Dark Tranquillity's 'Endtime Signals' - Album Review

I recently mentioned in my review of Orden Ogan's latest release The Order of Fear (which can be read here) that it was somewhat surprising that I had not properly covered the band before on this blog. Despite being a pretty big power metal fan, the German five-piece had always slipped through the net - largely as they just generally had never really clicked with me in a significant way. They had been a pretty big power metal omission here over the years, though, so it was good to finally delve into one of their albums. Another similar omission here are the Swedish melodic death metal legends Dark Tranquillity. I may not be as much a melodic death metal fan as I am a power metal fan but, nevertheless, I have covered quite a bit of the former on this blog over the years - and would consider myself quite a big fan of the genre. My love of melodic death metal has only increased over the years, too, alongside my greater appreciation of extreme metal more generally - but even before I started to experiment more with much heavier music I was listening to melodic death metal. I have been a fan of Arch Enemy and Children of Bodom for a long time at this point - with bands like In Flames and Soilwork also ranking pretty highly, alongside classics of the genre such as At the Gates and Carcass. Dark Tranquillity have largely always been conspicuous by their absence in my CD collection, though. I picked up 2007's Fiction some years ago, but I only gave it a cursory listen before moving onto other things. It clearly did not grab me at the time and I think that it is fair to say that Dark Tranquillity's take on melodic death metal is pretty different from those bands already mentioned - with the exception, at times, of Soilwork. Looking back, it is hard to see why I did not connect with Dark Tranquillity originally. They are certainly one of the most melancholic and melodic bands from the melodic death metal scene - with a strong gothic influence which includes a lot of keyboards and plenty of clean vocals. Over the past year or so, since seeing them at the 2022 iteration of Bloodstock Open Air, I have started to get into the band in quite a big way. I have not heard all of their albums, as they have quite a few of them, but what I have heard I have really enjoyed - so it was time to jump on the new album bandwagon and review them here. Their thirteenth album, Endtime Signals, was released earlier in the month - and it is their first in four years, following 2020's Moment. It is also an album which sees a rather new-look version of the band - which leaves frontman Mikael Stanne as the only original member left. Original drummer Anders Jivarp and bassist since 2015 Anders Iwers both left the band in 2021, with guitarist Christopher Amott, who had been in the band since 2020, also departing in 2023. These changes leave Stanne and keyboard player since 1999 Martin Brändström the only long-standing members of Dark Tranquillity, with guitarist Johan Reinholdz having also joined in 2020 alongside Amott. Previous line-up changes throughout the late 2010s saw other long-time members leave, too, so the Dark Tranquillity of today is quite a bit different from that of a few years ago. Endtime Signals sees the debuts of two new members, then, with bassist Christian Jansson (Pagandom; Grand Cadaver) and drummer Joakim Strandberg-Nilsson (Faithful Darkness; In Mourning) both coming aboard in 2022. Reinholdz handles all of the album's guitars, meaning that the album was recorded as a five-piece rather than the band's typical six-piece configuration.

Despite these changes, though, Endtime Signals does not see the band significantly change their approach - particularly compared to their last couple of releases, which share a very similar sound and art style. The similarities go back further, but this recent run of albums feel like a loose trilogy in a number of ways - and with Brändström handling the production as well as sharing most of the songwriting with Stanne and Reinholdz there is continuity despite losing the songwriting talents of Jivarp. To cement this similarity, the album opens with the mid-paced and atmospheric Shivers and Voids - a powerful song which opens with melancholic clean guitars before a snare roll introduces a staccato guitar trill which acts as something of a main riff. Dark Tranquillity are not a band for razor sharp riffing, at least regularly, and their overall sound is generally pretty smooth. There are plenty of riffs throughout the album, though, and there is an excellent riffy post-chorus section later in the song, but generally the band go for more of a rounded approach - with crunchy verses backed by keyboards allowing Stanne's growls to shine early on, before a melodic chorus sees a guitar lead float away behind some big vocal hooks. There is still plenty of crunch despite the band's approach to guitar riffing being different from the norm and Reinholdz still gets plenty of opportunity to showcase his melodic style - either through soaring leads or via his soloing, which in this song is busy and hooky. The opening track is very much classic Dark Tranquillity, then, but the second piece Unforgivable ups the pace somewhat and does actually go for a more intense and classic melodic death metal sound. It is a track which showcases the talents of Strandberg-Nilsson early on as it opens with a big drum barrage - whilst the verses are fast-paced with plenty of fast footwork. Reinholdz's riffing here is much more venomous than is typical, whilst the keyboards take more of a backseat. There is still plenty of atmosphere, though, especially during the chorus which slows the pace, ups the keyboards, and throws in a melodic guitar hook, but generally the song feels much heavier and more overtly extreme metal influenced - even if clean guitars are still utilised for depth. Stanne sounds as good as ever and, in my view, he has lost little of his power over the years. The faster track showcases he can still spit lyrics out with real venom - even if he tends to rein it in a little more these days. Neuronal Fire returns more to the band's classic sound, with gothic textures reigning supreme. The song's opening feels lush, with keyboards and guitar hooks forming a real melodic tapestry under which the rhythm section provide some crunch - but the verses are a little more stripped back to favour the guitars. There is a bit more of a toughness to the verses, then, but I do feel that the band gradually grow towards the chorus - with the synths creeping back in before the opening musical motif is reprised to form a chorus hook. The song is perhaps not quite as memorable as the opening two tracks, but Reinholdz throws in a speedy solo - and the track is another strong one overall.

