The new album continues much where "Character" left of. You have much of the same tight melodic death metal playing and those electronic elements contributing to the creepy atmosphere. Much of the material sounds like it could be from the previous record, however nothing sounds rehashed and in fact sounds tighter and even more polished. Dark Tranquility has always been one of those bands that play to their strengths and know how to take the best of their previous works and maximize it in their current work. When a band masters this art they may receive accolades for it. But when a band does this for a whole career they are truly professionals of their craft. And that is how I would describe "Fiction" to you…as a professional work.

The songs all hover around the 4-5 minute mark. You are not going to hear too many surprises, yet there are a few curveballs in the form of clean vocals on “Misery’s Crown” and also some female singing on “The Mundane And The Magic”. Terrific riffs and melodies, great production, outstanding musicianship, these are the things you should be accustomed to hearing when you pop in a Dark Tranquility record, and once again "Fiction" delivers on all these fronts. While the band may never be able to retain the viciousness of early releases such as "The Gallery", there are still quite a few heavier moments. Songs like the intense “Terminus” and the thrashy “Blind At Heart” can probably hold up well against past material and are sure to be new favorites. It is interesting to note that while other bands in this genre nowadays try to garner attention by having 3 different vocalists singing 5 different ways or 12 tempo changes and riffs per song, Dark Tranquility has opted to simply concentrate on writing good songs. This is a noble concept indeed in this day and age, but one that verifies their position as leaders of the genre.

So how does "Fiction" rank up in the Dark Tranquility catalogue? "The Gallery", "Haven", "The Mind’s I", and "Character" are just a few great albums in their discography and needless to say difficult material to live up to. However the strength of the song writing to me puts this album right up there and the consistency gives it a solid place in the top tier. Ultimately opinions will differ but if you enjoyed the last album you most certainly will enjoy this one. As years go by most metal bands of the old guard tend to grow more experimental, more stagnant, and generally more lame. Dark Tranquility is one of the rare exceptions. They have issued us yet another winning album in 2007 sure to be on top 10 lists once again.

written by Joe Grammatico

Playing time: 45.51