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Dark Tranquility -
Projector
1999 Century Media
Track
Listing:
1. FreeCard
2. ThereIn
3. UnDo Control
4. Auctioned
5. To A Bitter Halt
6. The Sun Fired Blanks
7. Nether Novas
8. Day To End
9. Dobermann
10. On Your Time
Line-Up:
Vocals: Mikael Stanne
Guitars: Fredrik Johansson, Niklas Sundin
Bass: Martin Henriksson
Drums: Anders Jivarp
Additional Vocals on "UnDo Control": Johanna
Andersson
Website: www.darktranquillity.com
Shev's Rating: B
Average Album Rating: B Also
be sure to read:
Dark
Tranquillity - Character by Follow The Hollow
Interview with Niklas Sundin by Follow The Hollow |
Shev's Review:
Being one of the premiere Swedish "Gothenberg sound" acts, it
should come as no surprise to anybody that Dark Tranquility is a
big fan of musical progression. Obviously, Projector is no
different, so it should also come as no surprise that this is a slower
offering which actually incorporates...gasp...clean vocals into the music
along with more evolved contributions of harmony and structure.
While it doesn't quite match up to previous works such as "The
Minds I" and "The Gallery", it does deliver a
quality slice of melodic death.
As previously mentioned, the biggest change
with Dark Tranquility for Projector is the vocal change of
Mikael Stanne. He can still belt out quality growls, but he also adds
clean vocals to the concoction. Although painfully dry and sometimes
annoying at times, the end product is a noble one which adds to their
harmony and ambience. The guitars of Fredrik Johansson and Niklas
Sundin are amazing as usual dispensing everything from an airy sound to
chainsaw-envy riffs. The bass has it's moments, but for the most part
is still obscured. If Dark Tranquility would have just used the
bass for a little more than low end noise with a few spots of sunshine, Projector
could have been an even better release. Not that I can complain,
though. The whole "Swedish death metal" and "Gothenberg
sound" has become so popular that it's actually becoming generic, so Dark
Tranquility is a nice break in the mix. More inventive than In
Flames although less popular for some odd reason, fans of the genre are
highly urged to track this one down.
Song summaries include...
- FreeCard - Nice piano intro
leading right into the heavier material. Softer melodic parts
tend to drag on. Nice blend of growls and clean vocals by Mikael
Stanne. B
- ThereIn - Good mixture of melodic
death & goth prog. A
- UnDo Control - The repetition of
"I resist with control" is not only irritating, but
the female vocals to compliment it are worse. The lyrics are
pathetic, but the music itself is some remarkable melodic death.
C+
- Auctioned - Dry vocals on the
verge of cracking over light progish melody, but the bass playing of
Martin Henriksson is quality. The abrupt ending is an injustice.
Glad the whole album isn't like this, but the one song makes it stand
out. B-
- To A Bitter Halt - Starts out
like it's going to be some slow ballad refuse, but turns into In
Flames-ish Gothenberg death. The slow breaks with clean
vocals are painfully appalling, though. B-
- The Sun Fired Blanks - The only
straight forward, all growls Gothenberg song on Projector.
Other than a fleeting break in mood towards the end, The Sun Fired
Blanks is a terrific song. B+
- Nether Novas - Soft as a
marshmallow with a few hard bits. Even though it has a pleasant
structure, Nether Novas is utterly forgettable. C-
- Day To End - Piss poor mix of
80's pop and metal as the singer cries into the mic. What
horrendous crap. F
- Dobermann - What starts out as
some irate death with killer guitar work turns into typical Dark
Tranquility droning ambient-pap. B
- On Your Time - Great mix of light
and heavy with superior song writing. Extraordinarily memorable
ending to a unique album. A-
Shev's Rating: B
Discography (last updated 1.25.06):
Trail Of Life Decayed demo - 1991
A Moonclad Reflection EP - 1992
Trail Of Life Decayed EP - 1992
Skydancer - 1993
Of Chaos And Eternal Night EP - 1995
The Gallery - 1995
Enter Suicidal Angels EP - 1996
The Mind's I - 1997
Projector - 1999
Haven - 2000
Damage Done - 2002
Exposures - In Retrospect And Denial - 2004
Lost To Apathy - 2004
Character - 2005
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