https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLajXsv ... r_embedded

I'll admit that their last release was underwhelming, but I'm still hopeful, so I'll be watching this one closely.

You forgot the most important piece of info (or I should say if anyone wants to see it in article form):

http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?m ... mID=188005

I'm really hoping this picks up where Fiction left off, since I too was really disappointed with We are the Void. The cover art isn't anything special, but I guess it fits in with the Character and Fiction aesthetic. I'm really stoked to hear a song.

^ Same here. We Are the Void was really DT's first honest misstep in their history to me but damn was it a doozy. Agreed that Character and Fiction really gave the band a new lease on life and I'm hoping it's up to that standard in quality. The "most diverse" comment slightly concerns me as that could mean anything, but I'd like to think that they're aware of how fans reacted to the last album and have therefore ditched a lot of those unnecessary elements this time around.

Can't say I'm looking forward to this. Most of the stuff they've done after the early albums has been seriously underwhelming. I use to like them a lot but their current dull brand of melodic death metal just leaves me cold.

Damn the U.S. cover art is seriously lame, that's kind of a bummer. But yeah I'm more hoping this picks up where Projector left off but that'll never happen so whatever I'll still buy it cause I love Dark Tranquillity.

We are the void wasn't too bad it's kind of in the same category of albums like Blood Oath or Evisceration plague, kind of a half hearted attempt with signs of age but still has a few good songs on it. I'm optimistic that the band can at least keep up their modern sound at least to the extent of Fiction. This band still has a lot of power in their collective ability, I am sure it will at least have a few good songs at the barest and weakest outcome.

We Are the Void grew on me and now I like it more than Character, which I thought was a bit repetitive anyway. The keyboards were featured more prominently but that is what gave it its own vibe, and it had some excellent songs, particularly In My Absence which might just be my favourite song by the band (which is saying a lot). From the trailer it seems the new album will be heavier, which should be a good change of peace for a few songs, but I hope it delivers on that promise of being more varied, and bringing more of that gothic metal influences from Projector would be great. I'd like to hear a full song only with Stanne's cleans.

I'd like to hear a whole album with only Stanne's clean vocals but again that'l; never happen so hopefully at least one or two songd but I feel that's just wishfull thinking at best.

I quite like We Are the Void. It doesn't contain the most memorable of moments, but I really like the black metal undertone of it all. Especially when talking about Arkhangelsk. I hope they'll continue this trend on Construct, only more fleshed out and focused.

My biggest beef with the last few albums is the significant lack of the monstrous guitar work that made the early albums so great. I've liked everything they've put out to a degree, but I feel like they haven't produced anything more than vanilla since "Damage Done".

Awful cover art and what happened to the old logo? That logo is more suitable for a dubstep band.

I'd be fine with this so long as it wasn't a Dark Tranquillity album.

I'd be fine with this EVEN if it was a Dark Tranquillity album... his clean voice is wicked awesome.

Am I the only one who doesn't like Stanne's clean vocals? They're not terrible, but they just sound forced...

Anyway, this looks promising. That little snippet they played sounded awesome, and it will be nice to hear some experimentation from a band that's been around for so long. My one qualm is the cover art...it's very meh.

This pretty much sums up my feelings on the band as well. I wish them all the luck in the world with this new album though.

No I've heard a lot of people say they don't like it I just feel that it fits the music (especially on Projector) perfectly. I really wish that Hammerfall had actually released something with him singing, if I could ever find a demo or something that would make me a very happy man.

I hope they regain some kind of aggression, they've been making inoffensive melodeath for years.

Well this might make you slightly happy if you haven't seen it before http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xI69cxvGrfs

The only thing that drives me nuts about Dark Tranquillity is they always save 3-5 good songs for some "deluxe" edition later on. They seem to record 15 or 16 songs for most of their albums. I hate waiting a year or two for them to release the bonus tracks, which always wind up being fantastic songs.

Yeah thanks Folkemon that was a pretty cool video

Yeah. The bonus tracks for We Are The Void and Damage Done were great. I'd prefer if they released these tracks as an EP a few months before or after the album is released (like My Dying Bride did and apparently Soilwork will do) rather than the mess that were WATV multiple editions.

Referring again to Stanne's clean vocals, I like that they use them like another, natural component of their songs rather than fall into the trap of abusing harsh-verse/clean-chorus. They might not be strong enough to carry a whole band alone, but when they've been used they fit the songs like Erosion said. That there are quite a few fans that actually want more is a testament to that, and a testament to Dark Tranquillity needing more variety in their songwriting to keep satisfied (I say this considering songs like Misery's Crown and Iridium as brief, welcome additions/variations/deviations to their formula).
Still, the "It's a choice between heaven..." line from Punish My Heaven might be Stanne's clean vocals best moment.

