Melodic death metal is one of the most popular metal subgenres. The combination of melody and harshness is adored by metalheads all over. Sweden has a melodic death metal legacy. The country has produced some of the best bands to play this subgenre. In Flames, Arch Enemy, and Dark Tranquillity as well. Endtime Signals is an album packed with everything that makes Swedish metal so successful, but takes risks as Dark Tranquillity, on this album go beyond their comfort zone, showing their versatility and what each of the members is capable of in a way which very few death metal bands showcase.
The album opens up with a very surprising mid paced track. ‘Shivers And Voids’ is a classic type of melodic death metal song. It has a guitar melody which is layered underneath the harsh vocals in the chorus, which the album does extremely well throughout. Another of the standard features of this subgenre of death metal is guitar solos. The solo on this track does just enough to carry the song back into the chorus, but ultimately it does not overwhelm or take anything away from what the song was meant to be. The choice of the melodies here are perfectly chosen to create a raw and emotional atmosphere, which is what this album was designed to be, and is noticed throughout this record.
The following track, ‘Unforgiveable’ is the first single on the track list. It kicks off with a drum fill. This as a result tells the listener that a song will be faster paced. This song is faster than the opener, but slows down for the chorus, making it seem huge and powerful. The solo on this song is also much more technical and impressive to listen to, carried perfectly by the drums which are a highlight throughout this entire 14 track journey.
‘Neuronal Fire,’ the third track, is another medium paced piece. The focus here is on the guitar work. The guitar melody on this chorus is played packed with emotion. There are subtle touches of synths which elevate the track further. The rhythm work done by the drums give this song an almost prog metal feel. Drummer Joakim Strandberg Nilsson is a new addition to Dark Tranquillity, and it is songs like this one where it is evident that he can elevate the band to be much more than a more typical melodic death metal band.
Track number four is the second single to appear, ‘Not Nothing’. Here, clean vocals are introduced, giving the record a harder rock-oriented sound. Dark Tranquillity master the mix of clean and harshness, especially on this song as the softer, clean vocal parts are quite mellow, whilst on the other hand, the transitions to the heavy parts feel like a pile of bricks falls on you every time a transition occurs before the song ends in a delicate way with a melody that persists throughout this song.
The middle section of this album is filled with risks which continue into the last few songs. This is clearly evident as ‘Wayward Eyes’ has the catchiest chorus on the entire record. Once again, this song is a more radio friendly hard rock type of song, and it works well because the music is simple, is not as heavy as some of the other tracks whilst still having harsh vocals throughout. ‘A Bleaker Sun’ continues this trend. A heavy almost prog metal sounding riff starts the song off, whilst the chorus gives off a black metal vibe with the moody guitar work and vocalist Mikael Stanne’s brutal screams. This song is one of the better examples of where Dark Tranquillity are aspiring to become, and how they aim to develop their sound.
Album closer ‘In Failure’ once again has a bigger focus on the synths which can be hard to notice at times on this record. Not on this song. The keys are loud, and cut through the guitars, elevating the song, giving it a unique sound which does not appear very often throughout Endtime Signals. The chorus on this track once again steals the show. It is incredibly catchy and perfectly executed not only from Stanne’s delivery but also from Martin Brändström on the keys. This was a rare moment on this album for him to shine, and he took full advantage, making sure that for one last time, he had his chance to impress.
On this album, there is something for everyone to enjoy, whilst this is primarily a melodic death album, there are songs that could be black metal songs, metalcore songs and rock songs too. Not all of these work, as the couple of ballads included are rather underwhelming, and do not have the same excitement or power the heavier songs have. If these ballads would have been cut out of the track list, Endtime Signals would have a more heavier, more raw feel to it.
Overall, this is a varied album, and upon hearing it, you can identify the different inspirations behind not only Dark Tranquillity as a band, but also the individual members. The choruses on this album are fantastic, and when paired with the guitar work, are the highlights of this album. The synths underwhelm as there are only a few select moments when they are audible and the drums are heavy when they want to be. Most importantly, this is an album that will impress fans who enjoy bands like Arch Enemy and In Flames, but also has something which will appeal to fans of lighter metal. This is an album that has Swedish influence all over it, and it will surely be another addition to the Swedish melodic death metal legacy.
Dark Tranquillity: Endtime Signals – Out 16th August 2024 (Century Media Records)
TRANQUILLITY – The Last Imagination (VISUALIZER VIDEO) (youtube.com)
