This band never ceases to amaze me. Even if trying to to find flaws with the microscope, the only thing that you'll end up realizing is that DARK TRANQUILLITY once again delivered an outstanding album.
DARK TRANQUILLITY throughout the years have proved their endless source of inspiration and creativity and each time they push the boundaries further with their sound and ideas and present the more technical perspective of Metal.
Although Fiction embraces a lot of similarities with the band's previous release in 2005, Character, the progress is there, the ideas are plenty and the aggressiveness spreads menacingly from the first second of this album 'till the last. The Gothenburgians appear with a once again excellent performance by Mikael Stanne, a high quality musicianship and a great effort and work in the production by Tue Madsen, through which the talent of Martin Henriksson and Niklas Sundin stands out. Fiction is a solid piece of Metal that earns its position next to its predecessors. Tracks like Nothing To No One and Focus Shift will easily attract your attention from the first spin, added by songs like Misery's Crown, Icipher and Inside The Particle Storm with the new DARK TRANQUILLITY atmosphere and strong presence.
It may not grab you from the first listening, but give a chance to Fiction after a couple of spins and a better understanding of its whole idiosyncracy, to acquaint you with its geniousness. One of the best releases this year has shown...