Review: “Moment” by Dark Tranquillity

At this point in their careers it’s safe to say that the legacy of Swedish Melodic Death Metallers Dark Tranquillity as one of the cornerstones of the Gothenburg sound is set in stone. The only question is whether the band can continue to produce music worthy of that legacy as they reach their twelfth studio album “Moment“. To that end, they have taken their time over crafting it, taking advantage of Rogue Music, the studio of their electronics guru Martin Brändström. They’ve welcomed a pair of high caliber guitarists into the fold in Christopher Amott (ex-Arch Enemy) and Johan Reinholdz (Nonexist) and as it has been four years since their Swedish Grammy-nominated album “Atoma” it seems the time is right and the stage is set…

Opening track “Phantom Days” was the first single that we heard from “Moment“, released a couple of months before the record and it seems only fitting that it introduces the album. Vocalist Mikael Stanne has lost none of his cutting edge when it comes to the dark uncleans and the almost symphonic syncopation between the guitarists for the leads and melodies enforces the notion that they are a sublime combination and enhances their collective reputations. The wordy “Transient” offers an intelligent depiction of humanities ruin with an undercurrent of social awareness that is backed by some thunderous rhythms and vibrant leads that bleeds into “Identical to None” with a seamless flow, playing perfect partners. There is a desire for Amott in particular to deliver something a little fresher when it comes to some of the guitar work here but instead he works in keeping with the bands heritage and sound, which pays dividends for long term fans. He does however let go for an elongated solo during the meloncholy “The Dark Unbroken“, the first song on the record to see clean vocals and these are particularly achingly delivered.

“Remain In The Unknown” then builds on those clean vocal moments with a clean opening verse which Stanne then shatters like glass with some throat ripping Black Metal uncleans that have a little more edge than he offers in the earlier cuts. By this point it becomes clear that what Dark Tranquillity have done is create an album that could have come out in 2013 as there is a clear stylistic continuation from 2010’s “We are the Void” and the aforementioned 2016 album “Atoma“. Both of those records are solid in their own right, even if lyrically the introspective nature of the former means it loses some of its technicolour glory over time. Mid album cut “Standstill” sees a greater amount of keyboard injection to bolster the sound and might have been better titled “Frozen In Time“. That enhanced elwctroncia continues into “Ego Deception” which also turns up the riffs with more satisfying chug than the meandering “Standstill” and it becomes obvious how the early 2000 Metalcore sound developed from the Gothenburg sound based on this track alone, there is a certain quality of riff that the likes of Killswitch Engage have been influenced by within this and as one of the heavier tracks it has much more going on in it guitars wise. The triumphant gallop of “A Drawn Out Exit” would make it ideal on a film soundtrack, a stand out adrenaline rush of a cut and a head bangers delight.

Switching back to partial clean vocals which gives Stanne an angel and devil style opposing voices on the shoulders, “Eyes Of The World” is lyrically well crafted making it hard to tell if he’s referring to the eyes being upon his band or upon someone or something else. Either way the script is ripped up by another vibrant elongated solo that puts down the gauntlet for the genre. “Failstate” is the kind of song that In Flames wish they could produce in 2020, the perfect blend of synths and guitars and with a catchy sing-a-long chorus “to the tune of the apocalypse” being the words that beg to be sung by fans at shows. It too has time for a solid solo and makes for a stand out cut on the record as a whole. “Empires Lost Into Time” builds on the strengths of “Failstate” though perhaps suffers from it’s positioning on the album over multiple listens while the apocalyptic “In Truth Divided” sings a sorry tale of woe that has a heart of dark 80’s synth pop reminiscent of Paradise Lost. Fortunately there is enough guitar work to carry it though it perhaps falls short of the bleak apocalyptic grandeur that was intended. Overall a solid addition to the previous work of a band who some may have considered to have lost some of their edge [7/10]

Track listing

1. Phantom Days
2. Transient
3. Identical To None
4. The Dark Unbroken
5. Remain In The Unknown
6. Standstill
7. Ego Deception
8. A Drawn Out Exit
9. Eyes Of The World
10. Failstate
11. Empires Lost Into Time
12. In Truth Divided

“Moment” by Dark Tranquillity is out 20th November via Century Media