Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A chilling tour-de-force., September 17, 2002
Sweden's dense roster of metal bands have been unleashing some of the best metal in the world for years now, and this year is no exception. Along with Soilwork's _Natural Born Chaos_, 2002 has another stunning release - Dark Tranquillity's _Damage Done_. Even with a cursory listen, being impressed is unavoidable. Dark Tranquillity's musical fettle has always placed them at the forefront of the Swedish metal movement, and this release promises to put some distance between them and their worthy peers.Equal parts vicious and melodic, _Damage Done_ is a concrete force of heavy songwriting that achieves a good deal of musical depth within its 45 minute length. Razor-sharp guitar harmonies slice through the dense riffing, keyboards hover around the edges, and Mikael Stanne's fierce, flesh-blistering vocals. There is an unfortunate onus surrounding metal intimating that it cannot be melodic, but Sweden can make the difference - Dark Tranquillity especially. Unlike old In Flames' major-key guitar harmonies, however, Dark Tranquillity has achieved a different sort of melodic attribute. Over top chunky riffing and aggressive percussion, Stanne's vocal performances are surprisingly irresistible (as they have always been), and the keyboard-guitar interplay stands out as particularly ear-catching. "Hours Passed in Exile" is just remarkable as a feast of melodic rapture, with brilliant synth accents and a gloomy heaviness. "Monochromatic Stains" evokes speed metal but also integrates keyboard-enhanced melodic explorations (and depending on the edition you pick up, you can see the ultra-cool video). "Ex Nihilo" is a shivery instrumental recalling the more quieter passages of _Projector_ and _Haven_, illuminated by shadowy keys. In "Cathode Ray Sunshine", Dark Tranquillity deploys glorious guitar cries adjoining somber synth textures with whip-crack rhythms - plus the song has some of the most beautiful melodies I've heard in any metal song. The gauntly evocative "The Enemy" pulses like a dying star and carries the same sadness in those dolorous melodies. For a metal song, or whatever else, it's gorgeous. All throughout, there is a dark drama in the lyrics and overall tone. The album is polished in the vein of the amazing _Haven_ but this time the melancholy seems more pronounced with a heavier, less subdued backbone. Powerful vocals, songwriting, and production are all on Dark Tranquillity's side for _Damage Done_ - if you buy only one metal album in 2002, strongly consider this one. (And yes, this band has paid its dues. Accept no substitutes!)
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Oh, how I love posers., April 1, 2003
Go back to Marilyn Manson, Cold, Disturbed and Saliva, you goth poser. If you can't handle Dark Tranquillity or Opeth, then you shouldn't be listening to any form of metal. Period. Anyone who enjoys metal, rock, or, dare I say, jazz, and isn't entirely ignorant can enjoy this album.Note: I'd normally give this four stars, since I don't like giving anything a perfect score, but the simple fact that some Marilyn Manson fan gave it one star was more than enough to raise it to five.
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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
New millenium metal, August 24, 2002
A mere week after its release, "Damage Done" has already assumed a prominent spot among my favorites of the new millenium. Simply put, it's an outstanding synthesis of what's come before, showing influences of classic metal, prog metal, thrash, and death metal. The playing is extremely tight, and a diversity of sounds and frequent time changes keeps things from ever getting boring. If this is a direction that metal will be going in in coming years, I'll be pretty damn happy.
Opener "Final Resistance" is a perfect mood-setter, a rousing speed-metal number with riffs and drums that would do Megadeth proud, complemented by a killer melodic chorus. "Hours Passed in Exile" has a melodic lead guitar line effotlessly woven into the verses, with some keyboard touches thrown in for atmosphere. "Monochromatic Stains," ironically, is anything but monochromatic, as it's chock full of tempo changes, careening back and forth between melody and all-out aggressiveness. "Treason Wall" slows things down bit initially, but it's still plenty heavy, with menacing vocals from Stanne, and it breaks into a thrashy sound in the chorus. The title track brings the album back into the thrash sound, as it's perhaps the fastest song to be found here. "The Enemy" is perhaps my personal favorite on "Damage Done," though, as it seems to exemplify everything that makes the album great. It starts out as a midtempo, heavy-as-hell basher, but then abruptly shifts into a soft melodic passage highlighted by almost-gentle keys and lead guitar work before reverting to the metallic sound again.
As my review should have indicated by now, the band seems intent on not sticking with one sound for too long, as each song goes through a myriad of changes. There are plenty of catchy
Swedish-style riffs, but there are also some terrific twin guitar harmonies, and lofty leads and keys are used tastefully and to great effect. "Damage Done" showcases how much a band can achieve through little things like solid musicianship and songwriting, two elements that all genres of music could use more of. This may be my first Dark Tranquility album, but it won't be my last.
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