Agreed the Soilwork syndrome as I like to call it gets really old really fast. As far as his best clean moment I would have to nominate To a Bitter Halt and Therein but as I've already said the whole of Projector is just perfect, in fact I would say that is my all time favorite album. There's just something about his voice that no other clean singer can match in my opinion.

I actually quite liked We Are The Void! Arkhangelsk is one of my favorite DT songs ever.

We Are the Void pretty much did pick up where Fiction left off in that it featured a few tracks reminiscent of those on the latter, but placed more emphasis on their progressive leanings and added a sort of symphonic black metal grandiosity to the mix. I will agree that it's not as good as Fiction was, but I, for one, still regard it as one of their best outings. Not really sure why views on it are as polarised as they are.

http://blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode= ... mID=188753

New song called "For Broken Words". Has very nice atmosphere, but not much in the way of riffs. Just sounds like it'd be more fitting of background music to a brooding horror scene or something. Not much of the Dark Tranquillity I know. In other words, not good.

Hearing that actually made me reconsider my dislike for Character and Fiction.

I like the new song, but I think I was kind of expecting/hoping for, I dunno, something more? They've been advertising this album as their most experimental since Projector, so I guess I'll wait to listen to it in full. This is pretty nice though, I like the unconventional structure and the melodic breaks. Stanne still sounds really good, so that's something. I bet there will be more clean vocals on the album, too.

Ozzy, you dislike Character and Fiction? Who are you?

Hmm, "dislike" may have been too strong. I feel that after the awesome Damage Done, the band kind of peaked with that modern melodic death sound. I became a fan of DT around the time Character came out and at the time I liked the album, but over the years it became more boring. The same happened with Fiction. However, after hearing WATV and this new song, I feel like those albums are better than I remembered.

Believe me, I'm a DT fan. Projector, The Gallery, and Damage Done RULE.

Not better than WATV and that one was a turd.

I liked this actually, but not for the reasons I liked some of the older work. This track actually seemed moodier, darker, more focused on atmosphere, not bad but hoping for more.

I am loving the direction this is taking. No, it's not particularly complicated, but it's interesting. I'm jizzing buckets over the drums here. It feels like they've taken one or two cues from their fellow Swedes in Katatonia--probably why it is so progressively sombre. It permeates through the whole song, but you notice it especially around the 2:48 mark. It's more aggressive though, and still unmistakably Dark Tranquillity. That is to say that it is definitely softer, but I consider that as something of a prominent aspect of maturity: they've been around for about 24 years, and know by now that good metal isn't always about making the hardest shit.
The top comment for the Youtube vid put it most aptly:

"I like how Dark Tranquillity truly sound like their name."

Dark n' tranquil. I'm not complaining.

This is good, definitely good, but not great. Though it is a step in the right direction at least in the middle there, I don't know though I guess I just got my hopes up too damn high that they would revisit Projector. I guess there is always next time right...



I'm with you Ozzy I would say that Sky Dancer aside through Damage Done was their best material with Projector being the pinnacle of all things Dark Tranquillity, that album truly is dark tranquility in musical form. Though I would have to add In Flame's Lunar Strain to the list of my favorite Dark Tranquillity albums because Stanne is just fucking boss on the album and it feels way more Dark Tranquillity than In Flames to me.

It sounds way too rhythmic to me. Not really melodeath-y.

It's still...okay...I guess.

While its not up to par with what they've done before, it sounds lik a step up. I think it's the atmosphere of it that elevates it up.

I had the same thought. This reminds me a hell of a lot like something off of Night is the New Day or Dead End Kings. I would love it if Construct was full of stuff like this; I'm sure it'll have some melodeath-y moments but IMO they could use a change in direction.

Pretty interesting, surprised me. I kinda lost interest after Fiction, but not so much because I disliked the album. I guess I'll have to give it another shot and actually listen to Into the Void.

The new song definitely sounds like the band might be taking a different direction, more atmospheric. No complains about it, sounds good. Hopefully it will be better than "We Are The Void"

"For Broken Words" lacks a single blow-you-away-melody and is less energetic, but tries hard to compensate in atmosphere. Hmm... may work better in context of the full album...

Not terrible, though...

I like it. I can see why people are saying things to the effect of it being more of an album track than an obvious single choice. I can imagine it fitting quite well as a 'lull' in between more riff-centric tracks. I'm on a bit of a melodeath bender at the moment, so I hope to be getting more familiar with their catalogue in the coming months.

I really like the last album, which was more diverse and dynamic, it surprises me to see all this "hate" against that album.

Gonna listen to the new soon as soon as I can, by the way both covers are bad but the second one is just terrible.