Undoubtedly one of the most influential bands of the whole melodic death scene, Dark Tranquillity are one of those bands that can do very little wrong in my eyes. I’ve loved them for years and I’ve enjoyed every album they’ve done. Having said that, their last album “Character” was somehow uniform and showed the Swedes on their more up-tempo, in your face dimension.

“Fiction” is altogether a more diverse album, even recapturing certain elements we hadn’t heard since the “Projector” days, and therefore more complete. You can find straightforward tracks like ‘Focus Shift’, ‘Blind at Heart’ or ‘Terminus’ as well as more evocative ones like ‘Inside the Particle Storm’ or the magnificent ‘The Mundane and the Magic’, featuring Theatre of Tragedy’s Nell Sigland.

This in combination with a brand new sound (courtesy of Tue Madsen, who mixed the album) show Dark Tranquillity as an incredibly experienced and mature band that dare to take risks and can still sound exciting and fresh. Fabulous!