*** Character by Dark Tranquility – Beauty Is In The Eye of the Beholder

As I see it the main obstacle for enjoying a Dark Tranquility album is that their seems to be very little difference from song to song and even album to album.  I know some will defend this as being a part of a genre called black metal.  If you like black metal because it is black metal, then I would definitely recommend this album, and even give it 5 stars for black metal fans.  However, as for me, though I like black metal, I sense that black metal bands are often not diverse, and for me personally, I seek diversity in music, such that I like black metal in small doses mixed in with other kinds of music.  In that sense, I would feel out of place at a Dark Tranquility show, though many years ago when Dark Tranquility was just getting an audience in America, I would have been totally psyched about going to see a Dark Tranquility show.  That is, I think with the experience of time, it is more likely for folks to seek diversity in music, and to be less interested in bands that fill very small niches, essentially releasing the same album over and over again.

I will also add that Dark Tranquility’s and other black metal bands failure to diversify is actually a money maker for them, and not the converse.  That is, it pays the bills, and that is only because there is so much pressure from young fans for them not to diversify, and stay true to black metal, such that when they buy a Dark Tranquility album, they can know exactly what to expect, and thus that means that the sound of Dark Tranquility becomes as a pillow for some metal fans to cry on when the going gets tough.  That is a Dark Tranquility album is often viewed by fans as refuge, as such music scares away the people they don’t want to see, such as a high school varsity football team.

With respect to Dark Tranquility if you commix them with other good music, then, I think they could earn a 4^th star.  However, to listen to Dark Tranquility albums for what they are again and again, without mixing them, I believe I have to subtract a star for lack of diversity.

As for technical skills, Dark Tranquility is at about at the level of Tool, and that much is impressive, which is a notch up from a band like Smashing Pumpkins.