Dark Tranquillity
is a melodic death metal band from Gothenburg, Sweden. They are one of the longest-standing bands from the original Gothenburg metal scene and one of the pioneers of the melodic death metal genre, along with In Flames and At the Gates.
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DARK TRANQUILLITY TICKETS
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Background
Skydancer (1989-1994)
Dark Tranquillity was formed in 1989 by
Mikael Stanne &
Niklas Sundin who looked at their influences then decided to form their own Band, under the name
Septic Broiler
as a
thrash metal band.
[1] Another reason for their formation was that they were bored so they decided to obtain the other three members
Anders Fridén, Anders Jivarp &
Martin Henriksson in which they all lived on the same street. Since its formation the band has had a fairly stable line-up. In 1990, the band recorded a demo cassette tape entitled
Enfeebled Earth
before they would change their name to Dark Tranquillity and change their musical style. It was followed by two more demos:
Trail of Life Decayed
(1991) and
A Moonclad Reflection
(1992) -- both of which were later remastered and re-released on
Exposures - In Retrospect and Denial
in 2004. In 1993,
Skydancer
was released, and
Anders Fridén, Dark Tranquillity's original lead vocalist, left the band and later joined
In Flames.
[2] Mikael Stanne, who formerly played rhythm guitar and provided backing vocals, then became the lead vocalist, and Fredrik Johansson was recruited to take over rhythm guitar duties.
The Gallery (1995-1996)
In 1995, Dark Tranquillity released
The Gallery
, considered a landmark in
melodic death metal, which saw the band tightening their production details to a great extent, and showed that the new line-up was an essential change that furthered the band as a whole.
The Mind's I (1997-1998)
In 1997,
The Mind's I was released, which saw a slight change in sound. Before the release of the band's 1999 album,
Projector
, Fredrik Johansson was asked to leave Dark Tranquillity due to his lack of devotion to the band.
Martin Henriksson then switched from playing bass to guitar to replace Johansson, and the band added Michael Nicklasson on bass and Martin Brändström on keyboards and electronics. At this point the band also signed to
Century Media Records. Until 2008, the band had remained stable in its line-up and its musical style; blending layers of rapid guitar lines with harmony-rich electronic keyboard washes and extremely precise rhythms underneath Stanne's abstract growled lyrics.
[3]
Projector (1999)
In 1999,
Projector
(later nominated for a
Swedish Grammy Award) became the fourth output from the band, and saw a change in songwriting. While retaining growled vocals and their signature death metal sound, pianos, baritone soft vocals, and verse-chorus fashion song structures were now integral parts of Dark Tranquillity's sound.
Haven (2000-2001)
Year 2000 saw the release of
Haven
which saw the addition of slight electric keyboard sounds, but also abandoned most all of the clean vocals in favor of a slightly heavier sound.
Damage Done (2002-2004)
Dark Tranquillity released
Damage Done
, and was intended to be a step in a heavier direction, adding thicker guitar distortion, deep atmospheric keyboards, and abandoning soft vocals altogether.
Character (2005-2006)
Character
was the seventh release from Dark Tranquillity, released in 2005, and was held in much critical praise. It featured the first music video released by Dark Tranquillity to feature the band itself, with the single "
Lost to Apathy."
Fiction (2007-Present)
In 2007,
Fiction
was released, which in turn, saw a return of Mikeal Stanne's clean vocals, and the first female guest vocalist since
Projector
. Dark Tranquillity have recently toured with
The Haunted,
Into Eternity, and
Scar Symmetry for the
North America Metal For The Masses Tour.
[4] They returned to the U.S. during the Spring of 2008 with
Arch Enemy. They have also toured the UK in early 2008 along with
Omnium Gatherum. They are preparing for a live DVD to be released sometime in 2009. On the band's official website they announced that bass guitarist Michael Nicklasson left the band in August 2008 due to personal reasons with no hard feelings between him and the band. On September 19, the band found a new bassist in
Dimension Zero guitarist
Daniel Antonsson, who also was a guitarist for
Soilwork. May 25, 2009 saw Reissues of
Projector,
Haven &
Damage Done.
Dark Tranquillity are currently in studio working on their 9th album which is expected to be released in 2010.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-QcYvhedck
Members
Throughout their 20 years active Dark Tranquillity have had only three line-up changes and 4 of the original members remain in the band to this day, although only Niklas Sundin and Anders Jivarp have maintained their original roles as lead guitarist and drummer respectively.
