Classic Album Anniversary: Dark Tranquillity - Haven (2000)

"If there were words for this

Would I sing or should I scream?"

Mikael Stanne chose the latter option when Dark Tranquillity recorded their fifth album Haven 15 years ago. The previous album Projector (1999) had been an experimental and divisive record that incorporated a huge dose of clean vocals and an increased amount of keyboards into their sound. Haven was originally meant to continue in that direction, but the band decided to speed things up and cut down on the clean singing. However, the addition of full-time keyboardist Martin Brändström meant that this was not going to be a back-to-roots record by any means.

According to setlist.fm stats, "The Wonders at Your Feet" has been played live more often than any other song in the Dark Tranquillity catalog. This isn't surprising, as it's a compact, punchy 3-minute track with a great tapping solo by Niklas Sundin and infectious keyboard melodies - in fact, newcomer Brändström recycled the main melody of the song from a tune he had written for an old pop project of his. His playing is a big part of atmospheric songs like "The Same" and "Ego Drama", but he's also prominent on up-tempo tracks, such as "Not Built to Last" and "Rundown".

The bass played by the other newbie Michael Nicklasson is the leading instrument on the mid-tempo "Indifferent Suns". The addition of Nicklasson allowed founding member Martin Henriksson to switch to guitar. Henriksson wrote the majority of the material on the album, while Niklas Sundin didn't make any musical contributions.

Mikael Stanne does more of growling than his classic high-pitched screaming on Haven. He was going through a rough period vocally, but his performance is stronger than on Projector or the follow-up Damage Done (2002). However, he also makes use of some comical mannerisms, like the James Hetfield-like "alright-ah!" at the start of the album or the random "ugh!" shouts, especially in "Fabric". Call me immature if you want, but I can't help being amused by his "SUCK IT IN!" screams in the chorus of that song, or the line "we don't need no host", which I keep mishearing as "hoes".

On a serious note, I wish Stanne hadn't shied away from employing his clean voice more, because the only track to feature it, "Emptier Still", is my favorite on the whole album and I like its gloomy yet experimental vibe. One of the bonus tracks, "In Sight", is a ballad in vein of "Auctioned" and shows what a great singer he is. The more mellow sections on the album could've benefited from real singing instead of the half-growl-half-speech style he uses on them.

The songs on Haven are relatively short and straightforward, the exception being the epic closer "At Loss for Words", which ends with an instrumental outro and guitar feedback. It would pave the way for later Dark Tranquillity album closers like "Ex Nihilo" and "Iridium". The album is also more subdued and atmospheric than most of the band's releases, though not as mellow as Projector. Haven is very accessible and its atmosphere is a big part of its charm, but at the same time it feels like the song structures could've been more adventurous and the album would've benefited from having a little more edge. To use a Rush comparison, I'd say this is DT's Signals (1982): an album on which the opening track has overshadowed the rest of the material in terms of live play and the band hadn't found the right balance between keyboards and guitars yet, which makes the music a little sterile at times. However, the strong songwriting makes Haven a brilliant album and one of my favorites from Dark Tranquillity, even though it may not have stood the test of time as well as, say, Fiction (2007).

Rating: 4/5

Classic Album Anniversary: In Flames - Clayman (2000)

"Never been able to use the force
I only have it read to me
Despite all the misguided faith

I'll find a place in this mess"

In Flames' fifth full-length album Clayman was released 15 years ago. It is largely considered their last (pure) melodic death metal album and a watershed moment in the band's history, as the following albums would see the band embracing the influence of modern American metal and divide the fanbase.

Clayman is definitely a guitar album: although Anders Fridén continued to add melodic vocals and spoken word sections to the band's music, the majority of the time he's screaming and it's the guitar tandem of Björn Gelotte and Jesper Strömblad that drives the songs - the guitar playing isn't extremely technical, but the Swedes have a great sense of melody, and the harmonies and solos are often hummable. Clayman can be seen as a sibling of its precedessor Colony (1999), since the line-up and the studio where it was recorded are the same, and the musical style is similar, although Clayman is more accessible, including more clean singing and keyboards.

