Moment

Melodic death metal pioneers Dark Tranquillity, part of Gothenburg, Sweden's unholy trinity with In Flames and At the Gates, are the only one of those bands able to maintain anything like an original sonic identity, despite personnel changes and the evolution of recording technology. Moment is Dark Tranquillity's 12th studio album. Though its cover bears another stunning Niklas Sundin design, it is the band's first outing without him as lead guitarist. He has been replaced by veterans Johan Reinholdz (Nonexist, Andromeda) and Christopher Amott (Arch Enemy, Armageddon). The set was produced by keyboardist Martin Brändström, mixed by David Castillo and Jens Bogren, and mastered by the latter. Also compelling is the band's sense of economy here. Though 50-minutes long, none of the set's 12 tracks reaches the five-minute mark.The new guitar firepower propels the album's earliest tracks such as opener "Phantom Days" with its processional meld of melodic death and black metal tropes (albeit