DARK TRANQUILLITY - Endtime Signals CD

Apocalyptic undertones aside, Endtime Signals is the sort of album that provides a brighter and more animated shade of grey to go with any mournful metalhead’s listening diet. Sometimes Stanne’s tendency to throw in a deep, brooding clean voice to contrast with his frostbitten shouts blurs the lines between the classic Gothenburg sound and the contemporary death/doom and Gothic sound that was also the rage during the 90s, but overall this is an album that covers all the obligatory bases that the melodeath rank and file have come to expect. Those fortunate enough to get their hands on the special edition release of this album will be treated to two additional banger entries in “Zero Sum” and “In Failure” that further bolster this album’s contingent of moderately up tempo and well-rounded anthems cloaked in dense keyboards and featuring occasional technical gymnastics between the drums and Reinholdz’s six-string work. The title might be focused with the end of all things, but hopefully this won’t be the final word of this longstanding Gothenburg institution.