"Only for the Weak" is the most popular song on the album and still gets played regularly at In Flames' live shows - Fridén always tells the people in the audience to "jump the f*ck up" at the start of the song and they do accordingly. The song is full of infectious melodies and is arguably the catchiest (melodic) death metal song of all time. "Pinball Map" is another hit, juxtaposing fast and aggressive verses with a poppy sing-along chorus - this song paved the way for In Flames' new direction, as there aren't a lot of melodic leads here. The title-track is a self-portrait of Anders, perhaps with some irony thrown in: "I've tried confidence, had it for breakfast today". Opener "Bullet Ride" and "Square Nothing" on the other hand are rather suicidal and depressive lyrically, but musically they are fast and heavy like most of the other songs, although the beginning of the latter may mislead you into thinking it's a ballad. The actual ballad of the album is "Satellites and Astronauts" - I always thought this song was filler, but now I can appreciate it and I think it adds some variety to the album.

"Brush the Dust Away" shows off Daniel Svensson's impressive drumming and the lyrics seemingly criticize the sensationalization of violence in the media. "Swim" is a throwback to the futuristic sci-fi themes of In Flames' earlier albums and includes some cool wah-wah riffing. My favorite song on the album is "Suburban Me", which has a rocking vibe and blows off the roof with guest guitarist Chris Amott's (Arch Enemy) blistering solo. The remaining two tracks, "...as the Future Repeats Today" and "Another Day in Quicksand" aren't on par with the rest, but not as weak as some of In Flames' later songs, and the album is so short that it's easy to listen to it in full without skipping them.

While Reroute to Remain (2002) and Come Clarity (2006) are fairly solid albums for the most part and the rest of the newer In Flames albums each have a couple of good songs, I have to agree with those who consider Clayman the end of the band's golden era. While it may have been the beginning of the end and not a masterpiece like Whoracle (1997), Clayman is the sound of a band with a clear vision and a goal, on the edge of a breakthrough.

Rating: 4.5/5

Classic Album Anniversary: Marillion - Afraid of Sunlight (1995)

"Heaven only knows we live in a world
Where what we call beautiful is just something on sale
People laughing behind their hands
As the fragile and the sensitive are given no chance"

Afraid of Sunlight is Marillion's 8th studio album and was released exactly 20 years ago. I can give a little bit of background for those who read my review of Misplaced Childhood but aren't familiar with Marillion's history: in the time between these two albums frontman and lyricist Fish quit the band due to disagreements with the other members and being under too much pressure from outside the band. He was replaced by Steve Hogarth, who came from a pop/new wave background and had a very different voice and writing style. As a result the fanbase was divided into those who only like the Fish era and those who enjoy both new and old Marillion (such as myself).

Afraid of Sunlight isn't a concept album like its precedessor Brave (1994), but a lot of the lyrics on the album deal with the pitfalls of fame and were inspired by real famous people, such as Mike Tyson and Elvis Presley. My personal favorite song on the album, the poignant "Out of This World", is about the case of Donald Campbell, and it inspired a diver to look for Campbell's remains and the wreck of his boat, and they were finally discovered in 2001. The power of music can be influential in very concrete ways sometimes! Opener "Gazpacho" mixes upbeat music with dark lyrics in an ironic way. The single and video track "Beautiful is... well, beautiful. Other highlights include the title-track with its emotionally charged vocal performance from Hogarth and the album closer "King" with its rocking vibe and powerful crescendo at the end.

Unfortunately the album is a mixed bag with some misses besides the hits. "Cannibal Surf Babe" is a lighthearted, fun track in vein of The Beach Boys, but it also feels totally out of place on the album, both lyrically and musically - it's a little bit like Marillion's equivalent of Rush's "I Think I'm Going Bald". "Afraid of Sunrise" is connected to the title-track, but it feels kind of redundant on the album. "Beyond You" isn't a very exciting song and it's been mixed in mono, which sounds kind of wrong to me, as I'm used to stereo.

The filler tracks prevent me from placing Afraid of Sunlight in the upper echelon of the Marillion discography, but it also includes some of the band's greatest songs ever, and the lyrics by Hogarth and co-lyricist John Helmer are brilliantly crafted and possibly the best on any of the post-Fish releases.

Rating: 3.5/5

Classic Album Anniversary: IQ - The Wake (1985)

"And it's such a lonely ride to tomorrow
Through the corners where the light never shows
When it seems impossible to imagine
How the world could be so cold to itself"

Time for a neo-prog classic from the 1980s: The Wake is the second album by the British band IQ. I couldn't find the exact release date for the record, but Wikipedia says it entered the UK album chart at #72 on June 22, 1985, so this day is fitting for this post.

