For the past couple of days I have done practically nothing else but listened to Character and I guess it is time to write down some of my thoughts about the album. I'll go through Character song-by-song and then try to conclude it all with a few lines. This is no review, this is an opinion and as such highly subjective - take it for what it is.
Dark Tranquillity - Character
The New Build: Excellent opener for the album with a great main-riff. Aggressive, brutal even, but still controlled, meaningful. The haunting electronic sounds are brilliantly used to enforce the already dark atmosphere of the song. A great start for a great album!
Through Smudged Lenses: The first song that "opened up" for me on the album, possibly because of its resemblance to White Noise / Black Silence. A certain live-favorite to come. The guitar-solo that starts at around 2:23 is wonderful! The sudden change to the outro works well, but having heard the same passage already on "Derivation TNB" it kind of feels out of place in here. Nevertheless a very good song.
Out of Nothing: I love the bass-work on this one! The keyboards are also very good and fit the complex structure of the song very well, bringing a much needed lighter mood to the otherwise so desperate song. Overall great!
The Endless Feed: It's very interesting to compare this song to the version that appeared on the Lost to Apathy EP. The electronics are at the forefront, but they don't drown the other instruments or the vocals, which is great. The way the sounds "move" within the song, fading in and out, rising from the background and suddenly disappearing is magnificent and they bring lots of images to my mind. By its structure this song is very far from typical DT, but still the band has succeeded in arranging it in such a way that it feels very natural on this album. Awesome!
Lost to Apathy: Having listened to this song some 50+ times during the past two months it has become rather boring when compared to the "new" masterpieces of the album. Still, it is probably the most straight-forward song of the album and well deserves its place among the more ambitious compositions.
Mind Matters: Possibly has the most "maidenish" guitar-melodies of all DT-songs. Despite that, Mind Matters is a very solid song with a good "positive" vibe to it. Being so guitar-driven the song stands out nicely among songs that have a stronger emphasis on keyboards / vocals / drums. A great solo at about 2:34 - 2:46.
One Thought: This far the song that has caught my interest the most. Excellent riffs all the way through; and the electronic break at the middle is very effective. Ever since hearing this song at Tuska the song-title has intrigued me and personally I find the lyrics of One Thought to be the best on an album that has only excellent lyrics. Overall a masterpiece!
Dry Run: This song has only now began to "open up" for me. It is certainly a very interesting song, although I can't quite describe it yet. Definitely needs to be listened more. The transition to the next song is great.
Am I 1?: Despite the crappiest song-title ever by DT, this is another solid song that is somewhat reminiscent of older titles like Ego Drama or The Enemy. The song is full of interesting sounds and melodies that oftentimes overlap each other so that if you concentrate on different instruments on different listenings it sounds completely different, almost like another song every time - brilliant! Also, despite the title, the lyrics are extremely thought-provoking and convey a whole lot of images in my mind.
Senses Tied: A very good fast-paced song that emits loads of emotion, especially through Mikael's excellent vocal delivery. The main-riff that gets played by both the guitar and keyboards is simply wonderful! Another song that has to be included in their live-set.
My Negation: I wouldn't quite call this the best DT song ever, but without a doubt it is a perfect album-closer. Melancholic yet up-lifting, harsh yet soothing - My Negation succeeds where At Loss for Words failed, IMHO. It feels good to just sit still for a few seconds after the final notes of the song have faded away.
Overall, Character has absolutely some of the best arrangements by the band; all the parts fit in so well and complement each other so seamlessly that I really feel they have overdone themselves with this album. The songs are complex and technical, but still have a huge amount of pure emotion to them, emotion that is transmitted to the listener in a multitude of ways. The lyrics and vocals must be the best ever created.
You have all heard me praising each and every one of their albums in the past, but this time I'm truly impressed - there are no weak songs on this album and there's plenty of differences between all the excellent songs. Eleven different characters, indeed. The album gets better with every listen.
It is really too early to say, but this could very well be the best album by the band - and thus, in my book, the best album ever made. I don't need any other albums this year, I'm sure.
-Villain
