History Music / DarkTranquillity

** Played straight in "The Mundane and the Magic," a duet with Nell Sigland of TheatreOfTragedy

Founded by then-Rhythm Guitarist (later singer) Mikael Stane and lead guitarist Niklas Sundin in 1989, Dark Tranquillity is known for an ever-changing style. No two albums sound alike. While most of their albums are definitively in the MelodicDeathMetal vein, their use of keyboards, clean vocals, solos, breakdowns, and occasional female guest-singers (most notably Nell Sigland of TheCrest and TheatreOfTragedy) all varies wildly.

''The Gallery'' in particular, has been highly influential, and bands including KillswitchEngage consider it an inspiration.

* {{Gorn}}: ''Still Moving Sinews'' describes the violent murder of a woman and the subsequent decay of her corpse in a poetic but fairly detailed manner, although the narrator arguably sounds remorseful about the whole thing.

* Gorn: "Still Moving Sinews" is certainly violent enough for this trope, although the narrator doesn't exactly sound proud about the whole thing.

* ReligionRantSong: "The Lesser Faith" from ''Fiction'' and "The Treason Wall" from ''Damage Done'' are Type II.
** This is the ultimate theme of ''Construct''.

* DarkIsNotEvil: As one would expect from melodeath. They make heavy use of [[HarshVocals death growls]], and a few of their album covers are downright disturbing, but their lyrics are not outrageously offensive unless one counts their frequent attacks on religion.
** In their more soaring and epic songs Mikael's growls give off a feeling closer to power than menace.

* {{DarkIsNotEvil}}: As one would expect from melodeath. They make heavy use of [[HarshVocals death growls]], and a few of their album covers are downright disturbing, but their lyrics are not outrageously offensive unless one counts their frequent attacks on religion.

* TropeCodifier: For the slower, more progressive school of MelodicDeathMetal as exemplified by them, Eternal Tears of Sorrow, Disarmonia Mundi, Insomnium, Music/TheAgonist, Music/{{Deadlock}}, Kokuyasou, Persefone, DIO - Distraught Overlord, Music/ExistTrace and Music/{{Mayan}}.

* TropeCodifier: For the slower, more progressive school of MelodicDeathMetal as exemplified by them, Eternal Tears of Sorrow, Disarmonia Mundi, Insomnium, Music/TheAgonist, Music/{{Deadlock}}, Persefone, DIO - Distraught Overlord, Music/ExistTrace and Music/{{Mayan}}.

* TropeCodifier: For the slower, more progressive school of MelodicDeathMetal as exemplified by them, Eternal Tears of Sorrow, Disarmonia Mundi, Insomnium, Persefone, DIO - Distraught Overlord, Music/ExistTrace and Music/{{Mayan}}.

* SignatureStyle: Frequent time signature changes, mid-tempo power riffs, low, breathy growling, symphonic elements, a Gothic-inspired sound, and unusual key signatures. Of the three big melodeath bands, they were the most [[NeoclassicalPunkZydecoRockabilly avant-garde]].

* TropeCodifier: For the slower, more progressive school of MelodicDeathMetal as exemplified by them, Eternal Tears of Sorrow, Disarmonia Mundi, Insomnium, Persefone, DIO - Distraught Overlord and Music/{{Mayan}}.

* TropeCodifier: For the slower, more progressive school of MelodicDeathMetal as exemplified by them, Music/{{Arsis}}, Eternal Tears of Sorrow, Disarmonia Mundi, Insomnium, Persefone, DIO - Distraught Overlord and Music/{{Mayan}}.

* TropeCodifier: For the slower, more progressive school of MelodicDeathMetal as exemplified by them, Music/{[Arsis}}, Eternal Tears of Sorrow, Disarmonia Mundi, Insomnium, Persefone, DIO - Distraught Overlord and Music/{{Mayan}}.

* TropeCodifier: For the slower, more progressive school of MelodicDeathMetal as exemplified by them, Eternal Tears of Sorrow, Disarmonia Mundi, Insomnium, Persefone, DIO - Distraught Overlord and Music/{{Mayan}}.

* TropeCodifier: For the slower, more progressive school of MelodicDeathMetal as exemplified by them, Eternal Tears of Sorrow, Disarmonia Mundi, Insomnium, Persefone and Music/{{Mayan}}.

* TropeCodifier: For the slower, more progressive school of MelodicDeathMetal as exemplified by them, Eternal Tears of Sorrow, Disarmonia Mundi, Insomnium and Persefone.

* TropeCodifier: For the slower, more progressive school of MelodicDeathMetal as exemplified by them, Eternal Tears of Sorrow, Disarmonia Mundi and Insomnium.

* TropeCodifier: For the slower, more progressive school of MelodicDeathMetal as exemplified by them, Eternal Tears of Sorrow and Insomnium.

Dark Tranquillity is also notable for only having three lineup changes in its history, and four of its original members - Mikael Stane (Lead Vocals), Niklas Sundin (Lead Guitar), Martin Henrikssen (Bassist, later Guitar), and Anders Jivarp (Drums) are still with the band.

* Mikael Stane (Vocals)

* Martin Henrikssen (Rhythm Guitar)
* Daniel Antonsson (Bass Guitar)

* SignatureSong: "Punish My Heaven" could be one, either for ''The Gallery'', the band, and probably Melodeath itself.

** Also in "Insanity's Crescendo", "Undo Control", "The Gallery", "...Of Melancholy Burning", a part of "Lethe", and this troper isn't quite sure if songs "A Bolt Of Blazing Gold" and "Through Ebony Archways" from ''Skydancer'' also have female vocals to duet.

* MindScrew / NightmareFuel: The music video for "Monochromatic Stains," a ''Film/TheCabinetOfDrCaligari''-esque flood of random images in which the band never appears once.

* MindScrew / NightmareFuel: The music video for "Monochromatic Stains," a TheCabinetOfDrCaligari-esque flood of random images in which the band never appears once.

Dark Tranquillity is one of the first (along with InFlames and AtTheGates) to create the Gothenburg Death Metal sound, one of the major factors in MelodicDeathMetal.