Dark Tranquillity – Haven (2000, Sweden)
Our next spotlight is on number 185 on The List, submitted by HauntedOwlbear.
I’m Canadian and a publishing/copy editor by trade, and yet I had no idea until encountering this album that there are two spellings of the second word in the band name: the single el’ed tranquility (i.e., what I previously thought was the only spelling) being the American spelling, the double el’ed tranquillity being the British/Canadian (i.e., correct, for me) spelling. But I digress.
Formed in 1989 and originally named Septic Broiler, Dark Tranquillity is considered to be one of the pioneering bands of the melodic death metal genre specifically, and of the Gothenburg metal scene in general, alongside (the recently departed Tomas Lindberg’s) At The Gates and In Flames. Dark Traquillity’s second LP, The Gallery (1995) is particularly seen as highly influential to the genre.
By the time we get to this album – their fifth – piano/keyboard and electronics as well as some clean vocals had already been added to their death metal sound. And this album is essentially exactly what it says on the box. It’s dark and melancholic yet tranquil in its epic yet subtle approach, a mix that I find rather uplifting if not hopeful, creating a nice little metal haven to hide in for the remainder of this craptastic year. And the band is still going strong (albeit with only singer Mikael Stanne and keyboardist Martin Brändström remaining from Haven‘s lineup), having released their 13th LP Endtime Signals just last year. So, if you enjoy what you hear here, you have a lot of darkly tranquil albums to disappear into for as long as you need.
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1001 Other Albums
1001 Other Albums