Not Nothing is the first song on the album to feature Stanne's clean vocals - and it is one of the smoothest and most melodic pieces here overall. Stanne excels at both vocal styles and his clean vocals are very reminiscent of gothic singers of the 1980s - his rich baritone suiting the band's atmospheric sound. The track opens with a slow-burning verse, which features Stanne singing clean over some slow guitars, but once the rest of the band crash in he starts to growl again - and the band rock a little harder as the chorus is approached. Given that parts of the verses are sung clean, the chorus feels heavier than some of the more melodic parts of the song - but the harsh vocal hooks are still easy to latch onto. The mix of vocal styles helps the verses to feel like they expand as the song moves along, too, with melodic sections sitting nicely side-by-side with riffier moments - whilst ringing piano notes and a more straight ahead groove backs the chorus. Drowned-Out Voices ups the heaviness again quite a bit. It is not as fast-paced as a song like Unforgivable, but it certainly feels much more overtly metallic - and the riffing from Reinholdz really dominates. The opening guitar riff has a real grinding quality to it, with extreme metal trills for impact, whilst the song is another which allows Strandberg-Nilsson to lay into his double bass drums on occasion. The song is largely still pretty mid-paced, though, although the verses do speed up as the chorus is reached - with a later section feeling thrashier with a metalcore-esque guitar hook behind it. These moments are fairly short lived, though, as the chorus soon crashes in to return to the band's more trademark sound - with the keyboards coming back in a big way. Stanne goes for a bit of a different vocal style during the choruses, too, with more of a deeper grunting style fitting in with the song's heavier overall feel - whilst some harmonies are also used nicely for effect. This is not something which the band make use of regularly but it works in the context of the song - and contrasts nicely with the clean-sung bridge which briefly slows things down considerably. One of Us Is Gone is the first of two songs here to be co-written by a former member - with the late Fredrik Johansson, who played guitar in the band between 1993 and 1999, credited. Johansson died from cancer in 2022, so I am unsure if the band used an old idea of his as something of a tribute to him or whether this was something he wrote with the band more recently before he died - but either way it is nice to see him credited here. Perhaps fittingly, too, the song is a clean-sung ballad - and a really melodic, atmospheric piece. It is pretty different to everything on the album up to this point, but the band have done songs like this before - and it still retains their classic sound. Crunchy guitars are used when needed, and there are some faster instrumental sections later which feature Brändström's keyboards in a big way as well as some strings, but generally the track is a slow-burn - with plenty of emotional vocals from Stanne which fit nicely within the song's atmospheric and dense context.

