I don’t think I’ll ever be upset if a band I love starts getting more popular. Finally, they’re getting some recognition, and all the people I usually bug about the music I like can get some peace from me. Of course, there is a certain amount of smugness to “being there first,”  but what can you do? I try not to be too smarmy about it.

Insomnium is one such band. It’s no secret I enjoy my melodeath, but it seems so dismissive to label this band as such and leave it at that. I hesitate to describe their sound as anything but “haunting”  – the word could not be more apt. Seamlessly combining melancholic harmonies with harder solos, their music is just dark enough to offset the bittersweet lightness that pops up at unexpected intervals. Their newest album, One For Sorrow, marks their fifth release, and vocalist, bassist, and co-founder Niilo Sevänen was happy to talk about why they sound so sad.

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A 100% accurate portrayal of the research discussed in this article.

In college, I once took a course on literary representations of New York City, and one the texts utilized was Frank Miller’s graphic novel, The Dark Knight Returns.

My point being simply that it was only a matter of time until academia turned its eye towards extreme music.

From an official press release:

“A research group of a faculty member and graduate students in the University of North Carolina system and in the university of Oulu, Finland, are conducting a multi-year international study of the meaning of metal music. The research project was started in summer 2008 and its main data consists of questionnaires and interviews on the meaning of metal to the different participants of the global metal scene. So far, the researchers have received 370 survey responses, representing a diverse community of Metal fans—men and women between the ages of 13 and 70 from 25 different countries have participated in the research project thus far. Some of the artists interviewed in the project include members from Amorphis, Dark Tranquillity, Disturbed, Nonpoint, Swallow the Sun, Katatonia, The Black Dahlia Murder, Kreator, Epica, Scar Symmetry, As I Lay Dying, Barren Earth, Rotten Sound, and Cannibal Corpse.”

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Apparently Dark Tranquillity guitarist Niklas Sundin, who is a talented visual artist in addition to being a terrific musician, directed the band’s new video, for the track “Iridium.” And, man, this is  a pretty damn fine directorial debut, no? Not only is the animation great, but it’s unique — I’ve never seen a video that looks quite like this before. Sundin should direct all the band’s videos from now on, and if I were in another band, I’d probably start pestering him to direct my video, too.

“Iridium” comes off of Dark Tranquillity’s We Are the Void, which is out on Century.

-AR

Hey, remember “Weather the Storm,” that awesome new single Insomnium recorded with Dark Tranquillity’s Mikael Stanne last year to promote the bands’ European tour? Well, it has a video now! And that video is… well, honestly, it’s not all that great. It’s just a live video, and not a very dynamic one at that.

But guess what? Insomnium get a free pass. In fact, Insomnium get a million free passes. As Vince put it, “Insomnium is never a bad idea.” They are always at the awesome top of the awesome awesomeness heap. I think I could learn that they’ve been going around Dutch ovening adorable kittens to death and I’d probably forgive them. They just make life so much better, I’d be like, “Whatever, did you see the way that pussy was looking at them? Fucker had it coming.”

(Side note: there’s apparently a digital single of the song available, too, but I’m not seeing it on iTunes or Amazon, so… maybe it’s just available to Europeans?)

So that was just the best part of your day.

-AR

There’s this amazing falafel joint in NYC called Mamoun‘s (“mah-MOONS”) that Axl and I have been frequenting since we were kids. It’s open all night, the service is snappy, the price of a falafel sandwich is still a whoppingly cheap $2.50 ($5 for a shawarma cut fresh off the spit) and most importantly of all, it’s fucking delicious. There is no better falafel in all of Manhattan. After years of debating late-night drunken journeys to Mamoun’s and always being happy I decided in favor of them, I coined the phrase “Mamoun’s: never a bad idea,” because really, if I make the decision to go to Mamoun’s I will never be let down.

Insomnium are like the Mamoun’s of metal; there is no situation I can possibly imagine in which someone could put on an Insomnium track and I’d go “Nah, I’m just not feeling that right now.” Insomnium hit the spot — every fucking time! Without fail.

The writers of No Clean Singing know this all too well, so naturally they’ve included a post about Insomnium as part of their Finland Tribute Week feature. And who knew — there’s a brand new Insomnium track called “Weather the Storm” that features Dark Tranquillity’s Mikael Stanne on a guest vocal spot. Apparently Century Media released it earlier this fall to promote an Insomnium / Dark Tranquillity European tour in September and October. It sounds purely Insomnium and it sounds purely great; I love Stanne’s added vocal snarl too. Stream it above, because…. Insomnium, never a bad idea.

-VN

A reader calling himself “Ross UK” tipped us off that Insomnium have released “Weather the Storm,” a new song featuring guest vocals by Dark Tranquillity’s Mikael Stanne, apparently in anticipation of DT’s upcoming European “Where Death is Most Alive” tour. And that’s really all the info I have. But it’s an awesome new Insomnium song, so, really, what else do you need to know? Sometimes, in my darkest moments, I’ve considered suicide, or, worse, taking a job at a hip-hop magazine, and it’s only the thought of all the new Insomnium music I’d miss that keeps me off the ledge.

