Look, I firmly believe Europe is the reigning birthland of metal and its many sub-genres. Its many zeitgeists only influence and inspire nuanced flavors distorted guitar riffs and double-bass sections, and the folk and melodic intricacies add the spice of variety bestowed upon us.

And amidst all of that, Sweden is undeniably the torchbearer of melodic death metal. Gothenburg’s pioneering titans Dark Tranquillity return soon with their thirteenth studio album ‘Endtime Signals’. The now five-piece band, primarily driven by vocalist and ex-guitarist (and the only remaining original member) Mikael Stanne, has gone through changes in its lineup since the release of its 2020 album ‘Moment’. Despite this and other challenges, the band has worked hard on putting together a record that is incredibly atmospheric, versatile, and yet, quintessentially melodic death. 

Sonically, the fifty-minute record picks up right after Moment and has generous servings of dramatic synths (courtesy, Martin Brändström), melodic guitar solos (and courtesy Johan Reinholdz), and ambient rhythms, all of which complement the intense grooves in the low-end. This is important, as the record is the first to have Christian Jannsson and Joakim Strandberg on the bass and drums, respectively. While both members toured live with the band in the recent past, they replaced Anders Iwers and Anders Jivarp as full-time members in June 2023. Regardless, they have performed their parts exceptionally well on the record. With the mixes being obviously dense, the band enlisted the legendary Jens Borgen for mixing and mastering the record, who has done nothing short of creating a brilliant auditory experience (as usual).

Since the announcement of the record in March 2024, the band has already released three singles – “The Last Imagination”, “Unforgivable”, and “Not Nothing”. While all three singles have got metalheads tuned in, Unforgiveable stands, in my opinion, as the one single that perfectly encapsulates the sonic spirit of the record – bright melodies over rhythms of determined melancholy (for the lack of a better expression). It also sits perfectly in place as the second track in the record, picking up the pace from “Shivers and Voids”. Other tracks in between that catch the attention of the listener and carry the record are “Drowned Out Voices”, “Enforced Perspective”, and “A Bleaker Sun” – all of them packed with furious riffage and dramatic progressions. The record ends with “False Reflection”, which slows the pace and opens up to an ambient, ballad-styled score.

Overall, ‘Endtime Signals’ is undoubtedly another solid execution from Dark Tranquillity that preserves the band’s distinctive melodic sound and style. Despite changes in the lineup, the band put the record together in a formidable fashion to be devoured by its fanbase, which is already geared up and prepared for the release right around the corner! The band will also perform the record in its European release tour later this year with Wolfheart and other melodic death groups, and it is bound to sound phenomenal!

Endtime Signals is out through Century Media Records this month!