Albie said:
I have to say that what swung it for me as far as DT is concerned, was Damage Done (which I love) and I have yet to venture further into other DT releases. If you say their other stuff is less aggressive, should I be disappointed in The Gallery?
When I say less agressive, I really mean vocally. Stanne's vocals on Damage Done are very aggressive. Their other stuff...he's more diverse in his emotions. Believe me, you will not be dissapointed in The Gallery if you get it. The first song is entitled 'Punish My Heaven'. Apart from having a KICK-ASS opening, it is 4 minutes long. I used to believe (before I checked the time) that it was 6/7 minutes. It is
that complicated. It has about 4 main riffs! Gah, I'm ranting again....
But, yeah...Dark Tranquillity are good. Try and get The Gallery, or Character (their latest). Haven is good and commercial, too (easy to get into), while Projector is pretty experimental. Skydancer (their first LP) is raw as hell for Melodic Death, and a bit aimless. I haven't heard Mind's I, but what I have heard is good.
As for NW, Onhell, Century Child is a good album, but you may not like it if you hated Once. Personally I love Once, even if it isn't particularly heavy (I do despise the overloud guitars, though)...but each to his own.
EDIT: And if you hate cheesy lyrics, then you will love Ocenaborn. It's easily their best album lyrically, drawing from various themes, such as Christianity, Astromony, Egyptian mythology etc. etc.
Here's some links if you want to watch material from it:
Sleeping Sun, a ballad written for the '99 Eclipse
Pharoah Sails to Orion
When watching the latter, please bear in mind that Tarja's voice is pretty poor in most live recordings. The dude growling is Tapio Wilska, ex-Finntroll. Which is a pity, because it means they can only play this song live if he's there...also, the main keyboard riff Tuomas uses is different from the studio one...in the studio, it's done much more precise and a bit faster, especially on the arpeggios. And as for the lyrics...
"Get away from me!
Take heed to thyself and see my face no more!
for in the day Thou see my face
Thou shalt die!"
- Exodus 10:28
A constellation of divine architecture built on Earth
A holy harbour - Orion
Nautical ascension to the firmament
Ship-shaped barrows open my heart to the wisdom of this land
Sailing with the Serpent Chimera of a fiendish sandman
The Unicorn arrives with the westwind to dream His funeral
"Thou art born for Horus dwells in Thee"
Slumbering with the ebb and the flow of this foaming tomb
"Thou art born for Seteh dwells in Thee"
Reveal your face to me and guide me through the Stygian fields
Enthral my soul to Sepedet's beams to serve Your will
Sailing on the distant seas from darkness to deliverance
Tales like the ocean written to the Draco's glance
Ruling with the scythe of death you tear our philosophies apart
An ancient starwalk to merge into the stars
"Open thy veins for my venom
Kiss the cobras with thy twisted tongue
So shalt thou join the empyrean circus
Where beggars mourn and seraphs dance
In this twilight cathedral
Shall I wed thee,
O Bride of the Netherworld"
Sailing on the distant seas...
Join my soul the Hunter in the sky
And for Albie,
here is the opening track from DT's latest effort, Character.
it was good enough...