Artist: Dark Tranquillity
Label: Century Media
Release Date: 7/25/00
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Title: Haven Artist: Dark Tranquillity Label: Century Media Release Date: 7/25/00 |
Judgment Committee Reviews | Rating |
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Abyss's Review:
O.K. this is where the Gothenburg scene sees how they measure up. Now that the explosion of melodic Death seems to be progressing, the innovators will survive, and everyone else will fade away. This band should need no introduction because, along with In Flames and At The Gates, these guys basically invented this scene. Let's face it, there are three truly classic albums in this genre. In Flames- The Jester Race, At The Gates- Slaughter of the Soul, and Dark Tranquillity- The Gallery.
"This album picks up musically right where the last one left off." Anyone who has watched the progress of this band knows that their sound has changed considerably since that masterpiece, and while this album has no lyric as fun to scream out as "That's right… You'll suffer my punishment!", the new, more polished D.T. isn't without merit. Last year's Projector showcased a band that experimented with a plethora of different sounds, clean vocals, and a less aggressive general sound. This album picks up musically right where the last one left off. The guitars have been slowed down a bit, but are still very thick, and the use of keyboards and clean guitar passages is still becoming more and more prominent. This album does, however, utilize some unique techniques to prevent this album from sounding any less heavy.
The clean vocals that were very prominent in their last effort are all but gone on this release. I don't think there are any clean vocals until the final track, actually. This helps keep the true metal head involved, and balances some of the more ambitious sound progressions. The keyboards and drums sometime sound as though they could have just as easily been in an eighties new wave or pop band, but the guitars, while undeniably less aggressive, thicken the mix up and keep this sound from straying too far. The guitars are heavy, but sometimes slower than would be expected, and the riffs themselves don't seem to be used to drive the song, but seem more as an accompaniment. Normally this would spell disaster for me, but it's been done here about as well as it can be.
"If their last album lost you a bit, this one might help you bridge back to it, and if you (like me) really liked Projector, this album won't disappoint." Dark Tranquillity continue to be a leader in this genre, and as the genre and the band evolve, their commitment to making thorough, ground-breaking albums, will lead to greater and greater acceptance of this music. If their last album lost you a bit, this one might help you bridge back to it, and if you (like me) really liked Projector, this album won't disappoint.
Death's Review:
With the impending releases of new albums from both In Flames and Dark Tranquillity, let's pause for a minute to reflect on the current state of the well-documented Gothenberg movement. Is it over, having already peaked a couple of years back, left to suffer in mediocrity at the hands of dozens of uninspired nu-Gothenberg acts? Or is the scene still solid, churning out consistently melodic yet unabashedly aggressive, quality heavy metal at regular intervals? Or is the Gothenberg scene, perhaps instead, on the verge of scaling new heights of grandeur and influence, now defined by its clear veteran leadership which continues to create adventurous and interesting material - bands who each have grown beyond the "Gothenberg" label but retain a core commonality sufficient to justify their continued association with one another?
"The album is bold, adventurous, and interesting metal." Albums like Haven make you think that answer may be the last. The album is bold, adventurous, and interesting metal. On the down side, the occasional pushing of its boundaries into boogie-wonderland synth experimentation time, even if only ever so mildly and briefly, rings questionable, to be kind. But the album as a whole works, kinda coming across as In Flames meets Arch Enemy meets Amorphis. This is pretty cool metal, and although the songwriting and overall impact may be dwarfed by their peers in In Flames, Dark Tranquillity are important practitioners of the metallic arts who have delivered an accomplished work they can be proud of.
Hel's Review:
This album contains all the elements that I find interesting and exciting in metal today. It is something I would be listening to outside of my role as music critic. It contains all sorts of cool melodies, crazy arrangements, layers upon levels, and interesting lyrics to boot. Because I always try to be reluctant to give out great scores, I've been thinking a lot about whether or not I can find fault with this effort. So of course by thinking about it, I'm looking for it. And so I've listened to it maybe ten times today. And I still want to listen some more. Consider that.
Songs like, "The Wonders at Your Feet" and "Indifferent Suns" are actually infectiously catchy in a good way. Do I even need to say the "G" word? Yes, it is that, but much more so as well. The additional instrumentation is seamlessly melded with the more traditional elements of the band. The result is that intricacy I mentioned, a fun complex mass of sound to wander through.
"This album contains all the elements that I find interesting and exciting in metal today." For example, I like the strings during "The Same" - each time it caught my attention, so much so, it may be my favorite, and perhaps most epic on the album. There is a grand variety of music on Haven to entertain and enjoy. You'll never get away with saying that all the songs sound the same, or at least not around me.
I had a great time with this album while preparing to write this review. That is the primary thing I'm taking away today. Don't ask me how this stacks up against other Dark Tranquility albums, you should know by now that I'm not big on making those distinctions. Go bother Abyss, if that's what you want to know... But for god's sake, go buy this record.
"For god's sake, go buy this record."
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