Dark Tranquility

Dark Tranquility
Dark Tranquility at the Hamburg Metal Dayz 2014
General information
origin	Gothenburg , Sweden
Genre (s)	Melodic Death Metal
founding	1989 (as Septic Broiler )
Website	darktranquillity.com
Founding members
singing	Anders Fridén (until 1993)
Electric guitar	Niklas Sundin (until 2020)
guitar	Mikael Stanne
Electric bass	Martin Henriksson (until 2016)
Drums	Jivarp is different
Current occupation
singing	Mikael Stanne (until 1993 guitar)
guitar	Christopher Amott (since 2020)
guitar	Johan Reinholdz (since 2020)
Electric bass	Anders Iwers (since 2016)
Keyboard	Martin Brändström (since 1999)
Drums	Jivarp is different
former members
guitar	Fredrik Johansson (1993–1999)
Bass, vocals	Michael Nicklasson (1998-2008)
bass	Daniel Antonsson (2008-2013)

Dark Tranquility is a melodic death metal band from Sweden . Along with In Flames , At the Gates and Soilwork, they are among the formative musicians of the so-called Gothenburg School of Melodic Death Metal. Dark Tranquility are under contract with the German record company Century Media and have released eleven studio albums, two DVDs and five EPs to date . The band has been nominated three times for the Swedish Grammis music award.

history

1989–1994: The beginnings and skydancer

Mikael Stanne

In December 1989 Anders Fridén ( vocals ), Niklas Sundin , Mikael Stanne ( guitar ), Martin Henriksson ( bass ), Anders Jivarp ( drums ) founded the band Septic Broiler. At first the band played Thrash Metal and in 1990 recorded the three-song demo Enfeebled Earth . Around 100 copies of the demo, which appeared on cassette , were distributed. A short time later the band changed their name to Dark Tranquility. At the same time the band changed their style to melodic death metal.

The band played their first concert in Gothenburg in October 1990 . In March 1991, the band recorded their second demo, Trail of Life Decayed, within three days . Dark Tranquility played other concerts with At the Gates and Dissection . A year later followed with the 7 " EP A Moonclad Reflection, the first record that brought the band a contract with the Finnish record company Spinefarm Records . In Eastern Europe a cassette called Tranquility , which contained the songs of the demos and the EP, was circulating in Eastern Europe .

In May and June 1993, Dark Tranquility recorded their first album Skydancer . After the recordings, Anders Fridén left the band due to musical differences and later joined In Flames . His successor was Mikael Stanne. Since he could not sing and play guitar at the same time, a new guitarist was brought into the band with Frederik Johansson. At that time the band played very few concerts.

1995–1998: The Gallery and The Mind's I

Niklas Sundin

In 1995 Dark Tranquility released the mini CD Of Chaos and Eternal Night . It was the first work in which Mikael Stanne could be heard as a singer. The producer was Frederik Nordström, who was to produce many of the band's other albums. At the same time the band signed a contract with the French label Osmose Productions . With The Gallery , the second full album was released in the same year. For the first time in the band's history, keyboards were used. In the middle part of the song "Punish My Heaven" Stanne worked with clear vocals for the first time.

In November 1995 the band played their first concert outside of Sweden in Cologne . Together with Six Feet Under , Dark Tranquility went on their first European tour. Through another tour with Impaled Nazarene and Cannibal Corpse , the band was able to increase its popularity. In 1996 a new studio album was recorded with The Mind's I. The release of the album had to be postponed, so that with Enter Suicidal Angels another mini-CD was released. The Mind's I followed in 1997. On this album, the band experimented for the first time with elements of electronic music.

Martin Henriksson

At the end of 1997 the band went on the "World Domination" tour through Europe with Enslaved and Bewitched , where Dark Tranquility first appeared as headliners . The concert in Essen on December 9, 1997 was recorded and published by Osmose as a double live album . In September 1998 the band recorded their next studio album. Since Frederik Johansson wanted to spend more time with his family, he left the band after the recordings were finished. Martin Henriksson switched from bass to guitar and Michael Nicklasson became the new bass player. Martin Brändström was heard on the keyboards for the first time. In 1999 he became a permanent member of the band.

