Dark Tranquillity
Photo: Lindor Tidang

For the past 14 years, Dark Tranquillity have been at the forefront of Gothenburg, Sweden's melodic-death-metal scene. But as bands there began copping the style, it became harder for the pioneers to remain ahead of the pack.

On past efforts, such as 2002's Damage Done and 2005's Character, Dark Tranquillity trumped their peers by making their songs as multifaceted as possible. Guitar riffs were stacked to the sky, synth breaks abounded and melody splashed through the bludgeoning constructions like hot fudge through a banana split. But for their upcoming album Fiction, which comes out April 24, the band has taken a different approach.

"We wanted to take a step back and not focus on making things as involved or complicated as they could be," singer Mikael Stanne said. "We thought, 'Let's experiment more with each song instead of trying to make each song chock-full of things.' "

The technique worked. Fiction is eclectic, immediate and enticing. It's still musically accomplished, with finely honed riffs and well-crafted arrangements that veer from sweeping classic metal to pummeling black metal, but the constructions on songs like "Nothing to No One," "Terminus" and "Icipher" remain coherent, no matter how many pinch harmonics or goth keyboards swim through the mix.

"We really didn't want to do the same thing over and over again," Stanne said. "Rather, we wanted to focus on what felt important in each song and to focus on each individual emotion and feeling. So, when we started making a really heavy song, we put all our effort into making it as heavy as possible instead of mixing it up with all the fast stuff and technical stuff. It was fun and it was actually very liberating to work that way."

In addition to embracing a different music-writing technique, Stanne approached his lyrics differently as well. Instead of addressing the frustrations in his own life, as he had in the past, he wrote about imaginary scenarios — hence the album title.

"I came up with fictional characters and put all my feelings and problems on these individuals," he explained. "And I was actually able to be more personal and honest than ever before because I could get everything out without getting too close."

While Dark Tranquillity had the skeletons of four songs together early last year, they switched into serious writing mode in April 2006 and spent the ensuing five months writing and fine-tuning. "We wanted to make sure everything was perfect before we entered the studio in October," Stanne said.

Once the songs were written, the bandmembers entered keyboardist/ electronics manipulator Martin Brändström's studio to record. Since there were no studio expenses and the bandmembers handled the initial production work, they could spend as much time as they wanted on the songs. "We really deconstructed and reconstructed the songs over and over so we could explore them from all angles," Stanne said.

By the end of 2006, Dark Tranquillity were happy with all 10 songs on Fiction, but when they listened back to the recordings, they couldn't believe what they heard. The songs that sounded so good while they were jamming didn't translate, and for a while, they wondered if they were going to have to redo the entire album.

"It was so depressing," Stanne said. "The songs had no effects and no compression and were totally flat-sounding. And we were like, 'This is horrible.' It sounded like crap. So we were really nervous when we gave the files to our producer, Tue Madsen."

There's a saying that everything can be fixed in the mix. Usually that's not true — as many bands will attest — but in Dark Tranquillity's case, the axiom was proven correct: Once Madsen finished tinkering and tweaking, Fiction sounded as epic and resounding as any of the band's releases.

"When we got the actual mix, we were so happy it was ridiculous," Stanne said. "Tue Madsen is definitely the star player on this one."

The rest of the week's metal news:

Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler, along with former members Ronnie James Dio and drummer Vinny Appice — the four musicians who comprise the new band Heaven and Hell — will sign copies of the new Black Sabbath collection The Dio Years April 3 at the Best Buy on 44th at Fifth Avenue in New York. The signing will take place between 6 and 7 p.m., so get there early, folks. ... After months of writing, Meshuggah have finally begun recording their forthcoming album, which, they assure, "will rock your flea-ridden socks off." The band is hoping to have the disc finished in time for a September release. ... Soil, Seemless and Ligion will hit the road together this May for the True Rock Tour, a 17-date trek that kicks off May 1 in Cudahy, Wisconsin. Dates are scheduled through May 27 in Evansville, Wisconsin. ...

