Hello I am Mikael Stanne, vocalist of Dark Tranquillity and we have a brand new album out called Moment. AMA!

[u/MiklStne]

I am open to talking about anything regarding our music and the process behind it but also about wacky tour stories, videogames, vinyl and beer. www.darktranquillity.com MiklStne on Twitter

Proof: /img/49xupg4tfm161.jpg

[u/MountainOfBlood]

User u/victorioushack asks:

You've played some massive shows but still showed up at a little bar in Utah to play for a small (but enthusiastic) crowd. Is it difficult on the ego or frustrating to play at tiny venues in the US when you've got such larger audiences elsewhere? Either way, I'm grateful. It was an awesome show. Thank you.

[u/MiklStne → u/MountainOfBlood]

Hi! I love it all to be honest. Sure some smaller venues and clubs that we sometime play can be kind of awkward but as long as the crowd is into it it's all good. Thing is when we tour the US we like to perform every single night and that means that sometime we have a show in between two bigger cities and we end up doing smaller shows. But I really like the ones where we really don't have any expectations and we just go in blind basically. Makes for a cool surprise most nights and I end up loving some of those shows more just because I had no idea what was waiting.

[u/gillababe → u/MountainOfBlood]

These are the best shows and we all know it.

[u/Dryish]

Hello Mikael and thank you for joining us! The sub tends to be a bit American-heavy so the thread might not see much traffic until the Yanks wake up.

A quick question to start us off with. You guys have invested heavily into the initials DT. I've always wondered, have you gotten a lot of irritated feedback from people ascribing those initials to other impactful bands in the scene. Say, Darkthrone, for example? Those two letters aren't exactly the rarest ones to find in the name of a metal band.

[u/MiklStne → u/Dryish]

Hey! We have thought of it of course but It's never been an issue. There are of course many other bands with the same initials. I remember years back we kept running into Dream Theater on festivals and Mike always greeted us with "Hey other DT!" to which I replied "Who are you? Dangerous Toys?"

[u/MountainOfBlood]

User /u/gay_for_gary_oldman asks:

How did the writing process for the new album differ without Niklas? Christopher Amott obviously has a mighty pedigree in Melodic Death Metal, did it alter the writing process of the band at all?

Also, Damage Done is one of the most influential albums of all time for me, and I loved Atoma. Looking forward to spending more time with Moment!

[u/MiklStne → u/MountainOfBlood]

Hey. Writing started like it usually does with Anders providing alot of songs as well as Martin B and then we get to work on it to figure out a direction and a general mood. What happened this time was that Johan and Chris got in on it and provided their insight and skill. Johan mostly about riffing and general song structure and Chris more with leads and solos. But It was a great time collaborating as soon as we got started and I am looking forward to doing it even more closely next time. Also I love Damage Done also!

[u/HeadHonchkrowRemi]

Dark Tranquillity was one of the first bands that got me into death metal and more extreme music in general. I am always impressed by how you guys can change up your sound over the years but always keeping your identity and sounding like the same band. I am wondering what your thought process is when you are making a new album, do you guys actively decide to add new elements to it or is it more organic than that? Sorry if this question is kinda weird because I don't know very much about songwriting haha.

Also, you mentioned it so I am interested in what video games you have been playing lately. Thank you for doing this AMA!

[u/MiklStne → u/HeadHonchkrowRemi]

Hey hey hey! Glad you got into it with us. Much appreciated. Yeah it's all pretty organic, we always try to push beyond the boundaries of our own sounds so to speak but we also have been doing this for so long that there is a certain way of thinking and doing things that will make sure that everything we put out eventually will sound very much like DT anyway. But the talk and the intention is always to push a little further. Also having good enough time in between albums help keep it fresh. Also I have been gaming like crazy this year of course. Right now it's all about WoW, Star Wars Squadrons in vr, Black ops Cold War multiplayer, AssCreed Valhalla and Doom Eternal.

[u/MountainOfBlood]

User u/Fremenking asks:

I've watched the Where Death Is Most Alive Milan concert a bajillion times, was that show/crowd as especially awesome as it seems?

[u/MiklStne → u/MountainOfBlood]

That was all done in post. CGI all the way ;-) No we love it in Milan and we've had some of our favorite shows of all time there. I remember we supported the awesome Kreator on a tour in 06 or something and I remember Mille coming up to me after our set going "How the hell do we follow that??", ofcourse they crushed it as they did every night but I know that we decided that night that if we ever film a dvd it would be here and sure enough two years later we did. I remember being nervous as all hell but the crowd and the feeling in that room was unbelievable. Also alot of people flew in from all over EU just for the show so it was a bit of a love fest in the front row. Also the filming makes it even more magical I think. They did an incredible job of capturing the evening.

[u/MountainOfBlood]

User /u/memorphous asks:

Some of the clean vocal parts on Moment remind me a lot of Projector, both in melody and in your delivery. For example, the chorus of Ego Deception is one such occasion. Was this a deliberate decision, or did it happen by chance, or am I just imagining things? Nevertheless, Projector has always been a favourite of mine, largely due to your clean parts and the heavy use of piano, so it was nice to have this reaction while listening to Moment!

[u/MiklStne → u/MountainOfBlood]

Cool! No it wasn't intentional and I didn't really think about it. That was 20 years ago and I guess I would like to think that I have evolved somewhat ;-) But it's nice of you to say and the more I think about it the more I believe you are correct. There certainly is a similar vibe on Moment.

[u/MountainOfBlood]

User u/MangKanorLord asks:

Are they still searching for that one album where they can consider to be their magnum opus (that's not past albums like The Gallery or Fiction) or are they happy with their discography as is? As Stanne stated in an interview years ago.

Are they open to the idea of having a live show where them and In Flames are headlining and they would do old songs with the other bands as guests, like Shadow Duet with Friden, songs from Lunar Strain with Stanne, etc...?

How are the past members of the band doing with their lives currently? Are they still in touch with one another?

[u/MiklStne → u/MountainOfBlood]

ok. Yes always. There are things that always can get better right and you want to be able to do that perfect album somewhere down the line. This was as close as we could get to this time but I really believe that we can do an even better one next time. Otherwise what would be the point right? I would love to do something like that. We have talked about touring together again so hopefully that will happen in the not too distant future. About doing old stuff together though I am not too sure about. It would be fun though. Last time I joined them on stage was in 2004 at a benefit concert where I sang Behind Space while Anders was in the crowd headbanging :-) Good times. I am still in touch with most of them. Fredrik Johansson for sure and of course Niklas and Martin who still work with us on a daily basis. So it's all good and I love all those guys.

[u/Pihlbaoge]

I know that Anders is an IFK Göteborg fan, but what is your team, or are you not that into sports?

[u/MiklStne → u/Pihlbaoge]

He sure is. The other Anders is too. But no sports for me. Played some as a kid, scored a self goal in our most important game, got my ass kicked in the locker room and my dad was very dissapointed. That was the last time I played :-) I watch a few games a year though during the big whatever in pubs but I only do it so that I can get drunk and watch people loose their shit over eleven dudes running after a ball ;-)

[u/Tangums292]

Hi Mikael! First off I wanted to say that you are one of my favorite vocalists, and Dark Tranquillity is one of my favorite bands. What would you say are the biggest inspirations for your lyrics?

[u/MiklStne → u/Tangums292]

Thank you very much! I think these last couple of years the inspiration has been basically what I read and hear on the news. Trying to wrap my head around what is going on and how we got here raises all kinds of questions and reading well thought articles/opinions/essays on the state of the world really keeps me intrigued and it keeps me angry and aching to shout and scream.

[u/Last_Vanguard]

Thanks for being here Mikael! Moment is outstanding, and I loved the livestream. DT's been my favourite band for 16 years, and you're a musical hero of mine. Any answers I get will mean the world to me.