Current members
Name
| Instrument
| Membership
| Additional Information
|
Mikael Stanne
| vocals
| 1989-present
| Also played rhythm Guitar 1989-1994
|
Niklas Sundin
| lead guitar
| 1989-present
|
|
Martin Henriksson
| rhythm guitar
| 1989-present
| Originally played bass guitar until 1998.
|
Daniel Antonsson
| bass guitar
| 2008-present
| Former Soilwork guitarist
|
Anders Jivarp
| drums
| 1989-present
|
|
Martin Brändström
| electronics, piano
| 1998-present
|
Former members
Name
| Instrument
| Membership
| Reason for Departure and Current Project(s)
|
Anders Fridén
| vocals
| 1989-1994
| Now lead vocalist for In Flames
|
Fredrik Johansson
| rhythm guitar
| 1994-1998
| Asked to leave due to lack of devotion to the band.
|
Michael Nicklasson
| bass guitar
| 1998-2008
| Quit due to personal reasons, with no hard feelings between him and the band
|
Session members
- Robin Engström – drums (tour 2001)
Guest musicians
- Anna-Kajsa Avehall (Skydancer
)
- Eva-Marie Larsson (The Gallery
)
- Sara Svensson (The Mind's I
)
- Johanna Andersson (Projector
)
- Nell Sigland (Fiction
)
Discography
Studio albums
Title
| Release date
| Notes
| Label
|
Skydancer
| August 30, 1993
| Debut studio album which featured former member Anders Fridén of In Flames on vocals.
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- Spinefarm
- Century Media (re-release)
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The Gallery
| November 27, 1995
| Second studio album, first to feature Mikael Stanne on vocals and their first album produced by Fredrik Nordström, containing many melodic guitar passages, and female vocals in various places.
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- Osmose
- Century Media (re-release)
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The Mind's I
| April 21, 1997
| Third studio album, featuring a heavier sound and fewer melodic parts.
|
- Osmose
- Century Media (re-release)
|
Projector
| November 25, 1998
| Fourth studio album; an experimental release, featuring pianos in many places, and clean, baritone vocals in some parts. This was the last album before the line-up change.
| Century Media
|
Haven
| July 25, 2000
| Fifth studio album, which abandoned almost all clean vocals, and added many keyboard sounds.
| Century Media
|
Damage Done
| August 20, 2002
| Sixth studio album and their last to be produced by Fredrik Nordström. It incorporated many electronic keyboard sounds and atmospheres and started a new, 'heavier' sound reflected in the guitars, brought by Martin Henriksson.
| Century Media
|
Character
| January 24, 2005
| Seventh studio album, produced by the band itself. Credited [who?] to have showcased a new style of death metal, which contained guitars using thick, fast, and heavy style, futuristic and highly technical keyboard atmospheres, and Mikael Stanne's classic abstract growling.
| Century Media
|
Fiction
| April 17, 2007
| Eighth studio album, co-produced with Tue Madsen. Considered [who?] an album that blended all of their previous styles together.
| Century Media
|
Untitled 9th Album
| early 2010
|
| Century Media
|
EPs, MCDs and singles
- Of Chaos and Eternal Night
(MCD, 1995, Spinefarm)
- Enter Suicidal Angels
(MCD, 1996, Osmose)
- Lost to Apathy
(EP, 2004, Century Media)
- Focus Shift
(single, 2007, Century Media)
- Where Death Is Most Alive
(EP, 2009. Century Media)
Other albums
- Skydancer/Of Chaos and Eternal Night
(reissue, 2000)
- Exposures - In Retrospect and Denial
(compilation, 2004, Century Media)
- A Closer End
(bootleg compilation of rarities, 2008)
- Manifesto of Dark Tranquillity
(compilation, 2009, Century Media)
- Yesterworlds
(compilation, 2009, Century Media)
DVDs and videos
- Zodijackyl Light
(VHS, 1996, Osmose Productions)
- World Domination
(VHS, 1998, Osmose Productions)
- Live Damage
(DVD, 2003, Century Media)
- Where Death Is Most Alive
(DVD, 2009, Century Media)
Demos
- Enfeebled Earth
(1989, released under the name Septic Broiler)
- Trail of Life Decayed
(1991), (1992, re-release, Guttural Records)
- A Moonclad Reflection
(1992, Slaughter/Exhumed Records)
- Tranquillity
(1993, cassette compilation containing Trail of Life Decayed
and A Moonclad Reflection
, Carnage Records)
References
- "Dark Tranquility", ''Encyclopaedia Metallum''. Accessed on July 21, 2009
- Dark Tranquillity: Interview with Niklas Sundin
- Metal Israel Exclusive interview with Mikael Stanne
- Century Media Records