Dates for Bury Your Dead's upcoming spring run with Suicide Silence, Since the Flood and Stick to Your Guns have been announced. The trek will launch April 20 in Rochester, New York, and run through June 2 in Asbury Park, New Jersey. ... South Carolina's Through the Eyes of the Dead need a frontman. While the departure of singer Anthony Gunnells remains something of a mystery, the band — which is currently working on its next album, Malice, with producer Erik Rutan (Goatwhore, Cannibal Corpse) — is in desperate need of a "professional, dedicated vocalist willing to tour the world and able to relocate immediately." Sound like you? Contact the band through its MySpace page for more information on how to audition. ... Season of Mist Records has signed German black-metallers Naer Mataron. In a statement, the bandmembers said they've "composed the harshest and most extreme music [we] ever had for our new album. We are more strong and enthusiastic than ever before and feel that we are also supported henceforth in the same spirit. To this point, we wish to extend our salute to the hordes that supported our black-metal war machine throughout the last 13 years." There's no title or release date for the album yet. ...

Clutch will load up the van this spring to tour in support of their forthcoming From Beale Street to Oblivion. The road trip will commence May 11 in Washington, D.C., and crisscross the U.S. before winding down May 26 in San Diego. ... Black-metal maelstroms Angelcorpse have finished recording their fourth studio LP, Of Lucifer and Lightning. Look for the effort to feature "Antichrist Vanguard," "Machinery of the Cleansing" and "Saints of Blasphemy" when it hits stores in the coming months — a firm release date has not been revealed yet. In the meantime, East Coast fans can catch the 'Corpse in May on tour with Watain and Nachtmystium. ... Norwegian extreme-metallers Manngard have begun tracking their yet-untitled sophomore album. According to the band, this next one "promises to be even more massive, twisted and evil than the debut," last year's Circling Buzzards. ...

Overkill frontman Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth and Hades axeman Dan Lorenzo have teamed up to form a new band, the Cursed. The band's inaugural offering, Room Full of Sinners, will land in stores May 22. Look for the set to feature "Evil, in the Bag," "Serpentine Slither" and "Leven Als God in Frankrijk." ... Thrash dudes Thine Eyes Bleed have started working on their next album. "We are now a few days into the drums and they sound amazing," the band said in a statement. "The tracking room is nice and spacious with high ceilings and pine walls creating great acoustics. [Drummer] Darryl [Stephens] has been shredding his drum tracks so far, letting us know this is gonna be some brutal sh--. As for the rest of us, 'Guitar Hero' has been the main focus so far, enhancing our hand-eye coordination." No word yet on when the LP might see the light of day, but we'll keep you posted. ... Vital Remains, Light This City and With Passion will join forces for a spate of spring North American gigs. The tour is tentatively set to kick off May 23 and conclude June 24, but exact cities and dates will be announced soon. Vital Remains will issue their next one, Icons of Evil, April 24. ...

Drummer Tom Hunting has returned to Exodus. According to a band statement, "it was always understood that when and if Tom was ever ready to resume his drumming duties for the band, his seat would be waiting." Hunting left Exodus in 2005 and was replaced by legendary drummer Paul Bostaph — who, incidentally, had recently left Slayer when Dave Lombardo rejoined that fold. "Paul always knew this and was the first to say it upon joining the band. Paul and Tom have always been good friends and we, as a band, cannot thank Paul enough for his services on [2005's] Shovel Headed Kill Machine and all the subsequent tours he did to support that album. We had a great time and kicked many asses along the way. Paul has given this reunion his whole-hearted endorsement with no mixed blessings and is happy to see Tom back in the fold." Exodus are "hard at work on new songs, and this sh-- is the best and heaviest music we've ever written." The boys plan to begin tracking in May. ... Norwegian black-metallers Mayhem will tour the States this summer. So far just six dates have been confirmed for the run: July 17 (Santa Ana, California); July 18 (West Hollywood, California); July 20 (Seattle); July 22 (Chicago); July 23 (New York); and July 24 (Springfield, Virginia). More shows are expected to be announced soon. On April 24, Mayhem's new album Ordo Ab Chao will be in stores. The LP features eight songs, including "A Wise Birthgiver," "Psychic Horns" and "Anti."