1. Twenty years later, how do you feel about Haven? Niklas once said it's his least favourite DT record, but I adore it. Your lyrics feel deeply personal and certain songs cut right to my core - in Ego Drama I hear mine and my wife's struggles conceiving a child ('hopeless intrusion', 'strewn the seeds were wasted', ‘its over if nothing comes along'). Do you still relate to the lyrics of a much younger Mikael?

2. At 1:39 in Format C: For Cortex, you whisper a lyric which starts "in the land of..." It’s not printed in the CD booklet, LP or on any website. Can you reveal what this lyric is?

3. How often do you listen to older DT for nostalgia? Has enough time passed on albums like Projector, Haven, and Damage Done that you can listen less analytically and more emotionally?

4. I finally became a father this year, so I've been pondering mortality and what I'll leave behind for my child. I think it's incredible that your daughter will have your music to listen to after you're gone. Songs that chronicle your hardships and triumphs, your voice preserved in vivid detail. How does it feel knowing you've created art that will linger in the hearts and minds of your family, and listeners all over the world, long after your negation? (We will know your name!)

[u/MiklStne → u/Last_Vanguard]

Hey wow thank you!! 1 Yeah I think I kind of feel like Niklas does but that is purely due to how we imagined the album before. It ended up very different from what we set out to do and I guess we felt that something got lost along the way. But listening to it now I really love it and the lyrics I really like still. Sometimes they were written for an earlier version of the track that was more mellow and moody and that is a bit of a disconnect for me but the meaning is there and knowing how much that album means to a lot of people makes me love it in a different way nowadays. And going back to lyrics like that can be really interesting. Trying to remember what I was feeling at the time and what my life was like. Love having time capsules like this. 2 haha..I had completely forgotten about this. Just listened to it and yes, there is something there but I really have no idea what I was doing. Back then Niklas would be at the controls and I would be in the booth screaming and whenever I tried something that was improvised or sounded weird Niklas would keep it. Not sure what we had in mind at this time but I guess Niklas just like the way it sounded. Good ears buddy! 3 I rarely do but before a tour I always go over the catalogue to find new old songs to try out and I really enjoy getting into again trying to find common things with what we have planned for a tour of just trying to figure out what the hell we were thinking :-) 4 Congratulations! Very awesome! And I hear you, I definitely felt this too now 16 years ago (!) and I have written a lot about how I now have a different perspective and responsibility. Everything I have done since she was born has been informed by how I feel about being a father. Seeing her grow up reminds me of how it was as we started the band. She is the same age as I was when I first started screaming and it really makes me think of the decisions I have made in my life. The band and music is so closely tied to who I am that I rarely think about how other people perceive it but of course by being a fan of music I know exacly what that is like. Thanks!

[u/Buran-kun]

Hi Mikael!

Wanna tell you my story first. I've been DT fan since 2004 (i was 14 yo) and it was my childish dream to see you guys on stage, but i live in Novosibirsk (Russia), which is too far from Moscow/St.Petersburg where most of EU bands show up. In 2017 you announced a show in Yekaterinburg which was a little closer to me so i decided to go there on vacation. January, 20+ hours in cold russian train and i was finally there with you. I thought it wouldn't happen anymore, but year after you suddenly announced a show in my "village"! It was a funny surprise. I couldn't even imagine that you'll visit our godforsaken place!

The question is... do such little concerts in a middle of nowhere even pay off? There aren't so many fans here to buy tickets. I wondered if you ever come again, but still i see my city in your plans for future tour (of course it will probably be cancelled due to covid shit but still)

[u/MiklStne → u/Buran-kun]

Hey buddy! Yeah I love shows like that. There is something about playing a city for the first time. Especially when it's that far from home :-) I loved that underground show, the city was beautiful and we had a great time. We have hard new tour in Russia planned for quite some time but it's been postponed of course but we will be back for sure! Skål!

[u/lukepass86]

Hello u/MiklStne! I have 2 questions:

1. How does your grandparents see your music? I saw that your grandmother watched the live concert!

2. Do you prefer to sing in growl or clean voice?

Thanks, you're the best! I watched your concert live in Italy one year ago and it was fantastic! 🤘

[u/MiklStne → u/lukepass86]

Hey hey hey! I sadly only have one grandparent left and she is awesome. Just bought some presents for here 100th birthday in a couple of day. Super cool. She keeps up with most things that we do and she is a fan of music. Wouldn't say she's a fan of the band but she thinks that we do is awesome and I always talk to her about our travels. She has been pretty much everywhere too so we can compare how things are as opposed to when she travelled 70 years ago or so :-) I love both really and I love that there is room for both in our music.

[u/geo_the_stout]

Hej Mikael,

Amazing album, and an amazing live show at Stadsteatern! One of the few melodic death metal bands that are not getting out of their "path": solid (and yet everchanging).

I would like to ask you:

1. What is the one single concert of the thousands that you've done that is your absolute favourite? Or the one that pops out of the rest in a special way?

2a) What is your favourite style of beers? Do you think you will have a beer that "matches" the album, as you did with that BEAUTIFUL imperial dry stout for Atoma?

2b) Follow up: and what does the band drink during sessions/tours?

Cheers!

[u/MiklStne → u/geo_the_stout]

Thank you very much!! This one is difficult. Some shows I have loved because of the circumstances and the area/country/venue and some just based on the vibe in the room or the feeling on stage. The one that springs to mind that I loved was probably on our latest US tour when we played at The Whiskey in L.A. It's of course an absolute iconic stage and venue where pretty much all my heroes have performed. We have played there before but this time it really hit me. One of my favourite bands Yes had played an intimate gig there just weeks prior and there was with this in mind we entered the stage. All the history of the sunset strip somehow hit me and kind of the gravity of the situation made this show something truly special for me. I felt a responsibility somehow and realized that we have to live up to all the legends that have come before us. Needles to say my entire body ached from exhaustion afterwards and I didn't sleep for days. All worth it though! I love stouts, sours and IPA's. My go to is probably session IPA's. One of the best ever is All day IPA from Founders. We will definitely brew more as the world starts to spin again and I have a few ideas and breweries I'm talking to. Look out! On a regular tour we might be drinking something simple and local during the day only go sometimes celebrate after a show with something heavier like an Imperial Stout of triple IPA. Most of us are beer geeks so there a lot of consumption going on for sure.

[u/benisimo]

Hails Mikael. Thanks for coming out today. Just wanna say DT was a huge band for me growing up and Damage Done, Character, and Fiction are just some super important and formative albums personally. Perhaps you could share a fun anecdote during your early years as Septic Broiler and if the transition from that raw, brutal approach into a more melodic and introspective sound was a conscious and collective decision or did it just come naturally (maybe speaking about the overarching Goteborg scene as well) ?

[u/MiklStne → u/benisimo]

Hey hey! Those days were just about young energy and the willingness to do anything to just get to play music together. We hung out in my parents garage for hours every weekend and immediately after school and we tried to figure out together how to make music. We knew what we wanted to sound like but I had no idea how to get there. Took some time before we got the hang of it. But what I remember the most was all the people we started hanging out with around that time. The rehearsal room was always filled with friends from the other bands like Grotesque or Ceremonial Oath and we it was our little community that I think made such a big impression on all of us that we just kept going and it never left us.

[u/a_yanbian_hobo]

Hi Mikael,

Just wanted to say you're hands down my favourite band, and since I introduced my girlfriend to your music, she has become an even bigger fan than me :)

By the way, really love your clean vocals on the new album! Been waiting to hear more of your clean voice ever since I heard Therein :)

[u/MiklStne → u/a_yanbian_hobo]

Thank you and I love how she is now are more devoted fan. Fantastic! Thanks for being there for us and I'm glad you like my crooning.

