DARK TRANQUILLITY — Skydancer (review)

DARK TRANQUILLITY — Skydancer album cover Album · 1993 · Melodic Death Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
UMUR
"Skydancer" is the debut full-length studio album by Swedish melodic death metal act Dark Tranquillity. The album was released through Spinefarm Records in August 1993. "Skydancer" was re-released in 2000 through Century Media Records with a different cover artwork. It´s the only Dark Tranquillity album to feature later In Flames vocalist Anders Fridén in the lineup. Mikael Stanne who would take up the lead vocal duties after this album primarily plays guitar on this album and sings some backing vocals.

The music on the album is melodic death metal with an occasional progressive edge. Especially the two longer tracks on the album "A Bolt Of Blazing Gold" and "Shadow Duet" feature progressive song structures and ideas. The remaining tracks are more straight forward but never simple. In addition to the "core" elements in the music, which are raspy/higher pitched growling vocals, a tight rythm section and melodic guitar work in spades, there are also occasional clean male and female vocals on the album. They are not that impressive though and could easily have been omitted.

While the songwriting is adventurous enough and the musicianship strong, the sound production isn´t that great. Especially the guitars feature a rather powerless sound and are as a result, not as effective as they could have been. It´s too bad, because "Skydancer" would have been a much more enjoyable album with a more professional and sharp sound production. Still a 3.5 star (70%) rating isn´t all wrong.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Metal Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

Unearthly Litanies of Despair Death Metal
ENGULFED
Buy this album from MMA partners
It Beckons Us All....... Black Metal
DARKTHRONE
Buy this album from MMA partners
Death Is Not The End Doom Metal
GLOSSA
Buy this album from MMA partners
The Way Forward Sludge Metal
BLACK TUSK
Buy this album from MMA partners
Till Aska Atmospheric Sludge Metal
WALK THROUGH FIRE
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

Agremorta - Adrocitas (Official Lyric Video)
AGREMORTA
Bosh66· 2 days ago
Agremorta - Ploratus Umbra (Official Lyric Video)
AGREMORTA
Bosh66· 2 days ago
Agremorta - Vertex Membrana (Official Lyric Video)
AGREMORTA
Bosh66· 2 days ago
HAIL SPIRIT NOIR - The Temple Of Curved Space (Official Track Stream)
HAIL SPIRIT NOIR
adg211288· 2 days ago
In Sulfur - The Gate (OFFICIAL VIDEO) 2022
IN SULFUR
Bosh66· 3 days ago
More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed