Style: Melodic death metal
Primary Emotions/Themes: Beauty through technicality
Thoughts: Dark Tranquillity is one of the most important bands for my musical journey. One day my dad came home with the follow up to this album. He had recently been to Gothenburg and had asked the guys and Bengan's for some good new metal. They recommended The Mind's I, and that was then passed on to me. My life was forever changed.
The Gallery was an album that I didn't hear for many years after The Mind's I. This was in the early days of the internet, and I couldn't just listen to an album at the drop of a hat. I couldn't even download it, Napster wasn't a thing yet. It remained this enigmatic album that I wanted to hear for ages but never could.
When I finally did year it in the early 2000's I was shocked at how different it was from their third album. The opening riff of Punish My Heaven was so technical and intense that I didn't believe that it was the same band until heard Mikeal's vocals come in. That's when I knew for sure this was the same band... what a change from one album to the next!
Whereas The Mind's I was straight forward and intense, The Gallery is more complex and in many ways introspective. This is not your typical melodic death metal, especially not for the time. There are so many emotions here. The aggression of Edenspring is counteracted by the mournful tones of Lethe. The complexity of the title track is balanced out by the tranquility of Mine is the Grandeur...
In short, this is a perfectly balanced album, one that has been crafted with the utmost care. Many of the transitions are a bit abrupt, but that's part of the charm. Going from acoustic to an explosion of distorted guitars is a common occurrence throughout the runtime of The Gallery. Blistering riffs that are hard to follow the first time through are around every corner. It's a treasure trove of gifts from Dark Tranquillity to us, the listeners.
The Gallery is likely one of my favorite melodic death metal albums. Every time it comes on I want to stop what I'm doing and listen to it all the way through. This time is no different. It holds up after twenty years, and likely will for another 20.
Written July 21st 2024
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