[u/MagnumMiracles]

Why did you decide to use clean singing WITH your harsh vocals? I know a lot death metal purists consider cleans blasphemous to the genre, but I personally love the contrast.

BTW love the new album.

[u/MiklStne → u/MagnumMiracles]

I started on our first album and it just made sense to me with what we were trying to do. And then on Projector we wanted to prove to ourselves that we could be different and that's when it started to feel more natural. Thanks!

[u/RoyTheReaper91]

The new album is killer! You guys are constantly putting out quality material.

Besides metal, what other music do you all draw inspiration from?

[u/MiklStne → u/RoyTheReaper91]

Thank you! I would say we listen to basically everything. Nothing is off limits and we all draw inspiration from whatever it is that we are into at the time but I think we still get into a mode when we start writing that in a way excludes most outside influence and we just get into writing dt stuff.

[u/[deleted]]

Is there a chance of seeing you guys perform the new album here in India?

[u/MiklStne → u/[deleted]]

I would love to! We have been to India twice and we have loved the fans and the experiences there so we will get to work on that for sure.

[u/TheLittleItalian2]

What is your personal favourite DT album? If you were to rank the rest accordingly, where would each album sit?

[u/MiklStne → u/TheLittleItalian2]

I did this a while back and I think I still stand by it. https://www.wearethepit.com/2020/11/every-dark-tranquillity-album-ranked-by-frontman-mikael-stanne/

[u/HallionOne]

Hey Mika! Do you remember the concert in Stuttgart in about 2011 where you chipped your tooth?

I was there in the first row - I hope that it wasn't me and if so I'm truly sorry :D.

Love every single one of your Albums plus the new one and absolutely loved the Livestream!

All the best -D

[u/MiklStne → u/HallionOne]

Haha..Yeah I totally do! I did it to myself. I just smacked my mic into my teeth and it broke off. It has happened many times actually. Sometimes it's a glass of beer or food. I've had a plastic one there since then and last time I fixed it a couple of years they did a great job and it's been solid ever since. But I looked like this for the rest of the tour :-) https://images.app.goo.gl/La7izFDzazKuAcWt5

[u/MountainOfBlood]

User u/Tumbletooter asks:

At roughly 2:54 in Phantom Days during the guitar solo there is a quiet, grunt like sound and I don't know if it is vocals or a drum or what lol! What is it?

[u/MiklStne → u/MountainOfBlood]

Wow I hear it too. I would have to say that I believe it to be some sort of keyboard sound. I am known to hum during song takes in between verses and such so I got a bit scared when you wrote this thinking that maybe we forgot to edit out some of my humming. Let's just say it's Martins synthy sounds.

[u/MountainOfBlood]

User u/Quantumwhisp asks:

-Does each member only compose for the instrument that they play in the band (asked because Jivarp was seen playing the piano, and Stanne was seen playing bass in some video snippet)

-For "Moment", for a whole bunch of sons the booklet says they were only written by one of the band members (Brändström, Jivarp, Reinholdz). Does this say that the underlying ideas came only from these people, or that they had a major influence over the songwriting of the song, or what?

-How does the band choose their live-set?

[u/MiklStne → u/MountainOfBlood]

This is interesting actually. Both Anders and Martin who writes most of the material couldn't play guitar if their lives depended on it but still manages to write some pretty cool riffs and guitar parts anyway. All of it is later done way better of course by Johan and Chris. I cannot play for shit so I stay out if it but if there is a bass or guitar nearby I might burst into a Rush riff or two just for old time's sake. Yeah that means the initial idea and most of what is in the song was written by that person. Then Martin has produced it into something and Johan has done things to it and so has Chris before it is ready but yeah the bulk of it is written by the person getting credit. It's all abit fuzzy and to me it really doesn't matter but I know it's interesting for some. Wow this is a hard one. We usually talk about what we "have" to play first, then what songs from the latest album we feel will work and then we try to squeeze in a couple of lesser known or lesser played songs in there to balance the set and to keep it interesting. But it's never easy and it just gets harder every year.

[u/PaulBlackMetal]

Mikael, when you triumphantly return to Salt Lake, do you want more stouts or more IPA's?

[u/MiklStne → u/PaulBlackMetal]

Oh buddy!! Cannot wait to gloriously return to the sweet sweet Salt Lake. I am imagining your cooler full of good stuff right now. I am drinking a great local IPA right now so let's go for stouts! Cheers!

[u/[deleted]]

Hallå! What is the probability of you guys doing a 30-year anniversary tour of The Gallery and playing it in its entirety?

[u/MiklStne → u/[deleted]]

Hallå enna! Ooh I don't know. That would be in 5 years from now right? So who knows. I would be up for it. The hard part is remembering to play kind of shitty as we did back then ;-)

[u/what_it_dude]

Don't have a question, just stopping by to say that I've been a fan since the 90s, and seeing you guys live finally in 2015(?) was amazing.

[u/MiklStne → u/what_it_dude]

Awesome. Much appreciated. Cheers!

[u/Piclos]

Mikael, I Saw on stage. You are a Monster. Please keep your smile. 🤘

[u/MiklStne → u/Piclos]

Haha..Thank you! Hope to see you soon!

[u/offalreek]

Hello Mikael! I reviewed Moment for a webzine called MetalUtopia, and I really really liked it, expecially for its pace, and how immersive it is (Ego Deception followed by A Drawn Out Exit is a supreme pairing)

Over the years, and throughout the lineups changes, how much has changed the writing and recording process, and overall the dynamics within the band?

Unrelated: what is your favourite brand/type of beer to drink while listening to music?

[u/MiklStne → u/offalreek]

Hey! I think our roles in the band has shifted over the years and we have all found our place in certain parts of our history and I really like how things have changed over the years. The writing process in the 90s for instance was us in the rehearsal room going through and playing material for hours to get a feel for it and then together stitching it all together into songs. It took forever and it was difficult but some cool thing came from it, then we started writing more in our home studios only to a couple of times a week try things out together in the room. The last couple of albums have been written at home and in the studio though and I think this is the way for us. It gives perspective and you can have all options open at all times. I love how things work now and for Moment we really demoed and tried out pretty much everything many times before we felt satisfied. My favourite is probably Stigbergets beer, not only because the brewery is on the street I live on but because it's the best I've ever had. But I drink all kinds of stuff. Right now though I am enjoying an Iconing from said brewery while listening to Blast Tyrant by Clutch. Killer combo if you ask me.

[u/silverfaye]

Hey Mikael! Great to read that you enjoy the small shows also. I've seen you in a few locations around the US and even though it's usually some tiny crappy venue you guys always seem to give 100% regardless. Can't tell you how much we appreciate that! You danced with me in one awful western themed club in Indiana once! (Well, you danced, I hid my face in embarrassment 🤩). I've been a DT fan for many years and discovered Insomnium a few years back. Would you consider another collab? I 🖤 Weather the Storm!

[u/MiklStne → u/silverfaye]

Hey! I danced? Either you have me confused with someone else or I was incredibly inebriated ;-) The latter seems very likely. I love the Insomnium guys and their music so I would love to.

[u/gdalam]

Hej! Ingen fråga, ville bara säga god jul till dig och grabbarna!

[u/MiklStne → u/gdalam]

Gooood Juuul på dig med!

[u/yuletide]

Why are there so many amazing metal bands from Sweden? Thanks for taking the time to do this! Almost like we're getting a beer back on the boat again :D

[u/MiklStne → u/yuletide]

Haha..oh the boat! I assume you're talking about 70k. Love that cruise. Hope we get to that again soon! No idea why there are so many but it's probably because of the history of good music in the country that has inspired many bands to start up. Or it's something in the water.

