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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Progressive metal for the new millenium, November 22, 2004
Dark Tranquillity is a band that always manages to create one fantastic album after another. They have come a long, long way from their early days of their emerging fame alongside At the Gates, In Flames, and other bands from the Gothenburg, Sweden metal scene. Their earlier albums, such as SKYDANCER and THE GALLERY, collected some of their most intricate work to date, with emphasis on guitar melodies, loads of acoustic and/or clean guitar passages, and elaborate movements and tempo changes which made each song feel epic (even though most of their songs tend to be in the 4-6 minute range). Their next album, THE MIND'S I, compacted their songwriting to more conventional (but no less aggressive, well-composed, or -executed) song lengths and structures. Though each album was singularly unique, Dark Tranquillity's sound broke all barriers of expectation and expanded - no, *bloomed* - into something far more advanced and progressive in 1998, when they released PROJECTOR, one of their most famous and at once most controversial to date. Heavier riffs were more prominent mediums for the melodies; keyboards added texture to many of the songs; and most controversial of all, there were haunting, brilliant clean vocals. What could Dark Tranquillity possibly sound like after all this? HAVEN is the answer to that question.
Dark Tranquillity has had several lineup changes in their fifteen-year career. With the exceptions of drummer Anders Jivarp and guitarist Niklas Sundin, every member would either change their instrument and/or be replaced by another member. After their 1993 debut album, SKYDANCER, vocalist Anders Freidén departed the band to join In Flames. In his place, guitarist Mikael Stanne lowered his axe and came forth. Of course, because he quit, another guitarist was needed, and so Fredrik Johansson was hired. This lineup debuted on their 1995 EP, OF CHAOS AND ETERNAL NIGHT, and would stay intact until 1999, when Fredrik Johansson quit and was replaced by bassist Martin Hendriksson. A new bassist, Michael Niklasson, was hired in *his* place. But the lineup change did not stop there - because of the heavy inclusion of keyboards in their sound with PROJECTOR, it only made sense to add a keyboardist. Enter Martin Brandström, pianist and electronics master. By the time HAVEN was released in July 2000, Dark Tranquillity was hardly recognizable as the same band they'd started out as.
HAVEN collects some of Dark Tranquillity's most brilliant, diverse, and heaviest work to date. It seems that each member has put forth more effort into the composition and execution of this album than anything previous. Sundin and Hendriksson create some of their tightest dual-guitar assault to date, perfectly achieving their ultimate heaviness while not sacrificing any of the beautiful melodies which are so distinctive in Dark Tranquillity's sound. Michael Niklasson's bass lines are just as complex, original, and outstanding as Hendricksson's had ever been. Anders Jivarp continues to lay out intricate beats that can both pulverize and dazzle - and it's a wonder that he doesn't get more attention for this - as he incorporates very technical styles into everything he does, including fills. Mikael Stanne's vocals are more fearsome than ever; fully dropping any traces of black metal-like rasps, he now roars with a deep, booming growl that he would continue to exercise on 2002's DAMAGE DONE. And of course, Martin Brandström's debut with the band shines, as he almost single-handedly opens new vistas of musical progression for the band.
Dark Tranquillity's sound progression is evident not only on the album as a whole, but with each individual track. Take, for instance, "Feast of Burden:" it starts with fast, intense harmonized guitar riffs (played in the distinctly "Swedish" style of alternating low- and high-end melodies), thunderous bass and drum work, and major-scale keyboard textures fleshing out the sound as effects-heavy vocals form in the background. Then deep, furious growls that could almost seem inhuman surge forward as the rhythm changes into a more mid-tempo pace, with some awesome riffs playing between the vocal lines. A lightning-quick and thunder-heavy explosion of riffs, and then - all instruments rest as the listener suddenly is plunged into an ambient, synthesized beat rhythm for several seconds before the heaviness returns in a titanic crash of metal fury! Later, in the bridge of the song, a beautiful piano melody shimmers with unprecedented beauty; then dazzling guitar riffs slice in before a refrain of the first verse. All of this in a song that's less than three and a half minutes - only one song out of eleven!
