It’s hard to believe that it’s already been nearly four years since Dark Tranquillity’s latest record, “Moment” was released. Finally the successor is there; can “Endtime Signals” impress us?
Ever since their previous release, Dark Tranquillity’s lineup has changed. So “Endtime Signals” is the first record to feature bassist Christian Jansson and drummer Joakim Strandberg Nilsson. They have quite big shoes to fill, as longtime members Anders Iwers and Anders Jivarp left the band in August of 2021.
The change in line-up did not change Dark Tranquillity’s sound, as most songs have been written by keyboardist Martin Brändström and lyrics have been written by lead singer Mikael Stanne. To be fair, that’s both a positive and a negative. “Endtime Signals” sounds familiar with the typical Dark Tranquillity sound, but maybe it’s a bit too familiar, thus leaning towards the safe route.
A lot of fans complained that “Moment” already felt safe and at times a bit too slow. I’m glad to say that “Endtime Signals” is an improvement nonetheless. Especially the first half of the record, up until about the eight track “Enforced Perspective”, has some quite decent tracks!
The record starts off with “Shivers and Voids” and the heavy and fast paced “Unforgivable”. For me, Unforgivable is one of the best tracks on the album. The fast paced sections are mixed with short slower intermezzos. But especially the combination of drums and guitar riffs make the song sound wholesome.
“Not Nothing” brings the dark atmospheric mood setting combined with Stanne’s clean vocals, but also groovy riffs and harsh vocals. I must commend Stanne on his singing on “Endtime Signals”. It feels like he keeps improving his technique. Both hush harsh and clean vocals are brought with much passion and depth and sound amazing.
“One Of Us Is Gone” is a tribute to former guitarist Fredrik Johansson, who passed away on January 25th 2022 after losing the battle to cancer. For me it always feels extra special when a band pays homage to a former member this way.
Of the last couple of songs, only “A Bleaker Sun” sticks out a bit, mainly because of the very nice guitar solo about two thirds into the track. “False Reflection” is a fitting ballad-style closing track, where we can enjoy Stanne’s clean vocals over a slow melodious song.
While listening to “Endtime Signals” the first couple of times, I felt like the album was over before I knew it. At first I thought this was a good thing, but reflecting on it after a few more listening sessions, I figured that this was mainly because the second part of the record didn’t really have the impact the first half had. That’s a real shame but if we look at where Dark Tranquillity came from in the likes of “Moment”, we can say that they’re back on the right track!
Rating: 7,5/10
Release Date: August 16th 2024
Label: Century Media Records
Writer: Michael
Tracklist:
- Shivers And Voids
- Unforgivable
- Neuronal Fire
- Not Nothing
- Drowned Out Voices
- One Of Us Is Gone
- The Last Imagination
- Enforced Perspective
- Our Disconnect
- Wayward Eyes
- A Bleaker Sun
- False Reflection
