To Mikael : Dark Tranquillity`s progression

[WhenTheLightsAreDown]

Long time fan here.

Got in DT at the time The Minds I was released and the song Hedon caught me on a sampler, had the pleasure of seeing them live on the World Domination Tour in Offenbach Germany, what a blast and they played of Chaos and Eternal Night... Wow...

I bought all the stuff, got the merchandise, bought limited and Japanese Versions and I got to The Gallery soon, oh my god, stuff like Edenspring, Lethe & Co. still rule my day...wowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

Than they released Projector and I was shocked but I got into it and learned to like it, but after each new release the keys got more and more dominant, not that its a bad thing in general and Martin is such a nice guy, but it doesnt fit much for DT.

The last years also Mikael live doenst sound very good growling, it sounds like he must try hard to do it anymore.

Couple years now since I cleaned out all my Merchandise and rare stuff and seen them live.

Out of interest I bought the Live DVD/CD Ltd. Where Death is..., such a good package, but it catches the live Problem DT are having very good :

To much keys, way to much, the older songs are played slower with also to much keys in it, guys - playing Edenspring live is killer but please play it in right speed and leave the keys aside, please at least for the really old songs.

And again Mikaels voice on the DVD/CD sound like as he`s screamin and sounding bit like a robot scream ( sorry Mikael ).

I couldn`t stand watching the whole concert, altough it has a killer Sound & Production and the new bass player is really a great addition to DT, it is not a DVD that I put in the DVD player to often, well the 2nd DVD is in my player all the time

Couple days ago We are the Void was released and I just couldn`t resist buying it, because I always supported those guys and to my total surprise besides the keys it kills Surface the Inifite makes me run around in a circle banging my head till I have problems standing on my feet, and I thought with 34 years I got to old for this hahaha And Mikaels voice also sounds very very good again, thank heavens !!!!!

Anyways good Album and for years now I`ll be live in Germany when you guys tour in Germany and scream Of Chaos and Eternal Night so you dear Mikael just smile and sadfully once again wont play it like on the last concerts I attended.

Sorry if I wrote some of the negative stuff above but I am always honest but the main point is I still love you guys ! Your music just means so much to me.

And maybye dear Mikeal and guys you can play Of Chaos and Eternal Night just for only one concert in Germany, so please tell me when and I will be there.

All the best from Germany.

1,2,3,4 Of Chaos and Eternallllllll Nightnotworthynotworthy

 

[SubDivision]

To address some of your points, live vocals are never gonna sound as good as decent studio recorded vocals. Vocals recorded in the studio allow time to rest and do things at your own pace, and often vocals are double tracked to thicken them up (Don't know what DT's approach is in this respect though). When you're performing live, you have maybe an hour's worth of songs, with very little opportunity to rest your voice in between except during solos.

And as for keys, that's personal taste I guess. I'm a keyboardist myself and I really like the way the keys thicken out the whole sound. Before hearing later DT stuff I had no hope for keyboards in metal at all. And hearing the older songs played live with added keyboard is interesting, I wouldn't say it's better or worse. I'd also like to point out that if the older pieces were played without keys, Martin B would be forced to sit around doing nothing during said songs. I can tell you from experience that is no fun

 

[Exposure]

I agree with you about Mikael voice on the dvd, finally im not the only one!! But i still think this dvd is probably the best thing they ever done! The keyboard i think is a good addition in this band. I was not thinking that way when Haven was released but now i really like it and in live performance Martin just Rocks! I also would like to see Of Chaos and Eternal light live. I think they have not played it in North America!!??


To quote SubDivision :To address some of your points, live vocals are never gonna sound as good as decent studio recorded vocals

I don't think so! Maybe it does'nt sound like in studio but a couple of years ago when i finally see DT live for the first time in Quebec city, Mikael voice was awesome! Even in the Live Damage Mikael's voice sounds better! I don't know what happen since then but in live performance the vocals have decrease imo! And increase in studio!

Would like to know what some of you think about all this!

 

[stizzleomnibus]

A lot of metal vocalists, because of the strain of their technique, destroy their voices during their careers. In Flames, anyone?

Mikael has great technique and he has said that, while he had trouble in the early days, he's now able to talk after shows. I would bet that, for the sake of saving his voice, he goes all out in short bursts in the studio, and takes it easy when he's doing shows night after night. I think he's definitely better in the studio (and still great live), but that's the price we pay for him to still sound so good after all these years.

I mean, do you really want another Anders Friden? Aside from doing awful versions of old songs live, he can't even turn in a good performance in the studio.

 

[Exposure]

A lot of metal vocalists, because of the strain of their technique, destroy their voices during their careers. In Flames, anyone?

Mikael has great technique and he has said that, while he had trouble in the early days, he's now able to talk after shows. I would bet that, for the sake of saving his voice, he goes all out in short bursts in the studio, and takes it easy when he's doing shows night after night. I think he's definitely better in the studio (and still great live), but that's the price we pay for him to still sound so good after all these years.

I mean, do you really want another Anders Friden? Aside from doing awful versions of old songs live, he can't even turn in a good performance in the studio.

No Anders Friden for me! uke:

I agree, i remember Mikael said he destroy his voice in the past! Not only in live performance but also in studio for some song.(he said that about Metallica's cover My friend of Misery i i remember correctly) But the kinda robot voice on the dvd was the first time i notice this huge change in his voice! The recording?? Or it just change that much? The last show i saw it was ok, maybe some people who have see them recently can tell us what its sounds like now and what it really was in Milano .

 

[nhara-ekke]

My bet is that it is just lagom economizing during live shows. This manner of singing is less intense for breath and vocal cords, so you have more power to act and make faces on stage. At the same time it does not affect the emotional charge in the voice and it sounds powerful and well-felt every night. It a good option for underground, where everything is so loud and the atmosphere is congested. This does not however work well with Wacken or other open-air set-ups, where deep, open and far-flying voice is more effective.
However with this approach I can't understand why did Mikael opted for this manner in the Milano show. He looked so manowarish and healthy there, that the economizing version does not fit good.

 

[krofius]

A lot of metal vocalists, because of the strain of their technique, destroy their voices during their careers. In Flames, anyone?

Mikael has great technique and he has said that, while he had trouble in the early days, he's now able to talk after shows. I would bet that, for the sake of saving his voice, he goes all out in short bursts in the studio, and takes it easy when he's doing shows night after night. I think he's definitely better in the studio (and still great live), but that's the price we pay for him to still sound so good after all these years.

I mean, do you really want another Anders Friden? Aside from doing awful versions of old songs live, he can't even turn in a good performance in the studio.

That's totally only your opinion on Anders Friden. I don't think he has worn out his voice at all, he just don't wants to sing like that anymore, and also my favorite live DVD of all time is Used and Abused, his new vocal style fits perfectly on the show where they do only Old songs. I don't understand why you present it as a fact that Anders has destroyed his voice..he hasn't.

 

[DE4life]

Anders voice has definitely been damaged a little. It's the consequence of the technique he was using from 1996 to around 2000-ish in live shows. Listen to the Koln show and tell me he's not wrecking his voice. By the end he sounds terrible.

He's found a technique now that saves his voice (kind of a half growl half yell) and fits in with In Flames new style of music. It's fine for him. Even back in the day, when TJR/Whoracle were out, he never sounded great singing those songs live. His voice was always of a higher pitch than in the studio, he just adapted his technique to reflect that on studio albums from Clayman onwards.