Alive, and two clips from that dvd making the total running time about an hour. It's worth a look if you'd like to get an idea of how they made the album, and the making of the music video was funny to watch. As for the live clips, you don't need to views clips to know if you should buy Where Death Is Most Alive or not. If you're a fan, do it. It's completely worth it, as is the deluxe edition of this album.

The fact is ... this is a solid release, I am glad that after many years DT has found some balance between experimentation while keeping its original style.

We have seen other bands like In flames that have changed its original style resulting in many old-fans lost (and getting a lot new).

As other reviers have said ... DT fans will be glad adding this CD to their collections, for those new to DT will be as well an excellent starting point.

For those rating one-star:
There is available on line a full-song versions of this cd, you should try it first before buying and getting frustation for what you just bougth. This can not be in any sense a 1-star work.

Melodic Metal at it's finest!
I just love this album, although not a great as the previous few but still shows great production.
-Heavy, Heavy, Heavy!
I ordered my copy via official website for earliest release, which was worth it.

Recommended for the fans and it won't be disappointed if you're new to this band!

Dark Tranquillity...
Its difficult to find the words to descibe them.
This album starts out strong, the intro riff is so catchy.
The album goes on like much of their music, it's hard to appreciate fully the first time. Or the second, or even the third. The beauty is subtle. I notice something new everytime I listen, their albums do not get old easily at all. I can play it every day for a month and it stays fresh.
Awesome!

This album could have potentially been titled Fiction Part II. It feels like they picked up exactly where they left off and didn't miss a beat at all. The songs continue with the same strength that Fiction had and adds a little element here and there to keep things the same, but different all at once.

The stronger songs on the album are "I Am the Void", "The Grandest Accusation" and "At the Point of Ignition" while the weakest song on the album is "Her Silent Language". I don't think that this adds up to Damage Done which is my personal favourite, but still won't let down fans of the band or of the genre.

Dark Tranquillity seems to be a band incapable of producing anything less than a great album. Most bands go through a history of releases comparable to topography, with varying heights of accomplishment. You know, like peaks and valleys. Dark Tranquillity seems to exist on a plateau, and over the course of their last three or four releases have really perfected the style that is manifest on _We Are the Void_.

This means _We Are the Void_ is good... very good. So good, in fact, that anything but an enthusiastic deluge of praise from the metal community is a shameful response. I cannot understand all the tepid reviews for this album. people perhaps are just negative and grumpy. like that guy who prefaces his review with "i've been a fan for a million years and i am hugely disappointed." Don't listen to this guy. I just don't get it. I realize opinions are subjective. But reasons for those opinions are still subject to validation or repudiation. So first of all, I don't understand the complaint that this is stylistically too similar to the last few. Well so what. That's what Dark Tranq does these days (and they do it amazingly well i might add). If you don't like it, wait until they change styles to something different for you. There is nothing bad per se about having a consistent sound over x amounts of releases. As to saying this band is in a creative rut... wow, seriously, if this guy is correct and this is a creative rut, then anything truly inspired would probably kill me because it would just be too good. I wish other bands could be so darn GREAT when they are in a creative rut! The sheer amount of amazing guitar writing along invalidates any claim that this is a creative rut.

Although their history of greatness predates it, since _Damage Done_ this band has been developing a remarkably distinctive and evocative style where brutally heavy and mechanically precise metal meets the stunning melody and swift speed of the early "Gothenburg" style. Yet there are also heavy duty uses of synths and pianos, wielded with such perfect taste and intelligence that no other band can claim such a success in the world of metal. Usually synths in metal sound either cheesy or "unheavy". You know when you go to a concert featuring a metal band with a keyboardist, and the sound quality snuffs out the sound of synths more or less entirely, but you never feel much like anything is missing? That's not what it's like with Dark Tranquillity's last several releases. Songs like "Archangelsk" and the epic finale "Iridium" reach cosmic heights of intensity with their crunching arrangements and synthed conjurations. Other times they are nothing more than the equivalent of ambient lighting, and other times counterpoints are built up specifically around the pianos, or they function as the main melodic device (like one of my favourite moments on the album -- the piano, drums and bass interlude that sets up the drop-dead stunning guitar harmonies of the middle section in "The Grandest Accusation").

