Construct

Construct is an album on which DARK TRANQUILLITY, through cold keyboard texture, dense riffs and restrained melody, painted a melodic death metal that sinks inward. Aggression is retained, but here space and shadow play a large role, and quiet passages with clean vocals are placed memorably. The contrast of clean vocals and growls is used more effectively than ever, lending the whole album a gloomy, meditative atmosphere. A structure that builds unease little by little rather than through sudden explosions runs throughout. On “For Broken Words,” “The Science of Noise,” “Uniformity” and “Endtime Hearts,” cool-toned beauty and a heavy flow of emotion rise slowly, while “The Silence in Between” and “Photon Dreams” leave a deep afterglow of restrained lyricism. On “Apathetic,” “What Only You Know,” “State of Trust” and “Immemorial” too, quiet tension and the shadow of melody are carefully stacked. Rather than competing on speed or ferocity, the record foregrounds a Nordic quiet and gloomy melodic beauty, and it holds a singular place across a long career as the album that most vividly reflects the band’s introspective side.