1999-2001: Projector and Haven

The release of Projector was delayed several months. The contract with Osmose Records had expired and the record company didn't like the music on the new album at all. Various record companies then offered Dark Tranquility contracts. Even if the band received more lucrative offers, the German company Century Media was chosen . Unlike the competition, Century Media wanted to release the album as it is and did not ask for any faster songs.

Musically speaking, Projector turned out to be very experimental. The band worked with slower, melancholy passages and lots of electronic effects. Singer Mikael Stanne sang widely with a clear voice. The album received mixed reactions. While many old fans were disappointed, the band was able to win new followers. Projector was nominated for the Swedish Grammis Music Award. In autumn 1999, Dark Tranquility went on tour with In Flames, Children of Bodom and Arch Enemy .

After a short break, the fifth album Haven followed in July 2000 . The use of keyboards was further expanded, but the songs were musically a bit harder and less melancholy than on the previous one. Another tour with In Flames followed in the fall of that year. Other groups on the tour were Sentenced and To / Die / For . In winter, the first appearances in North America followed with two concerts in Mexico . Another concert in Sweden was broadcast live on a Swedish radio station .

Martin Brändström

In summer 2001 Dark Tranquility played at many European festivals. The performance at Wacken Open Air was originally intended to be recorded for a DVD . Nothing came of that because the festival cameramen were taking a lunch break during the performance. The first appearance in Turkey followed in October .

2002–2006: Damage Done and Character

After another break, the band recorded the sixth studio album Damage Done in February 2002 . Damage Done was released in July 2002 and showed a musical course correction. The music on the album goes back to the band's roots, but at the same time is more melodic than its predecessors. For the first time, a Dark Tranquility album made it into the German charts. The band went on a tour of North America with In Flames and Killswitch Engage . On October 7, 2002, a concert in Krakow ( Poland ) was recorded for DVD release. This was followed by a European tour as headliner, on which the band was accompanied by Sinergy and Griffin .

In early 2003 Dark Tranquility returned to North America and played 28 concerts with Nile , Napalm Death and Strapping Young Lad . In the summer the band played again at various festivals in Europe. At the same time, the DVD Live Damage was released , which in addition to the concert in Krakow also includes recordings from Essen, Paris and Athens as well as music videos , interviews and much more.

Michael Nicklasson

On the occasion of the band's 15th anniversary, a double CD was released in 2004 with Exposures - In Retrospect and Denial . The first CD contains a collection of unreleased songs or songs that have so far only been released as bonus tracks in Japan. The audio track of the Live Damage DVD is on the second CD . The work is rounded off by a twenty-page booklet in which the history of the band is recited by journalist Chris Dick. You can also see many previously unpublished photos from all chapters of the band's history.

On November 15, 2004, the EP Lost to Apathy was released as a harbinger of the new album Character , which followed on January 24, 2005. In the Swedish album charts, the album made it to number three. A very successful European tour followed with Kreator , Ektomorf and Hatesphere . In December of that year the band went on a European tour again, this time with Chimaira .

2007–2012: Fiction and We are the Void

For the studio album Fiction , a new producer, Tue Madsen from Denmark, was hired. The album was released on April 20, 2007. For the first time in a long time, the album features clear vocals by Mikael Stanne and a guest singer, in this case Nell Sigland from Theater of Tragedy . After the album was completed, the band toured North America with Scar Symmetry , Into Eternity and The Haunted .

Daniel Antonsson

At the beginning of 2008 rumors about a compilation album called A Closer End were circulating on various file sharing sites on the Internet. Named after a bonus track on the Japanese version of the Fiction album , it contains some of the songs that were only released on various special editions of earlier albums. Any connection with the band was denied on the official website and the album was declared a bootleg .

Long-time bassist Michael Nicklasson left the band in August 2008 because he had diabetes . In September the band announced that a new bassist had been found in Daniel Antonsson ( Dimension Zero , Ex- Soilwork ) to support them during the European tour with Poisonblack and Fear My Thoughts in October and November of that year. At the beginning of November Antonsson joined the band as a permanent member.

