Search - Dark Tranquility :: Gallery

"Welcome to (the) exhibition."

Barry Dejasu | Rehoboth, Massachusetts | 05/13/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Much like the title implies, Dark Tranquillity's sophomore effort is much like a gallery: it is a collection of various forms of art. The entire album - songs, instrumental performances, vocal performances, and the overall vibe - follows atypical stylings. Scandinavian folk is one of the more obvious influences upon this album. Songs are built in movements as opposed to more typical structures, adding a sort of classical feel to the music. _The Gallery_ has all of these qualities, and still manages to incorporate enough aggression and energy to be considered a heavy metal album.



The lineup here is composed of five musicians who are all highly talented at what they do. Fredrick Johansson and Niklas Sundin play nearlly all of the guitars on this album, save for most of the acoustic/clean electric parts, which are played by bassist Martin Henriksson. This is interesting, because later in Dark Tranquillity's career, Henriksson would replace Johansson on guitars. While the guitars are, of course, very prominent (Dark Tranquillity are a kind of metal band, after all), the drums and bass refuse to be lost in the mix. Henriksson plays crafty, often complex melodies which rather frequently push through even the heaviest guitar riffs. And drummer Anders Jivarp is both thunderous and intricate, managing to finely complement the band's heavier moments without creating over-emphasized bouts of double-bass/snare flurries which many a metal drummer will often overdo.



There are also several moments of guest work on this album. One of these is from the producer, the ever-hard-working Fredrick Nordström, who adds keyboards and piano to several songs. Frasse Franzén plays the timpani on "Mine is the Grandeur..." And of course, special guest Eva-Marie Larsson performs all female vocals on this album. For their first four albums (_Skydancer_, _The Gallery_, _The Mind's I_, and _Projector_), the band has had four respective guest female vocalists, each with their own highly unique styles. Eva-Marie performs the most out of all of these, adding her powerful voice to "Lethe," "...Of Melancholy Burning," and of course, the title track (where she makes an poignantly emotional and poignant performance).



_The Gallery_ is the first album to feature Mikael Stanne on lead vocals (he used to be a guitarist, before their former lead singer, Anders Fridén, left the band to front fellow Gothenburg band In Flames), _The Gallery_ sports highly elaborate lyrics. Gothic and cosmic imagery dominate Mikael's words, with a sense of dismal despair and tragedy throughout. It is with Mikael Stanne's voice that his lyrics truly come alive, and it becomes evident that the lyrics/vocals to this band are a far cry from those of the typical metal band. Mikael has an impressive range in his pseudo-death metal voice, ranging from snarls of fury to howls of pure despair; he is definitely one of the most emotional vocalists in a band of this nature. There is also a brief moment of his clean voice, performed as the climax of opener "Punish My Heaven," where he belts out the last two words of a nerve-shattering howl: "...it's the choice between heaven...AND HELL!"



The guitars are heavy, of course, but with a sort of dazzling, animated animosity which is atypical to many a metal band. For instance, after the intro melody to "The Dividing Line," there are several jagged guitar riffs which create an unmistakable metal vibe. However, even this song succumbs to Dark Tranquillity's brilliance, especially in the bridge, where the guitars howl a beautiful harmony. This band has mastered the art of being heavy for art's sake, so to speak.



And not all of the guitars are heavy, either - just listen to the intro to the title track, with the acoustic strums and clean electric leads. "Mine is the Grandeur...," prelude to album closer "...Of Melancholy Burning," sports three acoustic guitar tracks, all perfectly harmonizing their melodies in a Latin-stylized theme, accompanied by the thundering of timpani beats. This latter track is built upon a series of melodic leads, with a sweeping, yet delicate, theme which evokes a brooding feeling of tragedy, especially with Eva-Marie Larsson's uplifting vocal delivery creating an epic-feeling climax. There is also a brief acoustic guitar finale, both complimenting the song as well as its prelude.



On "Edenspring," the music starts as a relaxed bass melody (played over a scintillating cymbal rhythm) into a series of loud, fast-paced tremolo riffs, with a terrific, desperate howl from Mikael. During the bridge, the heaviness fades and a brief but effectively somber piano solo appears. Then a twin-guitar harmony spills in, weaving a delicate lead before the two instruments split back into the main melody.



"Lethe" starts with a five-string bass chord progression, played in a low-key fashion which carries a sort of dark, yet lyrical, vibe. Then heavy guitars roar in (harmonizing well with the bass melody, as opposed to completely obscuring it), and the song builds in structure from there.



To listen to the album is to behold Dark Tranquillity's true power. True as the title implies, this is Dark Tranquillity's _Gallery_ of darkly beautiful music at its best. _The Gallery_ is, without a doubt, a masterpiece."