Somebody e-mail me an mp3 of this please.

-AR

Congrats to Stefan Spec for winning our Dark Tranquillity Family Tree contest. Not only was his family tree the most complete (by far) offering not only bands and lineups but the albums on which they each appeared, but it was also the most visually pleasing and easy to read. Honestly, there’s so much stuff in there that we didn’t have time to fact-check it all… but on first glance, everything we did look at seems to be accurate! So, congrats, Stefan. A DT package featuring their entire catalogue (CDs, DVDs + a vinyl of We Are the Void) will be on its way to you in the mail right quick.

Click the above image to enlarge it so you can see it in all its beauteous glory.

[This is a re-post of the original contest announcement from May 12th. -Ed.]

Swedish metal kings Dark Tranquillity have been around for a long time; the number of members that have been in other successful (and not so successful) bands — and the number of other bands with whom those bands share members — simply boggles the mind. DT are like the godfathers of Gothenburg, the lynchpin of the whole damn thing. So to celebrate our sponsorship of Dark Tranquillity’s current tour with Threat Signal and Mutiny Within (dateshere) — and their new album We Are The Void — we’re having a contest in which we’re asking you to put it all down on (e-)paper.

So here’s what you’ve got to do: come up with the best and most creative Dark Tranquility “family tree” and create some kind of image or document charting the whole thing; it can be a traditional family tree, a venn diagram, a spreadsheet, pretty much anything that shows the relationships between all the various bands and members. All roads lead to Dark Tranquility, so remember to include as much as you can (i.e. In Flames, Soilwork, Scarve, Dimension Zero, etc etc etc). Simply email your image or document to news [at] metalsucks [dot] net with DARK TRANQUILLITY FAMILY TREE as the subject.

The deadline for entry is June 1st, the final date of the U.S. tour. The winner will be rewarded handsomely with a load of DT gear: CDs, special editions, DVDs, posters, shirts, basically anything the band and Century Media can find. This one should be a lot of fun for you Wikinerds, so let’s see what you’ve got. Good luck!

Swedish metal kings Dark Tranquillity have been around for a long time; the number of members that have been in other successful (and not so successful) bands — and the number of other bands with whom those bands share members — simply boggles the mind. DT are like the godfathers of Gothenburg, the lynchpin of the whole damn thing. So to celebrate our sponsorship of Dark Tranquillity’s current tour with Threat Signal and Mutiny Within (dates here) — and their new album We Are The Void — we’re having a contest in which we’re asking you to put it all down on (e-)paper.

So here’s what you’ve got to do: come up with the best and most creative Dark Tranquility “family tree” and create some kind of image or document charting the whole thing; it can be a traditional family tree, a venn diagram, a spreadsheet, pretty much anything that shows the relationships between all the various bands and members. All roads lead to Dark Tranquility, so remember to include as much as you can (i.e. In Flames, Soilwork, Scarve, Dimension Zero, etc etc etc). Simply email your image or document to news [at] metalsucks [dot] net with DARK TRANQUILLITY FAMILY TREE as the subject.

The deadline for entry is June 1st, the final date of the U.S. tour. The winner will be rewarded handsomely with a load of DT gear: CDs, special editions, DVDs, posters, shirts, basically anything the band and Century Media can find. This one should be a lot of fun for you Wikinerds, so let’s see what you’ve got. Good luck!

With all due respect to Dark Tranquillity, the main contributor to the 401k (or its Swedish equivalent) of guitarist Niklas Sundin, they’re not the kind of band you listen to when you’ve got hammersmashing on the brain. Their melodies are a little too pleasant, their brutality too compromised by keyboards for an obstacle-free headbang session. The fact that the second record by Sundin’s side project Laethora is perfect for those times when you’ve got hammersmashing on the brain is but one reason among many why the band reigns supreme.

The Light In Which We All Burn removes all but the faintest traces of Dark Tranquillity’s melo-death and completely annuls all previous work by Laethora’s rhythm guitarist, bassist and drummer, who used to play in the defunct Swedish rock band The Provenance. What’s left is a document of unrelenting death metal savagery, inscribed by what’s essentially a five-member death metal rhythm section. Laethora don’t have to write great riffs with such a thick, chunky sound and fiendishly tight performances. But they do anyway. That mid-paced chugger at the 1:30 mark of “Uproar” could bring goose-stepping back in style.

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Ye asked… and ye shall get answers. We solicited reader questions for frontman Mikael Stanne of Dark Tranquillity — whose new album We Are the Void comes out today – and in turn Mikael has answered them for you in equal helpings of funny and serious.

Your questions, his answers; does he ever get mistaken for Chad Kroeger? how does he write lyrics? what’s the new album like? what does he think of modern-day In Flames?

After the jump.

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Tongue-in-cheek covers are kind of lame which is why I find Slaughter of the Bluegrass so entertaining; these guys aren’t being ironic at all. These Swedes love their metal but they also love their bluegrass, having already done bluegrass cover versions of At the Gates and Dark Tranquillity songs. The Deciblog alerted us to the latest Slaughter of the Bluegrass cover of Amon Amarth’s “Twilight of the Thunder God.” While bluegrass and viking metal might seem to be at odds, in a way it makes perfect sense: Swedish “redneck” music done in the style of another country’s redneck music. A perfect fit.