The studio albums Projector , Haven and Damage Done were re-released in May 2009 by Century Media. All albums received a new artwork, bonus tracks and liner notes from the musicians involved. At the same time, a compilation of songs from the early band phase was brought out with Yesterworld . On October 26, 2009, Where Death Is Most Alive, the band's second DVD was released, the main part of which consists of a recording of a concert in Milan . In addition, the DVD contains three quarters of an hour band documentation, all music videos and live recordings from all epochs of the band's history. Where Death Is Most Alive debuted at number one on the Swedish music DVD charts.

Iwers is different

In December 2009 the band played their first concert in Tunisia . The ninth studio album We Are the Void was released on February 26th, 2010. Between September and October 2010 the band was on the Where Death is Most Alive tour with Insomnium , which took the bands across Europe . Shortly before that, Dark Tranquility released the song Out of Gravity in an unreleased version, as did Insomnium 's song Weather the Storm , on which Mikael Stanne could also be heard. On February 12th 2011 Dark Tranquility gave a concert for the first time in India .

Since 2013: Construct and Atoma

In January 2013 the band announced their tenth studio album Construct . The album produced by Jens Bogren was released on May 24, 2013. A short time later, the band separated amicably from Daniel Antonsson, who wanted to concentrate more on his own musical projects and his own studio. From November 2013 the band was on the World Construct tour with Tristania . At the end of March 2016, guitarist and founding member Martin Henriksson left the band because he had lost interest in making music. Henriksson then became the band's manager. The musicians continued their work on the eleventh studio album without Henriksson. The new bass player was Anders Iwers , who also plays for Tiamat , among others .

On November 4, 2016, the eleventh studio album Atoma was released, with which the band reached number two in the Swedish album charts and was nominated for the Swedish Grammis music award. However, the award went to the band Ghost . After the release, Dark Tranquility embarked on a headlining tour of North America with support acts Swallow the Sun , Enforcer and Starkill . In spring 2017 the band played a co-headlining tour through Europe with Amon Amarth and the opening act Omnium Gatherum , before another headlining tour through Europe with Omnium Gatherum and Nailed to Obscurity followed. At the same time, Dark Tranquility launched a beer in cooperation with the All in Brewing brewery . It's called Atoma and it's an Imperial Stout .

In autumn 2017 a tour through South and North America continued, where Christopher Amott stepped in for Niklas Sundin who was unable to attend. As a result of Hurricane Irma , some concerts had to be canceled. In the fall of 2018, the band co-headlined North America with Amorphis and supporting acts Moonspell and Omnium Gatherum. Guitarist Niklas Sundin left in March 2020 to have more time for his family. Successors were then the two live guitarists Christopher Amott and Johan Reinholdz . At the same time, the band began work on a new studio album.

style

The musical influences include guitarist Niklas Sundin German thrash and speed metal bands like Kreator , Blind Guardian and Running Wild , but also US death metal bands like Morbid Angel and Vital Remains , but also bands from outside the genre like Depeche Fashion .

When the band was formed, none of the members could play an instrument . The musicians agreed early on to go their own musical ways and not be a typical death metal band. In contrast to the Stockholm scene around bands like Entombed , melodies were given a larger space. In addition to In Flames and At the Gates, Dark Tranquility are among the most influential bands of Melodic Death Metal. Guitarist Niklas Sundin said in an interview on the subject that he doesn't think much of this statement.

“We didn't sit down and say we wanted to create something new or something like that, and I always thought the whole Gothenburg sound thing was pretty ridiculous. […] The whole Melodic Death Metal phrase is a simplification and more of a media construction than anything else, and because I realize that people come up with it with good intentions, I just don't have much to say about it. "

- Niklas Sundin

Discography

→ Main article : Dark Tranquility / discography  and list of Dark Tranquility songs

Studio albums

year	Title music label	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, music label , placements, weeks, awards, notes)					Remarks
		DE	AT	CH	SE	FI
1993	Skydancer Spinefarm Records	-	-	-	-	-	First published: August 30, 1993 Producer: Niklas Sundin
1995	The Gallery Osmose Productions	-	-	-	-	-	First published: November 27, 1995 Producer: Fredrik Nordström
1997	The Mind's I Osmose Productions	-	-	-	-	-	First published: April 21, 1997 Producer: Fredrik Nordström
1999	Century Media projector	-	-	-	-	-	First published: June 21, 1999 Producer: Fredrik Nordström
2000	Haven Century Media	-	-	-	-	-	First published: July 25th, 2000 Producer: Fredrik Nordström
2002	Damage Done Century Media	DE83 (1 week) DE	-	-	SE29 (4 weeks) SE	-	First published: July 22nd, 2002 Producer: Fredrik Nordström
2005	Character Century Media	DE83 (1 week) DE	-	-	SE3 (5 weeks) SE	FI30 (3 weeks) FI	First published: January 24th, 2005 Producer: Fredrik Nordström
2007	Fiction Century Media	DE59 (1 week) DE	-	-	SE12 (3 weeks) SE	FI19 (1 week) FI	First published: April 17th, 2007 Producer: Tue Madsen
2010	We Are the Void Century Media	DE59 (1 week) DE	-	CH70 (1 week) CH	SE9 (5 weeks) SE	FI16 (1 week) FI	First published: February 24th, 2010 Producer: Tue Madsen
2013	Construct Century Media	DE37 (1 week) DE	AT67 (1 week) AT	CH68 (1 week) CH	SE9 (5 weeks) SE	FI15 (1 week) FI	First published: May 27, 2013 Producer: Jens Bogren
2016	Atoma Century Media	DE23 (2 weeks) DE	AT40 (1 week) AT	CH36 (1 week) CH	SE2 (2 weeks) SE	-	First published: November 4th, 2016 Producer: Martin Brandström

gray hatching : no chart data available for this year

Nominations

Grammis year category For result 2000 Hard rock / metal Projector Nominated 2008 Hard rock / metal Fiction Nominated 2017 Hard rock / metal Atom Nominated

P3 guild year category For result 2008 Rock / metal Fiction Nominated

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l} Daniel: Biography. DarkTranquillity.de, archived from the original on April 5, 2018 ; accessed on May 7, 2018 . 
2. ↑ Cid: Dark Tranquility: Interview with Niklas Sundin. Metal-Rules.com, accessed February 10, 2013 . 
3. ↑ DARK TRANQUILITY 'Officially' Announces New Bassist. Blabbermouth.net , accessed April 5, 2018 . 
4. ↑ DARK TRANQUILITY's 'Where Death Is Most Alive' Tops Swedish Music DVD Chart. Blabbermouth.net, accessed April 5, 2018 . 
5. ↑ DARK TRANQUILITY Parts Ways With Bassist DANIEL ANTONSSON. Blabbermouth.net, accessed April 5, 2018 . 
6. ↑ DARK TRANQUILITY Guitarist MARTIN HENRIKSSON Quits: 'I Have Lost The Passion For Playing Music'. Blabbermouth.net, accessed April 5, 2018 . 
7. ↑ GHOST Wins Swedish GRAMMIS Award For 'Popestar'. Blabbermouth.net, accessed April 5, 2018 . 
8. ↑ MIKAEL STANNE Says DARK TRANQUILITY Was 'Stuck In Traffic For Three Days' Due To Hurricane Irma. Blabbermouth.net, accessed April 5, 2018 . 
9. ↑ DARK TRANQUILITY Officially Welcomes Guitarists CHRIS AMOTT And JOHAN REINHOLDZ. Blabbermouth.net, accessed March 31, 2020 . 
10. ↑ ^{a b} Markus Endres: Interview / Story: Dark Tranquility. Metal.de, accessed on February 10, 2013 . 

Web links

Commons : Dark Tranquility  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files

• Official website (English)
• Dark Tranquility at Allmusic (English)
• Dark Tranquility on MusicBrainz (English)