Origin : Sweden
Genre : Melodic Death Metal
Release : 1999
Album downloads only available to members
Album Info / Review
**Dark Tranquillity – *Projector* (2012)**
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### Soundscape
From the opening track, *Sober* → *The Return*, the band bridges the guttural aggression of their early melodics with a more polished, atmospheric tone that feels almost cinematic. The high‑end guitars hang raw over layered synth work that creates a sense of weight and space. There’s a clear nod to 1980s Withered Planet, but the texture feels contemporary thanks to the crisp separation of channels.
Pan’s clean and rhythm guitars speak almost like a major counter‑point, cutting through the blast‑core backdrop without lost nuance. The recording bass is subtly buried in the low‑end, giving the drums a glitter‑filled boom that opens the mix in a way addictive for continuous listening.
### Atmosphere & Theme
The album is built around metaphysical themes—projection, perception, alienation. Sound‑wise, this translates into moments where key parts are stripped back only to recoil into a full‑throttle blast, reintroducing the “projected” sound. The recurring use of stark synthesizer riffs, accentuated by black, cold lightning‑effects, paints several sonic postcard frames. The climax in *The Architect* gives a haunting, almost hauntingly melodic dirge that fits the existential picture the album tries to braid.
Atmospheres move from introspective to hardcore in a dynamic approach. Early songs like *With Angels* lay a baritone bass line almost as if to prepare you for the heavier textures later. The shift in the middle of the track (two-verse, double chorus) uses the lyrical hook to build a visceral momentum that, buried as it may be, still feels like burning steel traversing the backbone.
### Riffology
The guitar work here is a synergy of melodic hooks and crushing riff blocks. The first riff in *Sober* is a melodic languid riff that rapidly transitions to a blistering “Dirty C” progression that showcases the band’s typical blend of fast palm‑muting and soaring melodic runs. Off the back of that is the particularly interesting use of double‑time shuffles in *The Return* that intensifies the sense of anticipation.
The piano accompaniment is far from slouching and seems like a bucket placed in a different sonic world: it underplays moments due to its minimal interference but still co‑exists with the guitar lines. The final section of the track uses a metallic sound that is a nutshell of misplayed stoppers.
### Production Quality
Like many production choices seen on sister-genre albums, the mastering cleric Evan Kifejt has a complicated man wearing the boots in the track. The mix manages to retain a metal feel at the mid frequency but also brings these 4‑band tracks into a clear soundscape. The steel heavy version in the second track ensures it will not come across as bright or immersive, and following the equalizer treats the ballads with more contrast to retain the rhythmic cramp. The overall comparasisship of the Rhodes and clean takes shift the perception of chanting to a freshly fresh tone, albeit interactive for older headphones. The double‑load production of synth lines and that lead voice is well hierarchical to bring out the harsher vocals and stay consistent across the full sound in the same structure.
**Overall Impression**
*Projector* returns to a more modern style of Swedish melodic death music, with strong guitar riffs, dynamic mid‑point an awesome amount of harmonies, and a focus on atmosphere and subject. The album provides meaningful content on how to revolve the weight of things, complemented by an impactful track. For fans of the “modern” style of Dark Tranquillity, this album is an excellent opportunity to appreciate the nuance of the band’s brilliance while issuing clarification.
If you want the next album, certainly something worth hearing. The album has the slick feeling of an official play‑on‑dies. It is balanced and deep enough for hopefuls and detects the underlying need of musical listeners.
