Audio CD review:
Dark Tranquillity - The Gallery

Dark Tranquillity - The Gallery

Band: Dark Tranquillity Title: The Gallery Rating: Release Date: Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: Punish My Heaven 2: Silence, and the Firmament Withdrew 3: Edenspring 4: Dividing Line 5: Gallery 6: One Brooding Warning 7: Midway Through Infinity 8: Lethe 9: Emptiness from Which I Fed 10: Mine Is the Grandeur 11: ...Of Melancholy Burning

Customer Reviews Near perfection It is a masterpiece, a neo-classical symphony of chaos. This album is Dark Tranquillity's finest moment, and quite possibly the best album of the entire melodic death genre. Mikael Stanne's vocals are the best in the business - his growls are so expressive. Throughout 'The Gallery', his vocals are slightly higher, more raspy screams, than the booming growls of other DT albums, portraying pure anguish and pain. This mood is enhanced by the bleak, existential lyrics. Virtually all the songs on this album are unpredictable and free-form, with guitarists Sundin and Johansson playing off each other with the dexterity of jazz musicians. Yet this experimentation is not so extreme as to reduce the effectiveness of the songs - each song has a particularly character and emotion which is maintained even through the most unexpected stylistic turns. 'Punish My Heaven' is a searing opener, rabid and ferocious, whilst in contrast, the second track 'Silence, And the Firmament Withdrew' is a slower, symphonic piece. 'Lethe' would be best described as a death-ballad and is one of the most tortured pieces of music I have ever heard. 'The Dividing Line' begins with a heavy groove, before going pedal to the metal for the last two minutes. My favourite track, though, would have to be the insanely chaotic 'One Brooding Warning'. Can't wait for the new album 'Character' - it promises to be as good as anything DT has ever done. So close to being unforgettable You have a band creating music that is so harsh and at the same time melodic, that really along with In Flames and At The Gates, nothing like this had been done before. This album is an enigma of neo classical death metal. What makes this so hard to review is that besides album Highlites: Punish My Heaven, Silence, And the Firmament Withdrew, The Gallery, and cheesy yet moving Lethe, the album leaves the listener with forgettable filler. Stanne falters when left to himself to compose lyrics and ends up sounding clumsy and incomplete in the songs not co-written by Niklas Sundin. Oh but how Punish My Heaven tears the heart out of ANYTHING in the extreme music genre. The album is worth listening to if only for that first emotionally blasting scream from Mikael Stanne that ends in a perfectly executed outro of lamenting keys that eerily recalls Epic by Faith No More. A must own for fans of the "Gothenberg Sound" and a must listen to for any fan of extreme metal. what's wrong with you?! Well, that's not true. this is the _only_ Dark Tranquility album. It is quite possibly the best though. These guys invented the Gothenburg sound along with At The Gates, In Flames, Carcass, and maybe someone else, so please love them! Keep it true- not nu. . You can see a complete list of all Dark Tranquillity discography, or go back to the Dark Tranquillity tabs