[u/Hawksswe]

Hi Mikael.

No question here really. Just want to say keep up the good work. Latest album completely rocks!
I've met you at several occasions and you're always so genuine (like the time at Getaway when you after your show went offstage, beer in hand and blended into the crowd and digging the other bands to name one.) You being a fellow gamer also adds to the cake.

Big thank you from Stockholm.

[u/MiklStne → u/Hawksswe]

Haha! Fantastic. Thank you and skål för fan!

[u/Fridge_ov_doom]

Hello, first of all I want to say that DT in general and your vocals in particular have influenced me a lot over the years. Thank you for that.

Now to my question: Having been in the scene for such a long time what is your advice for young bands who are creating music? Not on how to make the most money but what you wish you knew when you began.

Also, if my girlfriend wants to know how you take care of your hair. And if she ever meets you in person, I'll probably be single again :)

[u/MiklStne → u/Fridge_ov_doom]

Hey there! Thanks! Not sure if I'm the person to ask this since we have just been doing our thing all these years and things have kind of just happened. But starting now of course we would do things differently. The market is different and getting heard and seen is easier than ever but you have to be good to be noticed with everyone having a channel really. So for me it's all about the quality of what you put out. Take some months or years to really get good, think about what you put out, make it count and be honest. Haha..I drink alot of beer and sometimes wash it :-) Cheers!

[u/retzrassputin]

No question, just a statement. DT is my all-time favourite band. Thank you for the music. Thank you for Moment. Can not wait for the next possible festival season.

[u/MiklStne → u/retzrassputin]

Thank you and I agree. See you hopefully this summer.

[u/a_yanbian_hobo]

Hey Mikael!

Listening to the Moment as we speak, what an amazing album. You guys couldn't make a bad song if you tried.

What's the best way to support you now that there's no concerts? Also, is it possible to re-stock your merch from t-shirts of previous years? There are some designs I really like, but they're either unavailable for my size or completely sold out!

Cheers, and thanks for all the music :)

[u/MiklStne → u/a_yanbian_hobo]

Hey! Thank you! Believe you me, we have tried! ;-) Merch is a great way to support bands right now for sure. And we will make sure there is cool stuff for sale very soon. I also miss some old design that I would love to bring back. Will keep this in mind and talk to our merch guy. Awesome!

[u/[deleted]]

Hey Mikael, I just wanted to say I LOVE your clean vocals! You're one of two Mikaels I am a big fan of ( the other being Mikael Åkerfeldt).

1.Is there any chance of you performing live in India again?

2. What was the thought behind the lyrics to "Faithless By Default"?

Moment was epic,especially "The Dark Unbroken" and "Remain In The Unknown".

PS: The Gallery has disappeared off of streaming platforms can we pleaaase have it back? :)

[u/MiklStne → u/[deleted]]

Hey! Thank you, he's my other favorite too! Faithless by default is basically about the fact that many of us around the world are being indoctrinated at an early age into belief systems and the song is about how that means that you are basically tought to not questions and accept fiction as truth and how horrific I think that is. Cool thank you and yes The Gallery is coming back. It's being worked on as we speak.

[u/Weetzlo]

I actually discovered Dark Tranquility through the inclusion of Cathode Ray Sunshine in the 2009 video game Brütal Legend. Did you ever play through that game?

[u/MiklStne → u/Weetzlo]

Wow! Very cool! Yes of course I did. Maybe not the best Tim Schafer has ever done but it was very cool nonetheless. And being on the soundtrack was awesome for sure. Our first and only game so far :-)

[u/mgp45]

Hi Mikael, Long time fan here saying hello from the unbearably warm state of Louisiana.

I just wanted to know:

• From all the years of touring, who has been your favorite band that DT has toured with?

• What's the stupidest thing that's happened on tour, either on the road or at a venue?

Thank you for doing this AMA! Hope to see you on tour hopefully soon!

[u/MiklStne → u/mgp45]

Hey there! There have been many bands throughout the years that I have loved for sure. Touring with Opeth on the Ghost Reveries tour was awesome. Saw them almost every night. Touring with Napalm Death, Insomium, Evergrey, Amon Amarth, Amorphis and Sentenced has all been amazing and I think the stupidity has been constant over the years. A personal best was probably when we forgot a guitar player and travelled 9 hours before realizing it. Shit like that :-)

[u/mackinbeats]

Tjena! Favorite swedish festival to play at and all time favorite video game? 🤘🏻🍻

[u/MiklStne → u/mackinbeats]

Hallå så! Probably Gefle metal fest or Sweden Rock. And Mass Effect 2 or The Last of Us 2.

[u/Virul0]

Hey Mikael!

I really like the lyrics of many Dark Tranquility songs. They are often moving and striking in meaning. Where does the inspiration come from?

Big thanks.

[u/MiklStne → u/Virul0]

Hey there! Inspiration can come from anywhere really but nowadays it's mostly from what I see and read in the news and articles, essays and posts about where we are as a world right now. I am always trying to find the human angle, what is it in us that got us here, what fundamental flaws in us made us into what we are.

[u/Nedmyr]

I love the new album!!! Your energy on stage is amazing and while the live stream was a treat I really miss being in the crowd..

I wonder.. What is your lyric writing process like? Where do you draw inspiration to make each new album sound fresh?

[u/MiklStne → u/Nedmyr]

Wow thank you so much! My process is usually that I have the song in an early form and I play it loud while improvising lyrics into a mic and trying to get a feel of the structure of a song, then I will write some scratch lyrics just so that I remember my first impression and I also sometimes record my first attempt. Then I either start with something I've written in my notebook before or start fresh and try to get into the song, find what feels best and come up with something that I haven't done two million times before ;-)

[u/JackJB94]

How's Shadowlands treating you Mikael? :)

[u/MiklStne → u/JackJB94]

I'm busy answering questions here when I should be playing ;-) I really like it. Just got into Maldraxxas and I love it. Bastion felt like a weird hippie spa with Jehova's witnesses everywhere :-) So glad to be out of there. I'm going Necrolord for sure!

[u/[deleted]]

Hey Mikael, thank you so much for doing this! I’m a big fan! I know song lyrics are subjective and meant to be understood from multiple perspectives, but what was your mindset when writing the lyrics for Encircled? I was just wondering, cause that song has always hit me hard emotionally (in a good way) immediately whenever I put Atoma on.

[u/MiklStne → u/[deleted]]

Hey! Glad you mentioned it, just talked about it previous post but let's get into it more. It's about fear and insecurity, how as there was an increasing number of terrorist incidents in Europe at the time I felt that it was harder to provide security for my family. I tried to put myself in the minds of those closer to this and are affected by it. Trying to cope with the unimaginable basically and as I said earlier it gets to me every time I sing it especially when I am far away from home.

[u/ThePizzaGuy67]

Hello Mikael! I’ve been listening since Fiction came out, and my first time seeing you all on stage, you serenaded me with my favorite song. Not really a question I guess, but by far my favorite DT memory 🤘🏻

[u/MiklStne → u/ThePizzaGuy67]

Haha. Wow! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Let's hope we can do it again some day soon. Skål!

[u/Waffini]

Hi Mikael, long time fan, I'm still bitter i can see myself only for a second in the milan dvd :D

How do you see yourself as part of a scene, did you ever felt like you belonged in the melodeath scene and how did you cope with the genre losing popularity over the years.

[u/MiklStne → u/Waffini]

Haha..You were there though! Awesome! I don't know if I am ever comfortable being part of a "scene". For sure we are but I never really see it that way and I never think about it. We're just a bunch of bands doing this in a way that is a bit different.

