ALBUM REVIEW: Moment – Dark Tranquillity

Out of the three bands that make up the famous Gothenburg death metal trident, along with AT THE GATES and IN FLAMES, DARK TRANQUILLITY have arguably had the most consistent and impressive career. There’s been no massive dips in the quality of their output like IN FLAMES, nor have they had any lengthy hiatuses like AT THE GATES. They’ve just kept on trucking, producing consistently strong albums and relentlessly touring, all of which has turned them into a genuine cult band. 

Moment finds DARK TRANQUILLITY in a particularly reflective mood. Tonally, it follows the melodic, goth-infused path of their work over the last decade or so, utilising layers of bright keys and Mikael Stanne’s soaring, passionate vocals. The visceral momentum of their early work is still present, particularly on the front half of Moment, yet it’s almost always tempered with this sense of mournful melancholy. Of course this is nothing new for DARK TRANQUILLITY. Often referred to as ‘the masters of melancholy’ by their fanbase, the band have long possessed this undercurrent to their work. Yet on Moment, this aspect of their craft has been dialed up even further than it ever has before.

Remain In The Unknown is the most poignant example. Featuring Stanne’s strongest clean vocal work on the album, its anthemic structure is as gripping as it is emotionally-searing. By the time it reaches its towering climax, it has your heart in the palm of its hand. Lead single Phantom Days is another emotional highlight. Led by a traditional drive of linear Gothenburg metal, the track is deceptively complex in its construction, layered with subtle keys and structured around a chorus that seems to swell and burst as though the song itself is breathing in and out. 

What’s most intriguing about Moment, and especially noticeable in its most powerful tracks, is its strong thematic backbone. Stanne has described the album as being about “different paths taken” and interrogating the idea of what defines a moment, how it could be an epiphany, or the present here and now, or a specific point in history. Phantom Days is a meditation on grief and loss, about maintaining “clear and unbiased eyes” even if, in a moment, something drastic has changed. The Dark Unbroken shares this focus on “insight” and seems to be a portrayal of depression or anxiety, the “useless insight that sheds more light on the pain”. This focus on clear-mindedness across Moment is fascinating, as well as hugely relevant to our current times.

DARK TRANQUILLITY are at the point in their career where they have nothing left to prove. Their choice to tone down the aggression on Moment is a perfectly commendable one, and it generally pays off. There are a few songs that drag, such as Standstill and A Drawn Out Exit, where the melodicism becomes a touch plodding, otherwise the decision only helps deepen their famous melancholic sensibility. The masters have done it again, and their heart and soul proves an invigorating tonic to these days of anger and hatred.

Rating: 8/10

Moment is set for release on November 20th via Century Media Records.

Like DARK TRANQUILLITY on Facebook.