The Last Imagination feels at first as if it is going to be another slower piece, as it opens quite atmospherically, but in general the song is another pretty typical Dark Tranquillity number which exhibits their core sound. It is perhaps a little riffier in places, and the main verses feeling a little more grinding than is typical thanks to Reinholdz's riffing but, as is typical, the atmospherics tend to build as the chorus is approached - with Brändström's ringing piano notes taking over once the chorus is started. Stanne's vocals during the chorus feel a little throatier than usual, which contrasts nicely with the dominant piano, but the vocal hooks are as integral as ever - and it is good to see Stanne shaking it up a little bit vocally as it helps the album to feel quite dynamic. Lots of the songs here follow a long-established template at this point, but the band have cultivated this sound over a number of years and there is no-one else that really does this brand of melodic death metal quite like Dark Tranquillity. Upping the pace again, though, is Enforced Perspective. Like Unforgivable, it is a song which feels a bit more overtly extreme metal in character - and the guitars are very much the driving force here, despite a pretty hooky synth melody being utilised throughout. The riffing feels much busier and more varied here - with the guitars generally cutting through the mix and moving beyond their typical role of providing a tough rhythm. There are some pretty snappy riffs early on, then, and Reinholdz's later solo is also much more shred-happy. Dark Tranquillity are generally a band which prefer a more understated guitar style, which works so well from a melodic perspective, but they still like to cut loose occasionally and lean into their Gothenburg routes in a big way. This song feels like it could have come out of the 1990s save for the flashy synth leads - with the riffing and soloing being big highlights of the fast-paced and much more venomous piece. Our Disconnect is much more typical, though, with Brändström's warm synths opening up the track as Strandberg-Nilsson lays down a percussive drum pattern around these leads. The song feels pretty rhythmic early on, then, and this is only reinforced once the guitars kick in and the drum pattern becomes faster and more metallic. The song grows in stature early on, then, but generally this is a very synth-heavy piece - with the overall mix favouring space and atmosphere over heaviness. The guitars still provide crunch, with the verses permeated with staccato guitar stabs as the synths shimmer away, but generally this a song which showcases Brändström's songwriting and production style. The chorus again is filled with ringing piano notes, building on the synths from earlier, whilst Stanne uses the space in the mix to sound really powerful - especially during a bridge section before Reinholdz's solo.

Wayward Eyes is another track which sees like it might open in a slower fashion, as it seems quite atmospheric early on, but it is generally another pretty typical mid-paced track - even though the clean-sung chorus is certainly one of the album's smoothest and even most anthemic moments. Dark Tranquillity are generally too melancholic to be genuinely anthemic, but the vocal hooks during the chorus here do feel a bit more up-tempo and it is hard not to be grabbed by Stanne's rich delivery - even if he still sounds very mournful. Elsewhere, though, the song is pretty crunchy and the chorus is still weighty despite the clean vocals. It is perhaps not as busy in terms of guitar weight, but the ringing chords give the chorus an expansive and cinematic sound - with later renditions seeing a guitar lead added, too, for extra depth. A Bleaker Sun is another somewhat heavier piece, with an opening riff which reminds me a little bit of the simpler end of Nevermore. The riff is certainly a bit more intense and progressive-sounding than the band's general approach, but the song is pretty typical after this opening guitar salvo - and it is another expansive piece with a slower chorus to allow for some big vocal hooks and verses which feel slightly more thrashy thanks to some double bass drumming and a simplified version of the opening riff. The chorus is another winner with some warm keyboard melodies and a mix which nicely separates all of the instruments - before the early progressive touches are expanded on by Reinholdz during his solo section which sees the pace slow down to allow him to deliver a slow-burning and spacey run of notes. The album then comes to a close with False Reflection, the other song to be co-written by a former member - this time founding guitarist Niklas Sundin who left the band in 2020. Sundin is still close to the band, though, and remains responsible for all of their artwork - so I imagine this was an idea he threw their way recently. Funnily enough, both of the collaborations with previous members are ballads - with False Reflection being quite similar to One of Us Is Gone - minus the strings. Piano and clean guitar melodies are very much the main driving forces this time, then, but the real star is Stanne. I do not think that he gets enough credit generally for his clean vocals. Clearly he is known for his growls, but he has really expanded his vocal delivery over the years - and his singing here as good as many non-growlers. His calm delivery sits nicely alongside the atmospherically dense synths and guitars - and moments which feature more drive from the rhythm section give the song a bit more of a kick when needed. Closing an album with a ballad does not always work, but I think it does in this case - and the emotional piece channels the band's usual vibes whilst it winds down. Being that this is the first Dark Tranquillity album which I have properly digested, I have really enjoyed the journey. I am glad to have finally got into the band properly - and there are still plenty of other albums I need to get and listen to. Fans of the band's inimitable style will find plenty to love here, though, and it will likely be welcome that the line-up changes have not led to a significant shift in sound.

The album was released on 16th August 2024 via Century Media Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Unforgivable.