[u/Venombullet666]

Hey there! I hope you're keeping well and safe through these weird times

I'm loving what I've heard from the new album! I can't wait to see you at Bloodstock Festival for the first time, you're one of the main reasons I'm going to it, fingers crossed it'll happen🤞!

[u/MiklStne → u/Venombullet666]

Yes I really hope we can do festivals this summer. Can't wait! Cheers!

[u/Ninten_The_Metalhead]

Hey, I wanted to say that Moment is great! I have a few questions:

1. Will you ever go back to playing guitar on future DT releases?

2. Once Covid clears up, do you think you can go on tour with Soilwork in the US sometime?

3. What's your favorite recent melodic death metal band/album?

Thanks and stay metal!

[u/MiklStne → u/Ninten_The_Metalhead]

Hey!

1. No I stink really.

2. Oh I would love that, we have been talking about a EU tour together but US would be great. We did it many years ago and it was awesome. Love those guys.

3. Probably the new Naera album.

[u/Hottubsorethroat]

What are some of your favorite swedish DM bands that are not the gothenburg sound?

What is something outside of metal that you would like an ignorant foreigner to know about your home country.

Thanks for your musical contributions.

[u/MiklStne → u/Hottubsorethroat]

Wow! Big question! I love old school stuff from the states like Atheist, Morbid Angel, Obituary, Death and newish things like Decapitated, Necrophagist, Sweven, Vader and such. I love the stuff from here obviously but I honestly rarely listen to it. Oh about Sweden? What can I say? The beer is good, people are shy and it's mostly cold and dark :-) I love it here though and as much as I have travelled and seen other cities I don't think I would ever move away from here.

[u/agrizly]

Hello Mikael, congartulations on the new album. What is the song that you're most proud of in Moment? (Also bring back the gallery on spotify please)

[u/MiklStne → u/agrizly]

Not sure but I really love how Remain in the Unknown came out. Yeah we are looking into that. For some contractual reason it's not available right now but I have been told that it will return shortly.

[u/[deleted]]

Hi! Huge fan, I discovered your music around the Projector/Haven years. One of the things that drew me to Dark Tranquillity was the textural elements and atmosphere (for lack of a better description) that started showing up in your sound around that time. Where did the inspiration for that come from exactly and can you talk about how it's evolved over the years (ie adding little bits of black metal sound in We Are the Void or the industrial bits in Character).

Loving the new album in 2020! Thanks for all your hard work for the fans!

[u/MiklStne → u/[deleted]]

Hey! Very cool and I agree with you. I love that too and it was definitely something that Martin B brought to the band. His love of electronics and sounds really changed the sound dramatically. We had been looking for a keyboardist for quite some time and we knew Martin for years prior and we had asked him many times but it was only after he heard Projector that he felt he could contribute to the sound. He comes from a synth pop background and soundscapes and mood is his thing. So having that to play with as we started writing haven really helped set a new standard for how we wrote and sounded. I have enjoyed seeing how he always finds his place in our music even when it really calls for the heaviest of guitars or it's more barren and cold. Sometimes this comes in late in the process and sometimes it's the basis that we build around. It's also interesting to be part of the mix of an album when it comes to this, there is so much going on in terms of guitar, drums, bass and vocals and somehow the keys needs to be there as well providing layers and texture. Always a challenge, always awesome.

[u/Inner-Horror227]

Hi😊 first my question: how did you come up with the lyrics of "remain in the unknown"? The song is so beautiful - makes me think a lot about stuff:D

..thanks for all of your music! 🖤 Your show in NYC in 2018 made so happy for weeks, when I was to many kilometres away from my home in Germany

[u/MiklStne → u/Inner-Horror227]

Thank you!! Remain in the unknown is about being unwilling to let go. Apophenia is the phenomenon that we are all capable of. It's the seeing of patterns in meaningless things. Seeing things that you somehow makes connections with and for a moment gives you the illusion that there is a plan for everything. Which of course there is not. But in grief and loss it's something we take comfort in.

[u/hs94]

Hey Mikael, amazing to see you here! Been a huge DT fan since 2010!

The new album is great, but the first thing I noticed was how much of an improvement you'd made in your clean vocals compared to Atoma (not that they were bad before haha), especially on Eyes of the World. What did you do to improve your clean vocals, if anything, and do you have any tips for people like myself who normally do low death metal growls?

Thanks again, and great work on the new album!

[u/MiklStne → u/hs94]

Thank you!! I think with this album we started early with the vocals, I wrote temp lyrics as soon as we had something resembling a song and I tried out different approaches in order to find out what worked best and if we for instance found a good vocal melody we would sometimes build around it and I think that really helped me this time. So time and careful planning was key. For me I just try to sing as much as possible. Love sitting here with a mic, dialling in a sweet vocal sound on my interface and sing along with my favourite songs and sometimes doing karaoke all by myself. :-)

[u/Grizly2000]

Moment is awesome DT are the masters of METAL! My wife and I love all of your albums, we've seen you all over USA and met you a handful of times once in Orlando and once in Kokomo Indiana lol. Someone in Kokomo shouted to play "upon an oaken throne" . You were such a good sport about it. Stating that's an old song lol. Enough blabbering..... who's the coolest rock star you ever met?

[u/MiklStne → u/Grizly2000]

Haha. Playing that one would have been surprising for sure. Great track though :-) Coolest rock star? I am often a bit startruck at festivals where you meet and hang out with some of your favorite musicians. There have been many times that I just have felt at a loss for words. Meeting Jörn Lande, Chuck Billy, Russel Allen and Mille Petrozza have been some of the most memorable. Amazing guys and people I have looked up to for so long.

[u/[deleted]]

Hey dude! Hope you’ve been doing well and staying safe during this time!

My question is, what is your favorite song that you guys have written?

If I had to pick a favorite, it would have to be Auctioned from Projector.... I’d love to one day see you guys play that live! I’ve been dying to hear a live version 😂

[u/MiklStne → u/[deleted]]

Hey dude! I am very much keeping safe and busy. Got my family, my records, my games and cold beer so I can't complain. Wow good pull. Love that song too. We have never played it actually. Would be interesting to see if we could do it now. Would probably sound very different but maybe better? My favorite is probably Punish My Heaven just because it was one of the earliest songs we wrote when I started singing.

[u/Farn]

Hello Mikael, I have met you once at a meet and greet in Toronto but I was bad enough at making conversation with new people in those days, and meeting someone I looked up to for years didn't make things easier for me, so I was really awkward and quiet. Hope I didn't make things too uncomfortable.

I'm really interested in the abstract poetic lyrical style you had on the first few albums, mostly on The Mind's I. Is there an academic name for that type of imagery and any particular literary stylistic inspiration? It seems very unique in the realm of song lyrics from my experience.

And I'd be shocked if anyone remembers this but does anyone know what the weird backwards singing was in the middle of Atom Heart 243.5? It sounds like Swedish so it's not something I'd recognize or know how to search for.

Hope everyone in the bands doing ok with the global disaster scenario, you seem to love performing so I hope it's not too hard on you all.

[u/MiklStne → u/Farn]

Hey buddy! Don't worry about that, I am totally the same way. You should see me when I try to make conversation with some of my favorite musician. Ouch :-) I remember being somewhat pretentious back in those days and I tried to write things that was different from all the other lyrics I read in the genre so me and Niklas looked for inspiration in old English prose, Norse folk tales, classic sci-fi and even some of these weird self-help guru books that people in robes handed out in the streets I remember. I just wanted to find a way to express myself without sounding like every other band out there. ooooh. I just listenen to Atom Heart now and wow, haven't thought of this in forever. I believe that was a recorded phone call by one of our friends. He is being incredibly drunk and not a word of that makes any sense so we just applied some effects and put it in there for fun. Wow I had totally forgotten about this. Thanks for reminding me :-) We are all good thank! But yes I am dying to get back on the road for sure.