• Meshuggah
• Clutch
• Soil
• Seemless
• Bury Your Dead

Seemless
Photo: B. Bettis/ Equal Vision Records

Seemless frontman Jesse Leach has no regrets.

When he walked out on his Killswitch Engage comrades back in 2002, he knew it was time. His vocal cords were barely functional and he couldn't stand life on the road when he couldn't bring his wife along with him. Plus, his relationship with the rest of the Killswitch dudes had become frayed, and the band was teetering on the brink of total collapse. So, he did what he had to do — he hopped off the Killswitch train, just as it started to pull out of Obscurity Station.

But rock was still in his system. So, while he'd cashed in his metal chips, he hadn't given up on music altogether.

"This is where I belong — this is where I feel good," said Leach, when asked if he laments the decision to leave Killswitch for his current band, straight-ahead rockers Seemless. "Mentally and spiritually, I am in the right place. I wouldn't change a damn thing. I was miserable and had just really lost my passion for singing that kind of music. I didn't feel it anymore. This band's just much easier on my soul. After doing metal for close to 10 years, I felt like it was just getting old for me. I felt like I had done all I could do. I look at [Killswitch's 2002 LP] Alive or Just Breathing, and that was sort of my farewell to that style of music. I felt like I left my mark with that album, and that was it — it was time to move on. After that album, I was ready to just stop and 'be a normal guy and have a normal life.' But I love music so much, I couldn't escape it."

Leach — who is on good terms with his Killswitch pals — said when he first heard Seemless (at the time they had a different lead singer), he recognized that the band respected rock's roots and honored its past, while injecting a modern heaviness into the mix. And that has no doubt helped Seemless win over thousands of metalheads. "It had the stuff I was raised on," he recalled. "It just seemed like a natural progression to regress back to my roots."

But the Chris Cornell-emulating Leach said the band's self-titled 2004 debut was more like a demo. At the time of the recordings, the band was still just getting warmed up. In fact, most of the tracks were recorded before he even joined the band, which also features ex-members of Shadows Fall, Overcast and Medium. Leach said the follow-up, What Have We Become, "feels like it's our first proper album. We jell now, as a unit. We're like brothers at this point. In every aspect, this feels like our first album." It hits stores on Tuesday and features "In My Blood," "Jaded," "Parody" and the first single, "Cast No Shadow." The band recently shot a video for the latter cut, DIY-style, with director Ramon Boutviseth (Sanctity, Daylight Dies).

Seemless — who're on the road with Nonpoint through Tuesday and are set to hit the road with Trivium and the Sword in October — "wouldn't change a single thing on this record," Leach added. He said the band recorded the material in about a week, even writing several of the tracks while in the studio. "I can listen to it, from start to finish, and have no problem with it. We believe in it so much. It's just a more focused album, and we had a real strong sense of who we are as a band going into this album."

And for Leach, much of the album's lyrical content was born out of his frustration with rock's money-grubbing, narcissistic ways. "It's about my disgust with the state of music and the state of the industry," he said. "And all of the rock star crap too."

But it's obvious that Seemless — who plan to stay on the road for the remainder of the year and for much of 2007 — have found a solid comfort zone and have progressed past the initial growing pains. In fact, he said, even with the release of their second LP just days away, Seemless have started working on material for album number three.

"We write songs within hours in this band," he said. "It's never a struggle for us. It just flies right out. We're already working on our next album. We have a bunch of tracks for it, and the new stuff we're working on is even more diverse than the record we're putting out next week. I am having fun for the first time in my life, with a project that works on all levels. It's great."

Still, Leach does wish Seemless could be a bit more profitable — which means he'd appreciate it if you picked up the band's latest disc on Tuesday.

"We're not looking for the fame and the fortune," he said, adding that he's working two jobs just to make ends meet, as he's facing the prospect of car repossession. "I won't lie — I have bills to pay and I would love to make some more money. But if we can just get by, we'll continue to do this band. I just want to survive off of it. There's a real blue-collar mentality to this band."