And one might wonder just how metal it is with all these pianos and laserbeam synthesizers, well it is super-metal. Very heavy, very melodic, and just extremely masterful songwriting overall. You will be hooked right away, when "Shadow in our Blood" kicks in with its ominous clomping intro, and explodes into pure speed metal, with fast melodic riffs picked out meticulously. "Surface the Infinite" is whiplash inducing metal with blastbeat drumming and furiously melodic guitars. The title track is all-out speedy riffage and crunching arrangements. "In My Absence" glides through ripping metal, haunting piano lines, and creepy lyrics like "I know you're out there searching tonight - I'm right here - Another day and I cannot see through your eyes," and it builds intensity when it revisits the first riff with an altered rhythm, and it groves hard! Every song has killer riffs and guitar parts busting out the seams, and it seems ridiculously that these guys can keep coming up with this stuff and weave it all together to make each song such a dramatic rush. Even "Her Silent Language", which you might expect to be relatively "light(er)", starting as it does cascading pianos, cleanly sung verses, and a rather "light" groovin' guitar riff, has an all-out chugga-chugga metal rock-out in its bridge section.

The vocals are primarily growly-screaming, as it has been since "Haven", but you will hear Stanne's clean voice throughout the album, but not in a cheesy formulaic way like many contemporaries.

If you are a big Dark Tranq fan like me, pick this one up - you won't be disappointed. If you are new to the band, well... whether you check out the old classics like _The Gallery_ or _The Mind's I_, or something newer like _Damage Done_ or _Fiction_ or _We Are the Void_, or something weird like _Projector_, you are in for a treat.

iv'e been a dark tranquillity fan since mind's I and they continue not to fail to deliver the effects that makes dark tranquillity what they are today. we are the void is another album that gives a new break in there sound without changing anything that would take the band in another direction they keep it original, new riffs, new lead no other sound like anything you've heard before on any of there past albums except for stanne goes back to the clean note at times as he did on projector only on a couple of songs or more which isn't a bad thing at all if you like projector. so the only flaw i hear on this album is the band has turned there fast paced riffs down a notch. not enough to complain i don't think a dt fan is going to be disappointed with this album.

DT is a band that requires no introduction and has been dominating stages world wide since the late eighties. I have been a fan of the group for years and furthermore a fan of the Melodic Death genre they helped create in the 90's. That said I can't help but listen to this album and realize I have already heard the best this band will ever release. Though a good album We Are The Void remains shadowed by the Character album which is possibly the best example of what Modern Melodic Death should sound like.

That said this album has plenty to keep you entertained. Through out the album the band utilizes the very subtle programming/keyboard work they have become known for adding a softer layer to the music. The usual barrage of duel guitars returns in full force showing some excellent riffing and a few solo's that are of the above average technicality. The percussion is just as good as what was heard on the previous release and the bass lines are well executed but not memorable. All in all a solid showing by the band as a whole, proving they are indeed masters of their craft.

As always Mikael Stanne's signature vocals standout and have lost none of their potency. From his lowest guttural hit to the longest highest note his voice never falters and the lyrics are as intelligent as ever. But even after all that, to me this is simply another release by a great band. I am waiting to hear these guys surpass the sheer tightness and all around flawlessly executed album that is 2005's Character but I fear I may never see such a release. All in all a great album well worth picking up and adding to your collection, just really doesn't move the band's progression forward in my eyes. Thank you for reading.

First off, I am a long time DT fan, so you can take this review with a grain of salt if you like.

I have the Import Deluxe version and have been listening to it for a week now. It may be their best album, and I have loved pretty much everything since 'The Gallery'. The songwriting is as sharp as ever, and its incredible these guys have been going for 20 years without trying to sell out, or losing the ability to constantly innovate inside the recognizable template that is the Goethenberg sound.

I was worried after the reintroduction of clean vocals on Fiction's Misery's Crown (IMHO the one must-skip track on an otherwise great album) would lead us back to the Projector days, only even more commercial. But I was wrong. There are a few tracks with clean vocals but they serve only to compliment the song and the death metal vocals on those tracks.

So many standout tracks but for me my favorites so far are:
In My Abesnce
The Grandest Accusation
Her Silent Language
Arkhangelsk
I am the Void
Irridium

Also, GET THE DELUXE VERSION! It includes two tracks, Star of Nothingness which is just a mostly accustic intstrumental, but also To Where the Fires Cannot Feed, which is one of the best tracks on the album and a can't miss! Unusual that a bonus track can be of this high quality!