[u/Swades]

Hej from Toronto, Mikael!

Dark Tranquillity is my faveourite band of all time, so first of all, thank you for all the hard work you, the band and your crew have put into your albums and live shows over the years.

To my question. Whenever I've seen you live in Toronto, right before playing Terminus, you usually say a few words about RUSH and how you're playing in their hometown (since Terminus is about your hometown of Goteborg). Can you speak in a bit more detail about how RUSH has influenced you and the rest of the DT members (old and new) growing up and how you write/ play your own music?

Love the new album and can't wait to see you guys live again in the future!

[u/MiklStne → u/Swades]

Ah finally a question about the Powertrio! Love it. They have been my favorite band since I first heard 2112 when I was 17 or so and they have been an inspiration in my life in many ways. Not only is their music beyond awesome. Neil Peart's lyrics are what I have based my life on really and I alway thing "what would Neil have done here" when I am stuck writing lyrics. I miss him so much. The other guys are fans too and Anders has of course taken up some of Neil's techniques over the years. But in general I think it's just something about the way they have always presented themselves that has inspired me. There is an honesty in everything they do and nothing is fake or overblown. Just genuine musicianship made by the most down to earth dudes. Nothing will ever be better than them. Saw them on the last tour. Will never forget it.

[u/nastinoize]

I missed the livestream. Will you put it out again?

[u/MiklStne → u/nastinoize]

I don't think so. I like that it's a one time deal. But maybe we will do another.

[u/KillswitchOfRock]

I've listened to your album recently and is consistent as always. You're still one of the most consistent Melodic Death Metal band that pioneered the genre.

My question is actually a little controversial: what are your thoughts on the Melodic Death scene in general, specially the swedish? You think it started to lose it's essence? Some of the bands started to flirt with some Melodic Metalcore/Groove tendencies (i.e. In Flames and Soilwork, to the point that it can be considered that), some of them started to sound more accessible and more mainstream...

In the counterpart of that movement, At the Gates and you guys still sound the same, even though some changes happened along the way (you, for example, seemed to use more clean vocals and a little more effects than you used to do in the past). What do you think of all of that?

[u/MiklStne → u/KillswitchOfRock]

Hey man! Thanks! I like that it's constantly moving. If it was stagnant and always the same no one would care and it's creatively important to always be progressing forward. And it's hard for me to view it objectively of course but I am happy when things change and evolve.

[u/[deleted]]

What do you think about the Mexican crowds? We love Dark Tranquillity and cannot wait to greet you again with intensity and passion!

[u/MiklStne → u/[deleted]]

Some of the best crowds I have ever seen honestly. LOve love love love it!

[u/[deleted]]

When you guys get back to touring, any plans for a south american tour?

[u/[deleted]]

Have you ever considered doing Shadow Duet live with Anders? That would be awesome!

Love Dark Tranquillity, watched the documentary you guys made and at minimum listen to at least one song every day! My first album was Fiction.

[u/MiklStne → u/[deleted]]

We never have. We played it on our first tour I believe and I sang all the parts. That was pretty rough ;-) I barely remember a word from it but I love the song. It was my favorite for the longest time. A dt song a day sounds like a good practice. For everyone!

[u/ascension8438]

Absolutely love your music! Everyone in the band just contributes such an amazing flavor to the final sound, and it's like you all work together more deeply than most bands. I don't know how to articulate what I'm thinking, but I really get into your tunes.

Anyway, I was listening to you guys the other day and my buddy said, 1 - This music is awesome... and 2 - The singer sounds just like Depeche Mode. Have you guys ever considered doing a metal cover of a Depeche Mode song? That would be amazing. I imagine that you guys MUST be rocking out some Depeche Mode covers for fun in private over the years. :)

Just a final "One Thought"... your hair is magnificent.

[u/MiklStne → u/ascension8438]

Haha wow! Thank you! Depeche Mode is one of my absolute favorite bands and I've been into them since I was a kid and I know pretty much all their songs. So yes of course that comes in. Martin B is an even bigger fan than I so naturally when we record vocals it's not like he's holding me back for sounding to much like Martin Gore or David Gahan. Their music has always appealed to me and their voices is very much in my register so singing along with their albums was something I did a lot when I was younger and I still do to this day. We haven't done a cover yet though. What song would fit us best you think?

[u/crowkiller9]

Hi Mikael. I have been a huge fan of yours and the band for many, many years. I have only had the privilege of seeing you perform live twice in the UK (more specifically in London). Both amazing shows.

However, it's been a few years since we've seen the band here and we seem to be skipped on the last few European tour cycles. My question is, Covid aside obviously, does touring the UK present challenges for bands to deviate from mainland Europe which makes coming here unfavourable? And do you think this would get worse following Brexit? Shows here always seem to be packed but often bands skip the UK on their tours across the pond.

PS: Moment is fantastic.

[u/MiklStne → u/crowkiller9]

Hey! Yeah the UK is a bit tricky. I don't know the specifics but I know that even though the London shows are always packed and awesome some of the other cities we've done have been less so. But I always love it and I hope we can do it again soon. Not sure how things will look in post-brexit world but I've heard that it might be more of a problem getting in to perform but we will figure that out as the world hopefully comes back to normal soon. Cheers!

[u/Eus254]

Good evening Michael and congratulations on the new album! Listened to it many times since 20th of November, I can definitely say it's one of your best works thus far!

I want to ask what has been your personal favourite tour that you have done with dt, and share a highlight if you like.

Thanks for the excellent new material and wish you the best.

PS. I really hope after all is over (with Covid) you get to tour and come again to Greece. Last time in April 2018 was amazing!

[u/MiklStne → u/Eus254]

Good evening! Thank you very much! There have been many tours that I have loved but a few really stick out. The one we did after Atoma supporting Amon Amarth really was amazing. It was a great show every night and normally a support tour is not really our thing but this one really felt right. The crowd was amazing and it was great to hang with the viking guys :-) Also one of my favourites was a short one (two shows) we did in Greece with Candlemass and Entombed. My two favorite bands from Sweden for a couple of days in Greece, doesn't get much better than that for me. Seeing my favorite bands in front of some of the best crowds in the world every night was incredible. Also we toured last summer with Evergrey here in eu and it must have been awesome 'cause I can't remember a thing.

[u/[deleted]]

First of all. Big ups on the new album, I really dig it, and thank you for being a consistent source of musical enjoyment since I first stumbled over Haven as a teenager!

As for my question. How many concerts do you attend as a fan during more normal times? My friends and I have seen you in the crowd at Sweden Rock Festival over a bunch of years and you've always struck me as being a fan of the music as much as you're a contributor.

Also, the Atoma beer was the best thing I had at Hoppapalooza the other year. That was a robust one!

[u/MiklStne → u/[deleted]]

Thank you so much! I try to go to as many gigs as I can normally. There are a lot of cool venues here in town and we do get some incredible coming through. I would say I average 3 shows a week on a good year. Man I miss it!!! Sweden rock is awesome and I love going there, sometimes we even play :-) Yeah Atoma was great. Sadly sold out now but maybe we will do it again. Cheers!

[u/Roflman097]

Hey Mikael first I want to thank you and the rest of dt for such impactful music it always feels like you guys find the perfect tune! I still remember, I found randomly the album lunar strain and thought damn that vocalist is amazing who is he? That was like 10 years ago, since that day dt is my favorite band!

My question is: you wrote that "moment in concert" will be the only time where you play all songs at once, is that because some more slow songs are in it and you fear something similar could happen as with haven or projector that the audience is more open for a wide mix of songs rather than one chapter of dt?