Like their peers Marillion, IQ were compared to Genesis in the early days, probably due to vocalist Peter Nicholls' nasal delivery and theatrical stage presence, which were undoubtedly influenced by Peter Gabriel. However, IQ's music also had contemporary influences, so they weren't merely a pastische 70s prog band.

"Outer Limits" kicks off the album with a hypnotic bassline and eerie keyboards before the whole band joins in, but even after that it's keyboardist Martin Orford's diverse use of organ, harpsichord and synths, as well as Tim Esau's basswork and use of bass pedals that makes this song remarkable. "Outer Limits" sets a rather dark mood for the whole record, which is a concept album about death.

The progressive elements are also present in "The Magic Roundabout", which starts off fast-paced before settling on a slow and steady tempo. Mike Holmes plays an impressive guitar solo at the end, but despite that the song isn't especially remarkable compared to the rest of the album. "Widow's Peak" is the record's peak (pun intended), opening with gorgeous clean guitars and flutes. After that the song goes through various time signature and mood changes, from slow to fast, mellow to restless and major to minor, without sounding incoherent, and the song ends where it began. Holmes uses the delay effect to great effect (as you may have figured out by now, I love puns) in the middle section. "Headlong" reprises "Outer Limits" and closes the album on a high note, although the melancholy beginning might lead you to think otherwise.

The remaining songs exhibit IQ's more accessible side. The title-track is a hard-hitting rock song with intense vocals by Nicholls and impressive drumming by Paul Cook. "Corners" is a rather exotic tune with sitar and programmed percussion, while "The Thousand Days" is a melodic sing-along driven by Holmes' clean guitars.

The Wake did relatively well for a prog album in the 80s, selling 10,000 copies in the UK, but the "Corners" single failed to make an impact on the radio, and frontman Nicholls left the band due to communication problems later in 1985. IQ had built a solid following, but they couldn't reach the status Marillion had, probably because they weren't backed by a major label. However, after a couple of more commercial albums with another singer IQ were rejoined by Nicholls, and they continue to record new music and play live to their small yet faithful fanbase.

The Wake may not have been a groundbreaking album, but it's a hidden gem that's stood the test of time and possibly IQ's greatest achievement after all these years.

Rating: 4/5

(Unfortunately the album isn't on Spotify and there are no tracks from it on IQ's official YouTube channel, so I'll leave it up to you to look for the songs online.)

Classic Album Anniversary: Marillion - Misplaced Childhood (1985)

"Two hundred francs for sanctuary and she led me by the hand
To a room of dancing shadows where all the heartache disappears
And from glowing tongues of candles I heard her whisper in my ear
"'J'entend ton coeur"
I can hear your heart"

 I'll start this review with a funny story: I got into Marillion last fall, and after listening to Misplaced Childhood and enjoying it I ordered the album earlier this year from a webstore that shall not be named. One day a package arrived at my apartment, and you can only imagine my confusion and disappointment when I opened it to find a copy of a CD including hymns in Norwegian. Luckily I got the Marillion CD after an email exchange with the customer service, and now I can look back on the incident with amusement.

Misplaced Childhood is another legendary concept album from the 1980s, but compared to Operation: Mindcrime, this album's plot is much more abstract, which may have something to do with the fact that frontman Fish got the inspiration for the concept during an acid trip. Some of the themes dealt with in the lyrics include the loss of innocence and love, but there is also a happy ending.

The synth-driven atmospheric intro track "Pseudo Silk Kimono" leads into Marillion's biggest hit, "Kayleigh", whose success was so massive that it inspired countless parents in the UK to name their girl babies after the song in the 80s. Luckily I've never heard this song on the radio here in Finland, so I haven't had a chance to get tired of it - Steve Rothery's chorus-laden riff and melodic guitar solo are awesome, and the chorus is catchy. "Lavender" is another hit, and it's a short but sweet piano ballad - this must be the only song I know that was extended instead of being edited when it was released as a single! My favorite song on the album is the multipart epic "Bitter Suite" - I'm not sure whether my love for puns has something to do with that. This song shifts seamlessly from one feel to another and showcases Fish's talents as a lyricist: the way he paints pictures with words is stunning. "Heart of Lothian" provides a great ending for the first half of the album with its progginess.