The rest of the week's metal news: Sepultura founders Max and Igor Cavalera have been involved in an intense feud since Max's stepson Dana died in a car accident in 1996; Max left the band soon after and formed Soulfly. But on August 17, at a Soulfly show in Tempe, Arizona, in tribute to Dana, the Cavaleras took the stage together for the first time in 10 years. Igor stepped behind the drums toward the end of the set to play an instrumental jam and remained onstage for performances of the Sepultura songs "Roots Bloody Roots" and "Attitude." Even if the reunion eventually triggers the rebirth of the original Sepultura, for now Max is continuing to support Soulfly's 2005 album, Dark Ages, with a new U.S. tour that begins September 18 in San Diego and runs through October 6 in Atlanta. ... In October, McFarlane Toys will release an exclusive 3-D sculpture of the cover of Metallica's seminal 1986 LP, Master of Puppets. The sculpture will be approximately 7 by 7 inches and will be made from PVC. A sculpture of the Jimi Hendrix Experience's Are You Experienced? will follow in November. On Monday, McFarlane released a 3-D cover of the Sex Pistols' Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols. Additional titles will be announced in the coming months. ...

Belphegor drummer Nefastus, who replaced Torturer in early 2005, has left the band. Nefastus made the decision following the completion of the group's sixth album, Pestapokalypse VI, which will be released on Halloween. Players who wish to fill the vacant slot can contact Belphegor@aon.at, but they must have stage and touring experience, be able to rehearse in Austria, be able to play with a click track and be interested in black and death metal. Before announcing Nefastus' departure, the band shot two new videos for "Bluhtsturm Erotika" and "Belphegor - Hell's Ambassador" between August 8 and 11 with director Florian W. The former features a blood-covered naked succubus named Dani, and the latter includes shots of gnarly musicians, ghostly apparitions and lots of fog. ... Swedish grindcore outfit Regurgitate have announced an October 17 release date for their next album, Sickening Bliss. The disc was recorded at BackBone studios by RGTE and Patrik Jonsson and engineered by drummer Jocke Pettersson and Jonsson in April and May. Marking a return to the nauseating lyrics of the band's early days, the album features 26 tracks, including "Upheaval of Human Entrails," "Excremental Ingestment," "Battered With a Brick" and "Euphoric State of Butchery." ...

Glenn Danzig will release Black Aria II on October 17. The sequel to his 1993 classical album, Black Aria, features organ, strings, percussion, chiming, chanting and operatic vocals. Produced and written by Danzig, the record tells the story of Lilith, Adam's wife before Eve, and includes "Dance of the Succubi," "Bridal Ceremony of the Lilitu," "Unclean Sephira" and "The Succubus Feeds." Says Danzig: "The first Black Aria is very Wagnerian, and also has these violent, Scottish/ Celtic qualities. This one is more Eastern, because it's about Lilith. It still has a lot of the classic elements I like, but many of the sounds come from elsewhere because of this fascinating story, which has its origins in even older myths and legends." ...

Fear Factory, Hypocrisy, Suffocation and Decapitated will launch the Machines at War Tour on October 26 in San Francisco. Dates run through November 9 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The only band on the bill with an upcoming album is Suffocation, who will release their self-titled album on September 19. ... Teutonic power-metal warriors Blind Guardian have announced the dates for their North American winter tour. The shows will begin November 8 in Tempe, Arizona, and will run through December 11 in Austin, Texas. Blind Guardian's A Twist in the Myth will be released September 5. ... Youthful thrash-metal flag-wavers Trivium will launch a North American tour with equally young power-metal torchbearers Cellador starting October 1 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Dates run through October 9 in Toronto. Doom-metal heroes the Sword and schizophrenic metallers Protest the Hero will also be on the bill. Trivium's triumphant third record, The Crusade, comes out October 10.

• Seemless
• Metallica
• Sepultura
• Fear Factory
• Trivium

Roadrunner United 12.15.2005

• Slipknot
• Stone Sour
• Hatebreed
• Murderdolls
• Deicide