Also silence as a force and time in relativity are amazing picked bonus songs! Last time I saw you guys was in 2019 in Berlin, can't wait to see you perform moment live!

[u/MiklStne → u/Roflman097]

Thank you! Glad you find us through that very cool album. My first as a vocalist. Yeah about the streamed concert. It was certainly the first time we have ever played an entire album like that and I felt at the start of rehearsals that maybe it wont' work if we would do it on a tour but after the actual taping of it I started to feel really good about it. I think the show had a good flow to it and it felt great performing the songs in order. With that said we haven't decided if we will be doing it again. But let's see. Oh cool! Thanks! Yeah I love those songs too. Always hard to cut some stuff out of an album to make it sleek and impactful but I'm happy we had a cool way of putting them out. The cd is rad!

[u/Calm-Welder9139]

Who would you say inspired your vocal style, and when did you first learn you could do it?

Also, thank you for your amazing music! <3

[u/MiklStne → u/Calm-Welder9139]

In the beginning it was Mille Petrozza, Dave Vincent, Rogga Petterson and Chuck Schuldiner that I looked up to. I sang along to all the records I had and tried to sound as cool as them.

[u/BoltOfBlazingGold]

I have been loving the latest album, just like all the others. Never change guys.

So I noticed you guys go 3 albums with blast beats and then 3 albums without and so on. I reckon this completely is unintentional, so wether next album has them is up in the air (I hope so!). Do you have a thing for meaningless details like this?

Also, I've never seen you play the fast part of Hedon live. It's really kickass and I feel the song builds up to that point. Is it omitted for any specific reason?

On a completely different note, do you know/like Metroid? and how do you feel about handheld gaming while touring?

[u/MiklStne → u/BoltOfBlazingGold]

Cool thanks! We won't! haha..that is quite the observation. Never thought about it but you are correct. I think it's up to Anders and what he feels like doing. I love when he goes super fast like that but for the songs that we have been writing lately it maybe wouldn't work so well. About Hedon, I think we just felt that part was odd and we felt weird as we were rehearsing that song before a tour and just took it out. We did similar things to the mid section of ThereIn and it has just become how we play it now. Not a fan of things like this in general but for some reason we did it back then. Metroid the game series? Never played it.

[u/arourairos]

Hi Mike! I'm a huge fan more than 20 years now. I even got your characteristic dots tattooed on me ;-) Plus, I recently got copy number 500 of the limited edition vinyl of Moment ✌

My question over the new album: although it's well known that Martin is heavily involved in the songwriting process, he is only credited in 3 songs. How do credits in DT work? Thanks!!

[u/MiklStne → u/arourairos]

Hey buddy! Wow very very cool! Hope you enjoyed our handmade record. I packaged every single one of those. Loved it. Credits are a bit hard. But for this album for instance it's about who has written the song originally and then we all work on it somehow to shape it into what ends up on the record. But as a Producer as well Martin is really instrumental in shaping all the songs.

[u/pablogener]

Will you ever come back to Argentina?

You're awesome

[u/MiklStne → u/pablogener]

Thank you and of course we will!

[u/Burning_Beard_666]

I bought you guys a round of beers at the Flying Saucer in Kansas City back in 2010. Still one of the coolest things I’ve ever done.

After touring the world, what is your hands down favorite Brewery?

[u/MiklStne → u/Burning_Beard_666]

Wow! I remember that! Thanks buddy! Huge fan of free beer :-) Best brewery? Maybe Three Floyds?

[u/jotun86]

Huge fan of DT. I've been listening to you guys for a little over 20 years and went to what I think was your first US tour, which was with In Flames, Sentenced, and Killswitch Engage back in 2002.

I have two questions:

1. are there any songs that you don't play live that you wish you did?

2. what is your favorite video game to play on tour? Or, alternatively, what do you do with your downtime on tour?

[u/MiklStne → u/jotun86]

Oh cool. That was our first ever tour in the States. Loved it. There is always songs that I would love to play but some maybe doesn't work or we cannot agree on some but it's always interesting to figure out new old songs to play and see if we can do them justice all these years later. I love playing Rocket league on tour. Perfect to kill some time. Usually I am out exploring every day on tour. Running, finding breweries and beer stores, digging through crates at record stores or visiting friends.

[u/radijator22]

My favourite DT album so far! You guys did an amazing job, loving every second of it. Also, the performance in Zagreb, Croatia in 2018. was maginificent. Had shitload to study, but it was worth it to put aside a few hours for it. Balcony bit was great!

Anyhow, for my question(s): Which song on the album u enjoyed working on the most? and did u try any croatian craft beer in Croatia?

hope to see you guys live in Croatia again(or Slovenia/Hungary, that works too)

[u/MiklStne → u/radijator22]

Hey there! Yeah that was a fun show! Miss you guys! I think I enjoyed working on In Truth Divided the most since it is the most different one and it took forever to get just right. Oh I definitely did. Can't remember any names but a day is wasted if I don't try new beer and that was a good day. Cheers!

[u/Valo616]

Favorite video game? Playstation or Xbox? DT is the perfect sound track to listen to while playing Dark Souls!

[u/MiklStne → u/Valo616]

Mass Effect 2. Both but mostly PC. Haha perfect for that dark and punishing game :-)

[u/[deleted]]

Is Terminus, the only place you know, where death is most alive, Detroit?

Also talk about Cathode Ray Sunshine.

Thanks! Best band in history!

[u/MiklStne → u/[deleted]]

Haha..Detroit? Isn't that the Rock city? It really is about Gothenburg and I got the idea to the lyrics from talking to I believe Jensen from The Haunted and we were for some reason talking about the great plague and how many people died just in our city alone. Also it turns out there we mass graves dug under our main church in the city close to a street I always walk and that led me into reading alot about the history of the city and the plague in particular and it somehow became an allegory on how close we are to death every day and how I as a very anti-social person sometimes feel barely alive as a shyly walk the streets. Ofcourse it also means that we have embraced death very much in our music that lives on. Cathode Ray Sunshine is I guess about anti-social behaviour and I wrote this when I was living in an apartment that only had one window and I never opened the blinds, ever. So my days were spent in front of a monitor or a tv and that was it basically. I loved that time. I saw incredible amounts of movies and I played video games like a maniac. This was in 2001 or so. I don't do that anymore ;-)

[u/dzorrilla]

Hey Michael, thanks for joining - not sure if it's too late to ask some questions, mostly about your early days:

1. Back when you guys were starting out (and you were in and out of In Flames), what was the general reaction to the Gothenburg sound? I'm talking very early days, 91-94/95. Did people already consider melodic death as its own thing or just more "experimental" death metal? A lot of that very early material by DT, Eucharist, At the Gates, etc sounds very technical/progressive as well - so was just wondering how it got lumped.

2. What was your relationship with the early Swedish BM bands back then like Marduk, Dark Funeral or Dissection?

3. What are your favourite melodic death records (excluding the ones you've been involved in)?

Thanks and hope to see the band live again some day, been a fan for over 15 years now :)

[u/DisplayofCharacter]

Mikael --

I actually met you in Seattle around 2015 after a show at El Corazon, I waited with an ex-partner of mine after the show to have you sign a setlist I grabbed from the first time I saw you and the rest of the band play back in 2007 touring for Fiction. You were incredibly gracious and nice and I was a bit shy and starstruck because you guys have been my favorite band for the last 15 years (like others here) and its impossible to convey in a three minute interaction just how much your work (and those who are, and have been, in the band) means to me. It changed my life. The places I've gone, people I've met, and experiences I've had in the metal scene that wouldn't have, in large part, happened without me getting into your music. I will always be grateful for that and wanted to convey that to you.