Unfortunately Side B doesn't match the greatness of the first five songs. "Waterhole (Expresso Bongo)" is an uptempo track that ends before it's properly begun, and the transition to "Lords of the Backstage" is rather awkward, as acknowledged by keyboardist Mark Kelly in the reissue's liner notes. The 9½-minute "Blind Curve" brings the album back on track after the two interludes with its sad tone and beautiful clean guitars. "Childhood's End?" is a poppy piece that would've served as a good closer, but it's followed by "White Feather", which was the last track written for the album and fails to add anything to it in my opinion.

The musicianship on Misplaced Childhood is great, as is always the case with Marillion. The production is typically 80s with a big drum sound and lush synths, but that doesn't detract from the quality of the music. Kelly's keyboards are all over the album and Rothery plays brilliant solos. Fish's unique vocal style and colorful lyrics may not be for everyone and he goes over the top sometimes (both vocally and lyrically), but he has a lot of personality.

Personally I think Marillion have made a lot of better albums than Misplaced Childhood, but the fact that it managed to be so successful at a time when progressive rock was a curse word in the mainstream is very impressive. The legacy of the album also lives on, as Fish is performing the album live this year in its entirety. Misplaced Childhood isn't without its flaws in my eyes, but I can see why so many fans consider it a masterpiece.

Rating: 3.5/5

Classic Album Anniversary: In Flames - Subterranean (1995)

"My spine shivers with the touch of your lips...
My pale skin turns red when we kiss...
Piercing your nails deep into my back...
As I slowly kiss your ivory neck..."

Subterranean is an EP Swedish melodeath pioneers In Flames released 20 years ago. As numerous EPs by other bands, this release has faded into obscurity and is mostly remembered by die-hard fans of the band's early works. Is this lack of attention justified or is Subterranean a hidden gem in the In Flames catalog?

Subterranean was recorded at a time when In Flames was still just a project and lacked a stable line-up, having to hire session members in order to record and perform live. This release features founding members Jesper Strömblad (guitar), Glenn Ljungström (guitar) and Johan Larsson (bass), along with session vocalist Henke Forss and session drummers Daniel Erlandsson, who would later join Arch Enemy, and Anders Jivarp of Dark Tranquillity. Henke Forss' vocals are more black metal-sounding than future frontman Anders Fridén's, and his lyrics include a lot of romantic imagery (as seen in the quote from the title-track above), which would be more at home on a gothic metal album. In other words, his style wasn't a good fit for In Flames, so it's not surprising that the band didn't keep him.

The songs are typical mid-90s Gothenburg metal with guitar harmonies, harsh vocals and double bass drumming, as well as folky acoustic sections. Opener "Stand Ablaze" is arguably one of the greatest In Flames songs ever, as the guitar melodies in the last 1½ minutes are pure ear candy. It's also the only song on the EP that is known to have been played live, although it hasn't been resurrected since 1999. "Stand Ablaze" sets the bar so high that the remaining four tracks can't live up to it, although the title-track is pretty good. "Everdying" ends with a nice acoustic outro, but it also feels slightly tacked-on. "Timeless" is an instrumental filler track and "Biosphere" isn't particularly memorable.

The reissue comes with four bonus tracks: two of them are demo versions of songs that would be recorded for The Jester Race, but with different vocalists, and the other two are cover songs. "Dead Eternity" sounds fairly close to the album version, with the exception of Jocke Göthberg's voice, which sounds fairly black metalish like Henke Forss'. I actually prefer his performance to Anders Fridén's strained vocals on the final version. "The Inborn Lifeless" features Per Gyllenbäck on vocals, and it's an early version of "Dead God in Me" with different lyrics and a shorter ending - not as good as the album version, but it's interesting to hear a different take on a familiar classic song. The cover of Metallica's "Eye of the Beholder" is almost identical to the original song, with the exception of the faster tempo and some additional screams in the chorus. Guest vocalist Robert Dahne tries to sound like James Hetfield, but the results are horrendous. In Flames manages to inject more of its own sound into Iron Maiden's "Murders in the Rue Morgue", but this cover isn't amazing, either.

The problem with Subterranean is a lack of focus: if In Flames had been a proper band at the time the EP was recorded, they could've refined the songs more. However, as the bonus demo tracks show, In Flames was taking steps towards the sound that made them famous on The Jester Race. Subterranean isn't an essential release by any means, but "Stand Ablaze" is definitely worth listening to, and the EP can be recommended to those who love The Jester Race and want to hear what came before it.

Rating: 3/5

Classic Album Anniversary: Paradise Lost - Draconian Times (1995)

"Time may heal all troubles, is that what I've found?
Joy entices all until death's lonely shroud

But I know it's forever..."

