Dark Tranquillity – Endtime Signals

One Listen Review

1st Listen 13 Aug 24
Reviewed 16 Aug 24

Century Media

Released 16 Aug 24

Dark Tranquillity are, without a doubt, legends of the melodic death metal scene. Emerging from the Gothenburg burgeoning metal scene with 1993’s debut full length, ‘Skydancer’, the band have undergone numerous line-up changes without a noticeable dip in quality.

With Endtime Signals, the band have released their 13^th album, and their first following the pandemic. The departure of Christopher Amott has made no discernible difference to the overall sound of the band or the quality of the lead work, which begs the question of what he added to the band anyway, but that is for another time. Instead, Johan Reinholdz steps adequately into the breach and delivers riff-laden attack to each of the 14 tracks (including 2 bonus tracks).

The album opens with a strong, typical melodeath riff and vocalist Mikael Stanne flexes his tonsils with deliberate ease. All is well in the world of Dark Tranquillity and the

album rattles along with consistent quality riffs, decent drumming and the ever-reliable vocals. A word on the vocals. Stanne is excellent throughout the album, clean vocals mix with the ubiquitous growl in a manner not often heard from vocalists. It is mightily impressive.

Then, like myself, you may be taken out of the album where it loses all flow. ‘One of us is Gone’, is a tribute to former band member, the late Fredrik Johansson who died in 2022, and I will need to be careful with my words. Essentially, this track is a ballad, and whilst the sentiment is to be respected, the disruption to the flow of Endtime Signals is palpable, and the album never really recovers.

Admittedly, this is a one-listen review and so perhaps further listens may see this perception change, but I switched off after this track and only a few moments brought me fleetingly back in. This includes ‘Enforced Perspective’ and ‘A Bleaker Sun’.

When you listen to Endtime Signals, you will pick out the bands peers in some of the tracks. Little snippets of Omnium Gatherum and The Haunted can be heard in some of the tracks and runs, however I will guarantee that if you listen to any album by these 2 bands, you are likely to hear more Dark Tranquillity in their tracks than vice versa.

Endtime Signals is a decent album. Is it prime Dark Tranquillity? Absolutely and definitively not. It is worth your time however, and fans of the band will absolutely love it, they will appreciate the sentiment of ‘One of us is Gone’ far more than my jaded heart will allow.

The album will not, however, become a regular on my playlist, which is disappointing.