Not a single one of the tracks are filler or just revamped duplicates of each other. Each one is highly unique from each other, just as all of Dark Tranquillity's songs and albums are. Perhaps the most unique, however, is "Emptier Still." The only to feature Mikael Stanne's clean vocals, this track is a true gem. With a most emotionally haunting vocal performance, Stanne's operatic, baritone voice cries out his pleas of agonized loneliness and fear for the first and second verses, alternating with aggressive (but *absolutely* emotional) growls in the choruses and third verse/bridge. This is arguably the most beautiful and emotional track on the entire album.
With their multiple and diverse albums, Dark Tranquillity are a progressive band in every sense of the word. Never sounding the same, and consistently redefining themselves, they are highly praised and respected in the world of metal as true innovators, and deservedly so. HAVEN is proof of all this and more - it is proof that Dark Tranquillity is, without a doubt, *the* progressive metal band for the new millennium.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Three stars at best--I can't get into this one, April 8, 2003
After hearing "The Wonders at Your Feet" about a year ago on an internet station, I excitedly rushed to download and listen to "Haven." I had heard good things about Dark Tranquillity and went into it with high expectations, but after three listens I was having a really hard time figuring out what the big deal was. However, after I got their last album "Damage Done" and proceeded to be blown away, I decided to give "Haven" another chance. However, another four or five listens later I'm still pretty stumped. I really should like this album: I'm a huge fan of Swedish metal, they're obviously very talented, there's a lot of diversity on display here. However, while Dark Tranquillity throw out a lot of ideas on "Haven," they don't often really seem to "stick." Maybe if they weren't so intent on getting their songs done in four minutes or less, the band would give them a little bit more room to stretch out and breathe. Take "The Wonders at Your Feet," for instance. Every necessary element is in place for this to be a great song: the musicianship is top-notch, the vocals are haunting, the melodies are insinuating. However, they rush through in a mere three minutes, and the song winds up feeling incomplete. The verses are only about ten seconds long, the choruses are roughly the same length, then there's an all-too-brief guitar solo, then the chorus is repeated a couple times, and the song is over. It's very frustrating, and almost every song is in the same vein. Just when I feel like I'm getting settled into a song, I'm hit with some sort of arbitrary change. Some bands can change tempo constantly and it works, but with a sound so reliant on mood and texture I really think it's a bad idea. I like the way Dark Tranquillity mix keyboards into their sound, I like Mikael Stanne's voice, I like the way the band mixes heaviness and melody, and I like the guitars. So in the end, I really should've loved "Haven." But I don't. When I want some great Swedish metal, I turn to "Damage Done," or to just about anything by In Flames, Opeth, Soilwork, and the Haunted.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Criminally Underrated Melodic Death Metal Release, March 23, 2003
Dark Tranquillity is my favorite melodic death metal band; hands down, but with the release of 'Haven' they have proved that they can go outside of that genre. On 'Haven' Dark Tranquillity mixes industrial, gothic, and melodice death metal so seemlessly it would appear that they have been playing this genre their whole life. The new sound reminds me something of a heavier Rammstein (another one of my favorite bands); a mixture of pounding riffs and keyboards. Even two years after the initial release of this album I am still left speachless whenever I listen to it. The production of this album - like all Dark Tranquilly releases - is very polished and clean (this is a good thing for melodic death metal); it allows the album to flow smoothly from song to song. Mikael Stanne is definitely one of the best vocalists in the genre, his range blows away "rival" bands like Shadows Fall (though still a great band). But what really makes the album is Martin Brandstrom's keyboards; they bring out the life in the guitars, drums, and bass and give an auora of darkness around the music. From the opening notes of "The Wonders at Your Feet" you can tell that this album is something special. Though all the songs are excellent "Indifferent Suns", "Rundown", "The Wonders at Your Feet", and "At Loss For Words" are the standout tracks on the album - but again, every track is great. I know that a lot of people give a "five star" rating to any record that they enjoy, but I mean it. This album is a melodic work of art that should not be overlooked. A must have for everybody.
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