Dark Tranquillity has been a model of longevity in the melodic death metal world. Since 1989, the band has managed to keep the majority of its regular lineup in tact and made 8 studio full-lengths in the process. Dark Tranquillity’s latest release Fiction stands out as yet another highlight for the Gothenburg, Sweden, natives, with its orchestral-like arrangements and abundant solos (both by guitar and keyboards).
The album also marks a turning point for guitarist
Niklas Sundin, one of the band’s original founding members. While he has always been an active contributor in the band, he hasn’t seen a full song idea of his get realized - that is, until this latest release. “
Inside The Particle Storm” is the first song written in full by Niklas that has made it to a Dark Tranquillity record, and he is hoping that his “
chaotic” style might pop up more in future albums. Sundin recently talked to UG writer
Amy Kelly about the making of Fiction and his side project Laethora, which in some ways is the polar opposite of Dark Tranquillity.
UG: Did you approach the latest album Fiction differently than you have in the past?
Niklas: Not really, because we never really do that much planning ahead. We never sit down and try to come up with something. The music comes out the way we want it to sound at the moment. So there’s no real analysis behind it. But I think that all of us thought that the songs on Character (DT’s previous record) were a bit too similar too each other, which was kind of the purpose.
So with this album, we wanted to create a more diverse set of songs and to make an album where every song would offer a different perspective on the rest of them. I think that was kind of the whole mindset when we started writing, but the actual approach was the same as usual. Everyone writes riffs on their own in rehearsal and then we stay around in the rehearsal room and see what works, what doesn’t work so well.
Is there one person in the band who is responsible for the bulk of the riffs?
Actually our other guitarist, Martin (Henriksson), is the main songwriter. He probably writes around 80 percent of the music, and Anders (Jivarp, drums) kind of works out the arrangements. We do a lot of work in rehearsal because everyone’s present at that point and everyone is offering ideas. But Martin is the main guy.
Can you describe how the song “Nothing To No One” evolved in the songwriting process?
That was the last song written for the album. Normally we take our time with the songwriting. But just before we enter the studio, we work with the song really hard. I think a lot of the riffs on that song actually had been floating around for a while, some of them were actually a year or so. We had a chance to use them in lots of songs before. The first riff was written during the Character period.
It’s kind of good working the way we do because we always have a backlog of tons and tons of different riffs. You write something that everyone agrees is good, but it might not be possible to finish it at that time. Then a few years later it might be perfect for something that’s around then. With that song, it gave us a chance to get some more of the old material that we had written. I think that melodic middle and ending part, it was a bit new and written by Martin right before we entered the studio. It’s a mix between new and old, I guess!
You mentioned the band has a backlog of material. Do you usually have those ideas recorded as demos?
They’re just MP3 files. It’s all the separate riffs we write, then we’ll email the song parts. We have probably more than 5,000. Some of them are total crap, of course! But it’s always good to have as much material as possible. On occasion, something that’s weird or really strange actually might work out. We tend to really come up with tons and tons of ideas.
 |
| "The music comes out the way we want it to sound at the moment." |
Are your band members pretty honest when it comes to criticizing or praising the riffs you come up with?
I think we’re extremely critical towards everything! Of course, 4 of us have been in the band since the start. If someone doesn’t like everything, there are no problems saying so. We are very critical, and we’re also extremely good friends. So we sort of compromise. Some people might think one idea is good while some other guys hate it. But it’s a compromise. It works well and I think you need to have some friction. If everyone would think exactly the same about music, it probably would be quite boring.
Your band has endured a lot longer than some others from the Gothenburg music scene have. What do you think has kept the band going?
I don’t know. When we first started the band, we were just friends from school and none of us could really play an instrument. We had no illusions whatsoever about ever recording an album. We kept on playing because we enjoy it. Of course, one of the main reasons probably is that there’s a good personal feeling. We’ve known each other so long and everything just worked out.
Of course, there are conflicts, but everyone is devoted to the band. So far, it’s been really smooth when you compare it to a lot of other bands where there is so much drama that makes it hard to get along. But we’re lucky in that we have a lineup where everyone gets along and everyone is respectful of each other. We can be really cruel as well, which is a good thing. We know each other inside and out!
How did the initial idea for the song “Inside The Particle Storm” get started?
That’s actually the first song that I wrote all the music to - ever. The thing is my own riffs are quite different from the other guys. Most of the riffs that I write don’t really get in the songs because we have the band democracy. A lot of the band, they think that what I come up with is good, but it’s not that easy to integrate into the style of the band. So normally my contribution to the Dark Tranquillity songs are limited to 5 or 6 riffs per album from the past 2 albums. But this time I actually recorded my own song. It is a very different song for us, the personality being really different from what we usually use. There’s some dissonance going on with the verse and the chorus. It’s a very primal song. It’s not technical at all, but it’s more about the vibe.
How would you describe your own playing style?
It’s more chaotic. There’s a lot of guitar. It’s not as easy listening in a way. Every member has their own characteristics, but I’m definitely the one that’s more of an oddball! It was really interesting and rewarding to have a song on it like this. I think the result was very good. People seem to like it, so maybe we can have more of that in the future.
