Dark Tranquillity "Character" (Century Media)
By Eric Chon
Tuesday. Mar 01, 11:36 AM
An interview with singer Mikael Stanne.

While the term “melodic death metal” might seem an oxymoron to some, those of us familiar with it know how very real and powerful it is. One only has to look to Sweden, the haven of all things metal, to see its origins. Bands such as At The Gates and In Flames went past the relentless beat and harsh vocals by injecting melody and harmony into the already light-speed fray. But one has truly embraced the ideals behind this “Gothenburg” movement from the beginning. Dark Tranquillity have pushed boundaries and continue to innovate with each new release, never stagnating with one successful formula.

Character is their new album and it truly showcases their constant evolution. It builds and borrows from all their previous material, while incorporating new ideas and themes at the same time. I had the opportunity to speak with vocalist Mikael Stanne about his own character, his experiences, and how he and his band-mates stand each other on tour. I also got a chance to apologize for missing his initial call (but, damnit, he called an hour early! Curse you time zones!)

Mikael! How have you been?

I’ve been great! I’ve been really great. We’re finally releasing an album that’s taken so long to put together and everything is better than expected.

Ah, the new album. Of course, that’s what I’m here to talk about! So, tell me about Character. Why is it called that? Is it about your own character? Or the human character?

Well, it has a lot to do with the human character: what the different traits and behavioral patterns are. I tried to tackle a different aspect in each of the 11 songs, but I suppose it’s also about my own character: what I’ve done and what I do. I’ve projected all my own failings and mistakes into this album, trying to cope with them and come up with stories.

Your own failings?

Well, it’s important to have a strong sense of direction in everything you do. You’ve got to know what you’re doing, what you’ve taken or done to get there and to be sure of yourself. But sometimes you are lacking in that direction.

I remember talking with Peter Dolving from The Haunted and he said that metal was cathartic for him. Do you feel the same way about putting your personal frustrations into the music?

Oh yeah. All the frustrations come out! It’s a great way to express yourself and to scream about it. I wouldn’t know how to deal with life without it, you know? If we don’t get to rehearse for even two weeks I go nuts. My worse side comes out and that’s only good when it’s on stage! (laughs)

It’s pretty apparent this time around. Character is your hardest-hitting album to date…

We wanted to take things to the extremes. But, you know, with progressive and electronic elements. Well, maybe taking those to the extremes as well. There was a large emphasis on speed, too.

However, it still remained very melodic. Was there any compromise for the sake of the heavy sound?

It always has to come naturally. You spend so much time on the songs that they progress the only way they could. I mean, they would just balance themselves out most of the time. Occasionally we would say a track was too mellow and then try and make it a bit harder, or just the opposite. We would always try and throw something unexpected into the mix. I think, in that aspect, there was very little compromise: we did exactly what we wanted.

There definitely seems to be a lot of facets to the album.

It felt really good to record and we’re very proud of it. I wanted the listener to always be able to pick out something different with each listen. A lot of times, you get a new album and you’re so into it, you love it and then two weeks later you’re on to the next thing. Character has a lot of layers in it so each time you play it there’ll always be something new.

That must’ve been hard to write. How was the whole process of trying to define such a complex sound?

Well, everyone writes a lot at home, records a lot, and then we all sit around and put together the best stuff. 30% we keep! (laughs) We take that amount and go over it again and again – really work it. We see what clicks, what connects, and that’s how we do it. It’s a long process but we’re all good friends making music we love.

Obviously it’s hard sometimes but I believe a difficult process and conflict oftentimes leads to better songs and better things. This is the reason we do this, it’s challenging but the rewards are more than worth it.

Was there a plan to go in this direction? Considering how diverse your catalogue is, was there any planning ahead with a “this is how we want to sound?”

We just take direction as it comes… meaning not at all! (laughs) We never plan ahead, you know? Who knows what we’ll feel like doing when we start writing again? It’s always exactly how we’re feeling at the moment, and right now it feels amazing. This is exactly where we want to be right now!

How was the overall recording process? I heard you didn’t use a producer…

That’s true, we do all our stuff before going into the studio, you know? It’s very basic, very simple. Once we go in all we have to do is really mix it all together and that usually takes about five to six weeks. It’s my least favorite thing to do, honestly. It can kill the whole feeling of the album. It’s just a very sterile environment.

That’s just gotta fuel your desire to go out and play.

Oh rehearsing and writing I love! Playing live is the best! All the songs take on a new form: they suddenly mean something totally different to me. Singing and performing in front of people who actually get it is the greatest feeling. You know, if we haven’t played or rehearsed in a month or two I start to feel really strange and even a little fidgety. (laughs) Finally we have a chance play these songs and it’ll be really great!

Well, I guess you’re excited about touring then. How about returning to the U.S.?