The first album to receive the honor of being reviewed by me is one of my all-time favorite releases and one of the greatest classics of gothic metal; Draconian Times by Paradise Lost. This album was released on June 12, 1995, so today marks its 20th anniversary. Prepare for a lot of album anniversary posts in this blog!

Paradise Lost was an innovative and unique band right from the beginning, when their music was still death/doom metal with slow tempos and growled vocals. However, with each album their music got more melodic and accessible, and album #5, Draconian Times, was the peak of that development. After that Paradise Lost would move completely away from metal in a more poppy and synth-driven direction, only to return to their heavy roots some ten years later. Their latest album The Plague Within was released two weeks ago, but I'll tell you my thoughts on that record later on in a separate post.

Opener "Enchantment" could be considered the key track of the album: it starts with a beautiful piano intro before the heavy guitars and drums kick in. Structurally the song is a little different compared to the rest of the album, being 6 minutes long and not having a proper chorus, but it's one of the definitive Paradise Lost classics with its gloomy vibe and has been played live more often than any other song on the album. When I saw PL live two years ago, they opened with "Enchantment" - it's a great moodsetter, both in concert and on the album. Frontman and lyricist Nick Holmes has joked that the lyrics are about masturbation: "Reverse the frown and let the power surge / But when alone you cannot resist the urge" Whether that's the song's actual topic depends on your interpretation, but I'm more inclined to believe it's about something way more depressive like the rest of the album.

The songs on Draconian Times vary between catchy rockers like "Hallowed Land" and "The Last Time", and more atmospheric and moody pieces, such as "Elusive Cure" and the ballad "Forever Failure", which includes samples of notorious serial killer Charles Manson speaking about how he "do[es]n't really know what sorry means". Depressive stuff, but perfect for haunting music like this! "Once Solemn" is an atypically fast, perhaps even slightly punky song. Slow songs like "Jaded" on the other hand revisit Paradise Lost's doom metal roots, despite being very melodic and including no growls.

Speaking of vocals, Nick Holmes sings most of the album in a raspy tone reminiscent of James Hetfield, which was probably the main reason why Paradise Lost was called "the next Metallica" around the time the record came out. Holmes also uses his gothic crooning voice for the less aggressive sections, and overall his vocals are more diverse than on the earlier albums. The only complaint I have about his singing is that while he had learned to stay in tune better since the previous album Icon (1993), he still sings slightly off-key in the verses of "The Last Time", which is a little distracting. Nevertheless, his performance on the album is great, considering that Autotune and other helpful studio programs weren't around back then and he sings a lot of the album in a higher register than usually on PL's releases.

Main songwriter Greg Mackintosh's wailing lead guitar is one of the most recognizable elements of the Paradise Lost sound, and he is firing on all cylinders on Draconian Times, playing infectious melodies and tasteful solos all over the album, perhaps most notably on my favorite song "Yearn for Change". However, the rest of the band isn't sloppy either, and funnily enough this is the only PL album to include musical contributions from other members than Holmes and Mackintosh. Aaron Aedy is one of the tightest rhythm guitarists in the business, and the rhythm section of bassist Steve Edmondson and drummer Lee Morris lays a solid foundation for the songs. Morris was the newbie of the band at the time, having joined just before the recording sessions, and his playing was a massive improvement over original skinsman Matthew Archer. He plays impressive fills and patterns, but never once reaching the point where his playing is flashy for the sake of it and doesn't serve the song.

Greg Mackintosh has said he considers Draconian Times merely "a polished version of Icon". While the albums are similar and I love both of them, I find the former an improvement in every way: the songwriting is more solid and diverse, the performances are tighter and the crystal clear production sounds great to this day. The album's legacy also speaks for itself, as it remains Paradise Lost's best-selling and most acclaimed release. It was also played in full live in 2011, and the DVD filmed on that tour, Draconian Times MMXI, is one of the greatest live videos I've ever seen. Draconian Times paved the way for numerous new bands, including HIM and Lacuna Coil. It's a timeless release that came out at the right time and has had a huge impact even on listeners like me who only discovered the band within the past five years.

Rating: 5/5

EDIT: I think I'll add some official YouTube videos to the end of each review to give you some idea of what the music sounds like. However, single/video tracks are rarely among my absolute favorite songs, and some of you may even want to hear the whole album, so I'm also adding a Spotify Play Button: