Artist: Dark Tranquillity
Label: Spinefarm Records
Release Date: 1993
Rating: 3 Skulls
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Title: Skydancer Artist: Dark Tranquillity Label: Spinefarm Records Release Date: 1993
Rating: 3 Skulls |
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Reviewed by Solomon:
Dark Tranquillity is a landmark group who, together with several other Scandinavian acts such as At The Gates and In Flames, helped form the "melodic death metal" movement of the early to mid-90's. Also known as the "Gothenburg" sound, a handful of Swedish bands took the churning crunch of death metal and mixed it with a supreme reverence for the guitar harmonies of Iron Maiden and Metallica to create a style that has been a staple in underground metal throughout the last decade. This marriage of melody and punch shines through brightly on DT's debut full-length, Skydancer, although the results here, in my opinion, were only a hint at what was to come.Skydancer has its moments, but I find a lot of the content to be unfulfilling. My exposure to this band has been limited, but I have to say Projector is HUGE in my mind as being a standout example of where this line of thinking can lead when giving the proper time to blossom. Sure, many people think Mikael Stanne went a little too far with the clean vocals on Projector ("Depeche" Tranquillity?), and I agree his somewhere-between-the-throat-and-nasal-passages timbre can seem a little silly at times, but what a great melodic metal record that one was. I knew Skydancer was going to be rougher, but I think Projector spoiled it for me. The mostly gruff vocal attack and the barrage of "aaa-ggg-eee"-type guitar toolings never really hit home. The guitar work on Skydancer is complex and shows talent, but the band really shines when they take time to breathe. The guitar/percussion intro of "A Bolt of Blazing Gold" is good, and the acoustic outro (6:18) is excellent. Not surprisingly, "Through Ebony Archways" is my baby, even if the vocals are a bit rough in spots, but the clean vocals and acoustics are majestic, and the electric line that comes in later (2:27) is a welcome compliment to the song. I really wanted to like this record more, considering the hallowed name involved, but Skydancer doesn't quite do it for me. I think bands like DT and In Flames started out with the right formula and, judging from Projector and Clayman, have become catchier, more melodic, and are just producing better music. Nevertheless, Skydancer is a piece of history worth checking out, even if only for the sake of seeing where things began.
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