Do you think the different sound you have is directly related to the equipment that you play?
It’s like a combination of everything. On the last 2 albums, we’ve had roughly the same equipment. We’ve been using Gibson guitars for about 10 years in the studio. There are different varieties, SG guitars. Amp-wise, we usually try out different combinations. Normally we’ve got an Engl. For the stage show we use the Engl Powerball model. We use it with a 5150, which is also a commonly used amplifier. The kind of guitar sound that we need, which is powerful and heavy, while still being pretty clear. So we’re pretty comfortable with that. We may try something different out for ourselves, but I think that that’s the basic setup for us.
 |
| "With this album, we wanted to create a more diverse set of songs." |
Did you experiment with any pedals or effects when you were recording the latest record?
We had a noise suppression pedal that I used as well, but I don’t think we used that many external pedals. I think some of the effects were made through a Vox amplifier. But I think when it comes to the guitar effects, it’s mainly done in the production.
How much of the producing were you and the band involved with on Fiction?
The way we work is we have a guy mixing - I guess “producing” would be the term. He’s not at all involved with the actual music. So what generally happens is that we, for the first few days, the guy will help us sit down and get the basic sounds for the instruments: the drums, the bass, and guitar. Then we’ll spend time on our own, just tracking songs and recording everything. Then we have the guy doing the mixing. In Fiction, we used Tue Madsen. He’s this producer and he’s really good.
In the past, some of us have always been present for the mixing as well, which is a bit annoying for a mixer. But this time, we gave Tue the freedom to mix it on his own in a studio in Denmark. Then he would send those sound files and it was a really good process because you get it done fast and everyone would hear. Of course, we discussed a lot about what kind of sound we wanted. We made a few changes, but generally it went pretty smooth. It was good to actually have someone else come in with new, fresh ears and really making the music sound as good as possible.
When you record your parts in the studio, are you someone who can usually nail it in a take or two?
No, we take our time. With the kind of music we play, with all the electronics and all the different layers of sound, it just wouldn’t work if it really wasn’t spot on. So we tend to take our time until everything is as good as it can possibly can get or as tight as it can possibly get. If we tried to have a more free, more organic session, I don’t think it would work at all. Everything has to be tight and really on spot. What we normally do is give time to work with what’s happening in the guitars and the arrangement. We are critical guys that will listen something 10 times to determine if it’s correct. Then we’ll just do it again and again.
 |
| "Normally my contribution to the Dark Tranquillity songs are limited to 5 or 6 riffs per album." |
You also are currently working with your side project, Laethora. How did that band get started?
It was basically just a group of friends getting together around 2 years ago. We had been talking quite a lot about doing something different. They were in a band called The Provenance. It was a really progressive metal group. We’re all big fans of a more brutal kind of metal as well, but we never really made it. So we got together, wrote some music, and recorded an album. It’s a really good album because it’s so different from our main bands. With the whole Dark Tranquillity recording process is everything has to be extremely tight. With Laethora, it’s the total opposite. It’s almost like a live vibe. It’s not that important for everything goes right on the spot. It’s more about capturing a sense of urgency and brutality. We tend to sound spontaneous and a bit chaotic.
Considering it fits more of your style, have you gotten the opportunity to write more songs for Laethora?
I’m much more active in the songwriting in that band. I would say it’s mainly between me and our other guitarist. But it gives me much more room to express my style of riffing and my style of songwriting. It’s just a good thing to do something so different and with a different perspective. It’s actually the first time that I’ve had some sort of side project or other band, and I’ve been playing with Dark Tranquillity for 17, 18 years! I really like the fact that it’s so different.
The songwriting is spontaneous as well. We can write a song in just 2 hours. Whereas with Dark Tranquillity, everything takes forever - which is a good thing. I mean, it’s perfect for Dark Tranquillity. I wouldn’t want it any other way.
You’re also the founder of the graphic art company Cabin Fever Media. Why did you decide to enter the graphic arts world?
I was sort of doing it Sweden before I began playing guitar or long before I started into music. I was also sort of a computer geek as well, so I was into imaging and into Photoshop, those programs. I actually worked as a web designer for a few years. When I did the cover for our Projector album, I began getting lots of requests from bands and labels, asking if I was available for commissioned work. By then I was fed up with my job and I decided to go freelance and make my own company. I like being creative and I’m a workaholic, so it’s good.
Would you say that it’s as artistically fulfilling as your music?
It is rewarding. It’s also a case of when you do this kind of work, it kind of dictates itself by what the labels and the bands want. You get a specific process to work with and you do the best to satisfy the client. There are lots of commissions where I personally wouldn’t do it that particular way. If you work with a producer, you have sometimes work with bands that you sometimes aren’t a huge fan of.
What can fans expect from Dark Tranquillity in the coming year?
Apart from this tour, we’ll probably do another American tour in the fall. There will be tons and tons of festivals and a European tour as well. The current plan is to go and tour, I guess, for 4 or 5 more months with lots and lots of festivals. It’s a big traveling year!
Ultimate-Guitar.Com © 2007
too bad of Stanne, which sounds almost the same in every song...
Out of the originals still going today, they're the best one. But I think Insomnium is the better band.
Awesome interview.