Review by Chris Pratl on March 23, 2017.

Perplexion. Total perplexion.

My first exposure to Dark Tranquility was way back in 1996 with the Enter Suicidal Angels EP and I thought it was brilliant, thereby leading me to The Gallery, The Mind’s I, and Skydancer, all of which I found equally good. When I hear the term “melodic death metal” I think of some emo kids in the mall playing two chords and screeching into microphones at ear-splitting volume. It’s sad but true. DT had once owned that particular subgenre and kept it somewhat pure and unsullied, but I’m still not sure what to make of We Are the Void to be perfectly honest. It’s a good album to listen to, but I would think that aside from the vocal delivery the “melodic death” tag no longer applies here. My only fair comparison is Metallica’s Load: it’s a fine album in and of itself, but not a Metallica record, plain and simple. I think the same goes for We Are the Void. I’m sorry to say this is as close to mallcore music as one can get without flopping one’s hair into only one eye.

On the surface it appears that DT has progressed, yes, but there’s progression and then there’s the foregoing of your own self, which has happened here. As I say, the album sounds pretty good for some “groove metal” that is somewhat enjoyable and well-crafted within its parameters, but as far as a Dark Tranquility CD it’s short of that former acceleration and flexibility that made them so good once upon a time.

The songs are well-structured, nicely played, and abound with somewhat memorable, albeit transparent melodies. Still, it’s very difficult to render this album high praise simply because the transition from one sound to another is almost too drastic. If not for the vocals a couple of the tracks actually sound radio-friendly, even power metal with heavy keyboards and melodies more akin to Nightwish or Rhapsody than the band that once issued “Zodijackyl Light.” I must admit the keys on this album utterly killed me! They are far too prevalent and I keep imagining power metal bands all over the place, a very unpleasant occurrence for me.

I hasten to use the term pedestrian as I seem to use the word a bit when describing something not up to par with a band’s ability or past achievements, but this release is so commercially-geared it’s almost saddening. The track “Her Silent Language” sounds like a bad Bauhaus-meets-extreme-vocals hybrid to be taken seriously. In my opinion it reeks of a go-with-the-flow mentality, one that should never have been realized considering the band’s past successes. The closest track to the old feel is “I Am the Void,” which manages to blast the ears like a sledgehammer, but right as you’re getting into the feel of Dark Tranquility the way they deserve to be heralded the keyboards come in and dismantle the aggressive emotional knot just as quickly.

While musically brilliant in its own way, We Are the Void spans too far an emptiness to be called a simple void. The leap here is more like an infinity journey that doesn’t fare well for the long haul. 

Rating: 4 out of 10

(Originally written for http://www.metalpsalter.com)

Review by Alex on May 12, 2018.

This is what happens when you take two great bands and combine the elements that set them apart from each other whilst throwing in some Burzum (don’t believe me? See “Krig”; tell me that doesn’t sound like “Glemselens elv” off Belus), Inquisition and synth-wave elements. Heljarmadr seems to even have brought over some of Dark Funeral’s charm to Grá; some of the riffing on Väsen particularly on the opening track resembles that of Lord Ahriman. Even the structure of the song can be partially compared to “As One We Shall Conquer” Väsen is the final result the orgy; a tormenting smite of unrivaled, bleak madness and restlessness is conceived. Grá’s vocalist Heljarmadr had duties to fulfill in Dark Funeral after the self-departure of Emperor Magus Caligula who’s blasphemous tongue was replaced by Nacthgarm. Heljarmadr stepped in to assist in the vocal recording of Dark Funeral’s 2016 offering Where Shadows Forever Reign which turned out well for some and even exceeded the expectations of others such as myself. However, thoughts lingered in my mind as I wondered what would become of Grá; would Heljarmadr be exclusive to Dark Funeral or would he still remain active in Grá as their main vocalist?

Väsen is a stellar shape-shifting bastard beast; it doesn't care for feelings and has no shame when committing acts of mountainous irreverence. “Till Sörjerskorna” (“To the Sorcerers”) stomps upon the listener's head with fast drumming, wild tremolo picking and vile vocals by Heljarmadr. What I have found quite surprising is that on “Till Sörjerskorna” (“To the Sorcerers”) and throughout Väsen, Heljarmadr’s vocal enunciation sounds slightly more obscure than it did when he recorded Where Shadows Forever Reign with fellow countrymen Dark Funeral. I think Heljarmadr slightly adjusted his vocal approach for Dark Funeral such that his releases with them would sound diverse from Grá’s. 

“Hveðrungs Mær” sounds like a collection of various segments from Grá’s “Klagan och längtan“ plus Inquisition’s “The Realm of Shadows Shall Forever Reign” and “Where Darkness is Lord and Death the Beginning”. However; Grá add a special touch to it with a killer incision around the 2:53 minute mark. Just a well assembled and diabolical hymn “Hveðrungs Mær” is. I was delighted and engrossed to hear how the song would turn out after the addition of those influential traces, and unholy shit it surpassed my expectations. 

Grá’s Väsen is a show of shameless sacrilege; this bare faced fury of filth fetching meets its peak on the song “The Devil’s Tribe”. Here’s a small sickening snippet

“I never aimed to please
I never offered guidance
I came to put despair
In your heart
Pissing on your boots
While you enjoyed the sun
I came to put an end
To everything” 

If you enjoyed Grá’s last release you will definitely love Väsen. It has all the elements of Grá’s character (intensified) and is assisted by the external sinister forces of Inquisition, Burzum, and some synth-wave. Don’t miss out on your opportunity to own this release; you will be greeted with sharp violent curses, unrestrained guitar melodies and riffs not to mention atmosphere encompassing evil.

Rating: 9.1 out of 10