An Essential Stepping Stone of the Melodic Death Genre.

Sunshine the Werewolf | Canada | 03/01/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"DARK TRANQUILLITY - The Gallery

-

It was 1995, Grunge had a firm foothold in North America... but in Scandinavia a different type of music was brewing...

Dark Tranquillity's `The Gallery' was released as with landmark releases by fellow Swedes Opeth (Orchid), At the Gates (Slaughter of the Soul) and In Flames (Jester's Race).

-1995 was the Year Gothenburg began.



From start to finish, The Gallery is a vicious album and even though it never received the same attention as the other 3 albums it honestly should have... Combining some of the finest Melodies ever heard with Stanne's serrated growls. Sadly, DT seem to get overlooked all to often... their latest disc `Character' is one of the finest releases in the Melo-Death Scene and it was only moderately received.

Either way, this is not an album that should be overlooked!!! If you like Melodic Death and do not have this disc, you are missing one of the essential stepping stones of the genre.



Favorite Tracks: The One Brooding Warning, Punish My Heaven and Edenspring.

-4.5 Stars





IF YOU LIKED, AGREED OR APPRECIATED THIS. PLEASE CLICK YES FOR:

"Was this review helpful?"

"

Such beauty...

TheDarkPrince | Scotland | 06/10/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

""The Gallery" is the jewel in the crown of Dark Tranquillity's god-like back catalogue, and given the quality of the competition, that's saying something. Whenever I listen to it, I'm always amazed at how such a powerful, emotive, sensual piece of art can exist. Make no mistake; this is not only the greatest album ever to emerge from the Gothenburg scene. "The Gallery" is almost as close to perfection as music can be.



The real brilliance of "The Gallery" does not lie in technical skill, although to say that the likes of Niklas Sundin and Anders Jivarp are unskilled would be completely untrue. Datk Tranquillity's real genius lies in their arrangements and songwriting. This may seem like a bold statement, but I believe that in these areas, Dark Tranquillity are unmatched. Not even Opeth, who are renowned for writing songs which rival classical symphonies, can match Dark Tranquillity in this one area. The guitars, bass and drums here harmonise in a way so perfect that it's hard to believe they were written by mere humans. Each instrument compliments each other perfectly, none dominating but all contributing to the artistic beauty of "The Gallery." The guitars and bass (and you can actually hear the bass in this album - that's always a good sign), far from being an assault on the senses like so many other heavy metal albums before and since, consist mainly of tremolo picking, the tempo often varying, intertwining around each other to create a lush, melodic, organic atmosphere. Many other, lesser melodic death bands rely on synths almost exclusively to provide melody (Children Of Bodom, I'm looking at you) as a way to get around really putting their backs into making the arrangements work, but thankfully, Dark Tranquillity's melody comes from a higher work of musicianship. Occasionally acoustic guitars and pianos will also kick in to provide a softer interlude in songs like "Edenspring."



The drumming also deserves recognition as a feat of songwriting skill. Anders Jivarp's rhythms, rather than just using repetitive beats at a fixed tempo to provide the music with solidity, provides "The Gallery" with a third thread in it's weave of musicianship and establishes another layer in its melody. He makes full use of the toms and cymbals without disregarding the snare drum, with occasional bursts on the double bass pedal to add energy when the time is right. This is a heavy metal album after all.



And then of course, there's Mikael Stanne. On "The Gallery," he's at the top of his game, belting out agonised yet hauntingly emotive shrieks that put even his counterpart in At The Gates, Tomas Lindberg, to shame. There is a distinct similarity between him and Mikael Akerfeldt in the early days of Opeth. However, unlike Opeth, his voice sits at precisely the correct level in the mix; you can turn "The Gallery" up to a decent volume without the vocals becoming grating, but the chances of anyone considering them too quiet are precisely none. Female vocals performed by Eva-Marie Larsson can also be found on the tracks "The Gallery," "Lethe" and "...Of Melancholy Burning," which are very beautiful and near classical in tone. One notable moment is on "...Of Melancholy Burning," when one of Eva-Marie's oparetic calls slowly merges with a monstrous howl from Stanne, creating an odd, yet extremely cool effect.



I really don't have anything bad to say about this album. Each song is a masterpiece, a work of art each in it's own unique way. The only pity is that Dark Tranquillity never wrote anything like it again. In my own opinion, "The Gallery" is absolutely essential to anyone who enjoys music in any way shape or form, one of - if not THE - deepest, most layered, most rewarding albums you will ever hear. It is tangible proof that heavy metal is as much an art form as anything else."