Listen to the track above and download it here if you feel so inclined.

-VN

Dark Tranquillity’s new album, We are the Void, doesn’t come out ’til March 9, but, of course, the band is now streaming the entire album here. Go listen to it. If you don’t like it, you don’t support metal. Or something.

And don’t forget that you can still ask DT front man Mikael Stanne a question! If it’s good, he might even answer it and give your pathetic little existence meaning! GO DO IT!!!

-AR

Melodeath fans! Have you heard about Solution .45, the new kinda-sorta supergroup featuring Christian Alvestam (ex-Death Jovi Scar Symmetry) on vocals and Miseration’s Jani Stefanovic on guitars? Clearly this band is gonna get a lot of attention – as if their all-star line-up wasn’t enough, Dark Tranquillity’s Mikael Stanne wrote all the lyrics for the group’s debut album, For Aeons Past.

Our bestest buds over at Metal Injection have an exclusive download of a new song by the band, entitled “Gravitational_Lensing.” If you like bands like Scar Symmetry and DT, it’s really, really hard for me to believe you won’t dig this.

Download the song here, then let us know what you think in the comments section below!

-AR

I mean, just watch Dark Tranquillity’s new video, for “Shadow in our Blood,” and tell me I’m wrong. The dude couldn’t even be bothered to stand up to shoot the video! “No, I’m just gonna lie down and you film me,” he must’ve told the director. Amazing that he could even be bothered to lip sync. The nerve!

“Shadow in our Blood” comes off of Dark Tranquillity’s new album, We are the Void, which is out March 9 on Century Media. While you’re waiting, don’t forget that you can ask Mr. Stanne a question right here!

-AR

UPDATE! From Phil LaBonte’s Twitter account:

So it sounds like Howard is just sick. Thanks to Matthew Fieger for letting us know!

Original story after the jump:

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My car just got towed and I’m pissed. Really fucking pissed. One side effect of being a pantsless blogger is that sometimes you get a little comfortable and forget to do things like move your car when you’re supposed to (and I swear, I didn’t poke any smot today!). Before I go pay $185 to get my shitty fucking 1988 Honda Accord back, I’ll recap what happened this week on MetalSucks. Fuck the world.

• You say to-MAY-to, I say to-MAH-to… when it comes to band names.
• We debuted a fresh track by Dangers.
• Trivium canned drummer Travis Smith causing you all to argue incessantly about the tr00/false metalness of Trivium. Oceano also lost a member, causing the MetalSucks Mansion to rejoice while Suarez wept in the corner. Meanwhile Periphery’s ex-singer joined a band that sounds just like Periphery and even includes one of their [key] members.
• We spoke with Ihsahn and invited all of you to speak with Dark Tranquillity’s Mikael Stanne.
• Atreyu’s drummer’s wife wants to save rock and roll but apparently doesn’t want to save correct usage of the French language.
• Sammy O’Hagar likee Fear Factory. Axl Rosenberg no likee Fear Factory.
• Eyal is conducting an experiment. Have fun sifting through 385 demos, buddy.
• White Wizzard released the best video ever of the week.

Bye.

-VN

Rather than interview Dark Tranquillity frontman Mikael Stanne ourselves or have the Monkeys whip up a few questions on their typewriters, we figured we’d extend an invitation to our faithful Suckalos. After all, DT’s new album We Are the Void drops March 9th so surely there are some burning questions on your mind. Such as:

• What can we expect from the new album?
• What are your feelings on touring with bands as varied as Killswitch Engage and The Devil Wears Prada?
• Why do you do that funny little bob with your head when you sing?

Now’s your chance to have your questions answered by Mikael himself. Simply leave your queries in the comments, we’ll sift through and pick a few of our favorites, and he’ll answer them on MetalSucks in due time.

Congrats to Suckalo LeAnna Quartuccio, who correctly identified last week’s logo as that of the band Colonize the Rotting. LeAnna wins a copy of Dark Tranquillity’s Where Death is Most Alive DVD. Enjoy, LeAnna!

This week we’re giving away a copy of Nevermore’s DVD, The Year of the Voyager.  This two-disc set includes an entire live performance filmed in Germany in 2006, plus footage from Wacken ’06, Metal Mania ’06, and Gigantour ’05, plus music videos AND an interview with Warrel Dane. This is a must own for all your Nevermore fans out there.

All you have to do to win is identify the name of the band whose logo appears below, then shoot me an e-mail at axl AT metalsucks DOT net with your answer, your name, and your address. We’ll randomly select a winner from everyone who gets it right, and announce his or her name next week.

This week’s logo was suggested by Jake Haras. It’s not super-hard, but it should do…

-AR

Over at his new site The Number of the Blog, longtime reader groverXIII has observed that the cover of the new Dark Tranquillity album, We are the Void, looks an awful lot like goatse. And while it hadn’t occurred to me before, I think he’s dead-on correct. Check it out:

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