Dark Tranquillity is probably the group that contributed the most to the rise of melodic death metal and is one of the flagbearers of the so-called Gothenburg sound. In their eighth album, "Fiction", they do what they have always been doing - tense and melodic metal. There aren’t many bands that manage not to betray their style for almost two decades and at the same time to be able to sound modern and adequate with every record. The new release of the Swedes rather continues the direction of their 2000 album, "Haven" - the keyboards have more tactile presence than in the latest records of Dark Tranquillity; the electronic effects, giving more cosmic and space sounding, are again seriously practiced, and the chopping and tearing riffs bring more heaviness and thus the songs are rushing again and again with all their weight and strength. "Nothing to No One" opens the album and clearly demonstrates what we should expect throughout the following ten songs - speeding drums, the inciting harsh vocals of Mikael Stanne, many keyboard passages and melodic, Maiden-like solos, played by the duet Niklas Sundin (also responsible for the cover artwork) and Martin Henriksson. The tempo remains almost the same in the whole album - lots of speed, much heaviness and the piano that doesn't play the role of a background but of an awesome element providing homogeneous completeness. The overall line, however, does not prevent the single compositions from keeping their identity. Each of them shines in its own way and is prominent, compared to the other tracks. "The Lesser Faith" is the richest of electronic samples, "Terminus (Where Death Is Most Alive)" sounds close to the varied sound of the other Gothenburg pioneers, In Flames, "Blind at Heart" is the heaviest one on the album (thanks to the fast drumming of Anders Jivarp), but also the song in which Iron Maiden's guitar influence is most notable. "Icipher" is my first great favorite on the CD, with its heavy, drawling guitars, strong piano, mid-tempo and atmospheric synth presence and beautiful solos, while the other song that should be underlined is "Misery’s Crown" - one of the most melodic tracks on "Fiction", in which Stanne sings clearly for first time since "Haven". These vocals are definitely one of his benefits, providing more diversity. Mikael uses them again in the last song, "The Mundane and the Magic", where in the chorus clean male and female vocals alternate on the base of beautiful keyboard melodies created by Martin Brändström. And so, after 45 minutes of "fiction", the CD is over. Only the wish to hear it again remains... Obviously, Dark Tranquillity have the habit to return in every one or two years with a new, tough album in order to prove their leadership on the Swedish death metal scene and to show to the followers that they still have what to learn from them. "Fiction" is not an exception. Without being a masterpiece, it is strong, diverse and topical enough to represent the best in the style today.