Dark Tranquillity - Endtime Signals (2024)

As one of our favorite bands of all time, Dark Tranquillity has always consistently delivered high quality releases and “Endtime Signals” is not the exception. After shedding a few members since their 2020 release, the band returns with fourteen tracks of signature DT music, filled with dynamic guitars, immersive keyboards and Mikael Stanne’s characteristic snarl. There are definitely some minor noticeable adjustments as now Martin Brändström and Johan Reinholdz have taken over the songwriting from departed drummer Anders Jivarp.

Opening with “Shivers and Voids”, we get the traditional guitar driven DT music that we all love, full of highly melodic passages and subtle keyboards to keep things smooth and enjoyable. On “Unforgivable” we have a more dynamic style of guitar leads that have a different but still well crafted and blistering style. Johan Reinholdz is a good guitarist, but certainly not at the level of Christopher Amott, who did the leads on 2020 “Moment”.

As “Neuronal Fire”, “Not Nothing”, and “One of Us Is Gone” roll by, we get that signature DT style, making these very solid and engaging tracks, but feel a bit formulaic and more of the same. There is certainly nothing wrong with pieces like “The Last Imagination”, “Enforced Perspective”, which sound exactly what any DT fan would enjoy, but they also lack novelty, like more inspired and engaging pieces such as “Our Disconnect” and its “Haven”-esque vibes with new influences baked in.

There are definitely bangers like “A Bleaker Sin”, more melancholic pieces like “False Reflection”, and the epic “In Failure”, making this release very good. However, it also feels a bit too safe and derivative from some of the band’s earlier efforts. While the release is good, we hope the new members grow into the band and are not afraid to push it further in the future with more fresh ideas and elements. Overall, this is a solid DT release that will please fans of the band, but will probably not be as memorable as some of their older releases.

Label: Century Media Records

Release: August 16th, 2024

Genre: Melodic Death Metal

Country: Sweden