I’m really excited about that! We’ll do at least three months of touring for this album so it should be awesome.

How was your impression of the U.S. your first time around?

Oh, it was amazing. All the stereotypes I had were confirmed! (laughs) But honestly, I was amazed at the awesome response we received. We had the time of our lives, really.

Any one moment stand out?

Playing New York. It was amazing, really. It was one of those days where everything was complete and total crap, you know? 99% percent was just terrible and then you get on stage and it totally changes from the worst day ever to the best. Traveling isn’t really my favorite thing but that made up for it.

So while you’re all out on the road, how do you stand being next to the same dudes day-in, day-out for such extended periods of time? Do you get sick of each other?

Well, we all grew up around each other since we were six years old so it’s pretty easy. Of course, not every day is the best, but it works and we all know where our buttons are. It happens, but if you really want to just piss this guy off, you know exactly what to do and sometimes you do it. But even the worst days are okay. They usually end up in a drinking competition! (laughs)

Seems to be a popular way to blow off steam! Do you do anything else on your time off?

Video games. Lots of that. We also tend to read and watch a lot of TV series. You always gotta try and have something to do. I tend to bring my laptop and, like, 200 DVDs on the road. Of course, there’s the drinking as well: perhaps a little too much of that! (laughs)

Have you been listening to anything recently that’s caught your attention?

Right now, the new Kreator album. It’s absolutely brutal! I am dying to see them play. I’ve really enjoyed The Mars Volta, and the new Masterplan album is fantastic. You know, there is a ton of good stuff out there and it’s sometimes hard to keep track of it all. Oh yes, Leviathan by Mastodon is amazing. I’ve got lots of nice friends who constantly recommend stuff for me! (laughs)

It’s really been a good time for metal recently.

Oh yes, I agree…

In the U.S., we’re seeing a lot more respect for underground acts and more recognition that this is a legitimate form of music. It’s slow but the numbers are growing. How is metal viewed in Sweden? Is it common for someone to list things like The Cardigans and Dark Tranquillity as two of their favorite bands? Here, you’d get some strange-ass looks from either side of the fence.

It’s getting a lot better. The last five years have been great for metal. With bands like Hammerfall, it’s become okay to like beefy metal again. Our Grammy awards have metal categories with real bands in ‘em and even radio shows are playing more metal. On TV they’re playing plenty of metal videos: it’s really accepted here and the younger people are really getting into it. It’s becoming very cool. Bands like Slipknot are always bringing a younger crowd into the fold of extreme music. We even hit the singles chart with our last EP (it entered the Swedish charts at #47)! When you can be in some of the biggest magazines out there, it’s nice.

Still, it’s not quite so accepted as I might make it sound and there is something about that I do enjoy. Metal really isn’t for everyone and I think the music itself makes that abundantly clear.

With all this acceptance, you must get a lot of people calling Dark Tranquillity the band that originated the Gothenburg sound. How do you react to that?

We don’t know how to react! We’re all very flattered and it’s really great to hear, but it doesn’t change anything. We’re still gonna hide away and rehearse and write and we’re still gonna do things our way. We try very hard not to put that kind of external pressure on ourselves, you know? “Is this the true Gothenburg sound? What will people think?” (laughs) It won’t change how we act or write.

Back in 1996, people were getting obsessed with it and we actually grew a bit bored with the whole thing. Some of the bands became interchangeable in their sound. But that’s changing now. There are quite a few bands that are fresh and very conscious of the scene. They’re always trying to push the envelope and be original. They work really hard and it’s great to see that. There’s a band called Burst that you’ll probably hear about soon. Really amazing.

The fact is… the bands from here are always of great quality no matter what your opinion is of the musical style. And that you can go to out to a club and see a metal show… that wasn’t the case five years ago. It’s really fantastic.

When it comes to spreading the word of metal, then, what do you think of mp3s? Do you think they’re a valid tool to spread the word?

To me… when it comes to metal, mp3s are a marketing tool, yes. They get the word out and let people know what’s out there. Fans, in general, are devoted and passionate about their music. Metal fans know that the bands live off their generosity – that they can continue to make the music they love because they support them. You know, I download stuff all the time to check out new music! (laughs) And when I find something I like, I go out and buy it! I think it’s great that you can do that now.

When it comes to metal… it’s made by real people who will come to your town and play for you. Looking at music genres everywhere, metal doesn’t seem to have gone down much or at all in sales compared to everyone else. And with us, we’ve been selling more with each release! It’s the information that helps us out.

Metal fans want the whole package. They demand the vinyl version. They want the t-shirts and the sweatshirts. Real metal fans will go out there and support us. And that’s why they’re the best in the world.
www.darktranquillity.com
www.centurymedia.com

Eric Chon

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