A lot of great questions have already been asked, so I'm struggling, but I think I have one -- how do you feel your writing has matured over time? I don't necessarily mean topical matter, but I am very passionate about writing and you consistently have some of the best lyrics of any front man. Do you workshop? Run it through your family or bandmates for feedback? I know it can be deeply personal but I like having insight into the craft.

Thank you so much for doing this, and thank you so much for all the wonderful music over the years that has enriched my life immeasurably. I hope for another 30 years! I can't wait for you all to be able to tour for Moment, loving it so far, and I miss seeing you guys every year like I could when you toured for Atoma. I was spoiled! Hope you and your family and your bandmates and their families stay healthy and safe through this and I can't wait to see you guys on the road!

[u/Anti2633]

Do you remember me hugging you after you opened for Opeth in 2006? Been a huge fan since then!

[u/Ollep7]

Is it hard to maintain good metal vocals as you get older? Do you have any specific exercises/diet/routine to that effect?

[big fan from Québec]

[u/MiklStne → u/Ollep7]

It was harder when I was younger actually just because I didn't use good technique. I warm up every time I sing and it normally takes 10 minuts to half an hours depending on how I feel. It really helps and also it helps with the nerves and boosts confidence when I'm not feeling to hot. There is a vocal coach called Melissa Cross that has some warm up things that I do and pretty much all of the metal singers I know do the same thing.

[u/JackJB94]

Hey Mikael, I just got my shirt in the mail today from your online show. It was really great thank you for the effort you and the band put in to that

I'm interested in what your go to bands are lately you've been listening to? And where do you find inspiration to keep writing such wonderful songs after so many years?

Thank you for the amazing music over the years Mikael. Been my favourite band for many years :)

[u/MiklStne → u/JackJB94]

Oh wow very cool! Glad it's being shipped out! Thank you for your support! Stuff I've been listening to lately in no particular order reaches over to check my vinyl collection are Dizzy Mizz Lizzy, Causa Sui, Oceans of Slumber, The War on Drugs, Nick Cave, Lykantropi, Öresund Space Collective, Pallbearer, The Midnight, Ozric Tentacles, Rezn, Fish, Motorpsycho and more that have all put out incredible albums this year. Yay 2020 ;-)

[u/Anish316]

Hey Mikael, great to have you here. My question's a rather generic one. Which are some of the modern metal bands you like/listen to currently?

[u/MiklStne → u/Anish316]

Not sure what constitutes modern metal but I try to listen to as much as possible that comes out every week in the metal genre and I love it. This and last year I realized that when I am in "writing mode" so to speak it's hard for me to take in music similar to our own. I tend to over analyze and take songs apart like I would our songs and that's just not fair so i gravitate toward music that is different and that is as far away from our stuff as possible so that I can fully appreciate it without thinking about how it's constructed too much. But I will get back into it now though.

[u/a_yanbian_hobo]

Hi Mikael, thanks for the amazing atmospheric music! Your concerts are always so intense, I can't wait to see you guys live again.

I would like to ask you, do you draw inspiration from movies? David Lynch is a director that would perfectly fit your style I think!

[u/MiklStne → u/a_yanbian_hobo]

Hey! Thank you! I definitely draw a lot of inspiration from movies. There is always something in the cinematography, dialog, plot or the emotional core of a good movie that gets me going. I love cinema and in the early days I would go to a film festival or art house cinema and bring a notepad just to write down impressions and feelings to use in lyrics. Sometimes I still do. I used to have some of my favorite movies on all night when I suffered from insomnia without sound just to watch the camera movements and composition and it inspired me greatly. Can't wait to go back to the cinema and watch something awesome in a packed room again. Lynch is one of my all time favorite directors. Seen everything multiple times and there is something about his style that can be so unsettling and beautiful and I agree. Perfect match.

[u/Brinkofgaming]

Hi Mikael! Been a huge fan since 2007 or so and cut my teeth on DT with Fiction. I'm absolutely loving Moment!!

I guess my question would be: What was your inspiration/topical focus for each song on the album? I love the lyrics and was curious what you were feeling when you wrote each song!

[u/MiklStne → u/Brinkofgaming]

Thank you! Glad you enjoy the album. The lyrics grew over a longer period of time than usual but the core of it was that I was trying to figure out who we are and why we do the things we do. What our history and background means as we go forward and what is it in the moment between the past and the future that can fundamentally change what happens next. The songs deal with different topics but it all starts with that premise.

[u/[deleted]]

Hey dt! Just want to ask the simple question, if you were on a desert island and you could only have one specific beer, what would your desert island beer be?

[u/MiklStne → u/[deleted]]

Wow! I assume you are talking about indefinite amounts of it? I would say either Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale or O/O's Pivot Pils.

[u/Slight86]

Hi Mikael!

1. Sorry to start on a somewhat negative note here. This has only plagued me for the past 18 years so I thought I would ask: In my humble opinion, Damage Done has not yet received the mix which it really deserves. While admittedly the remastered edition has brought a few upgrades, I find it still muddy and bass-heavy. The original mix is my favorite over the remastered because of more definition in the mid and high. The cymbals are generally lacking a lot of detail in both mixes. Do you agree with this? Was this due to error in the recording stage or in the mixing stage of the album? Would you ever consider re-recording (parts of) the album, maybe after 25 years?

2. Do you still play the guitar in your spare time? Do you ever miss playing guitar on stage?

3. What non-metal music do you like to listen to? Or what keeps you busy in your spare time? What videogames do you play?

Thanks.

[u/MiklStne → u/Slight86]

Hey!

1. I haven't really thought about it. But there is always things on an album as I go back that I really don't like. The older and nerdier I get about those things the more faults I hear in the mixes. Damage Done is weird I think but I don't think we made any recording mistakes that I can recall, I think we just like the way it sounded back then. Fredrik Nordström mixed it and it has a sound I still really like but I know what you mean and I hear it too. I don't like the idea of re-recording stuff but a remix would be interesting for sure. Maybe I have the master tapes lying around here somewhere?

2. Very rarely. I am crap at it and I have never missed it.

3. There is a lot that I listen to that is not metal. Things in heavy rotation on my turntable is heavy psych, 70s prog, low key jazz and stoner rock.

[u/DJAsphodel]

Hey Mikael! I've been listening to your entire catalog this past week, from Skydancer to Moment. What a cool progression from your early sound to now, with tons of variety and curveballs along the way. Just got a couple questions for you:

• I feel that every new album is a "reaction" to the one that came before. For example, from my perspective, Projector was a reaction to The Mind's I, that there was a conscious decision to change up the sound a bit. I felt Construct was also a reaction to what came before. Was Moment a conscious reaction to Atoma, musically and lyrically? Or is the writing process for your albums all about what feels right in the moment?

• This might be a question better suited for Niklas, but I've always wondered if the artwork for each album is completed before or after you write your lyrics. You've said elsewhere that you usually share art direction ideas with Niklas, but have you ever found yourself having to write lyrics for an album with completed artwork? I feel like that could be both restricting and inspiring, creatively.

I'd ask you a ton of questions about video games, but we'd be here all day. Thanks, dude!

EDIT: Forgot to ask! What do you think of Mitochondrial Sun? I'm really digging Sju Pulsarer lately.

[u/MiklStne → u/DJAsphodel]

Hey! Very cool, that is quite an undertaking! In certain ways an album is definitely a reaction to the one that preceded it. More so in the examples you state and I agree completely. This time it was more about refinement, since we have new guitarplayers the focus was to maintain our sound and use these new guys in the best way possible to forward the sound without losing what we have built up over the years. The artwork is almost always done after the lyrics are done and I love when we can have conversations about what we feel would best represent the album and work something out together. So I have never had a cover to kind of work off of. But it would be interesting actually. Haha..Join me for some of my streams and we can talk about games for sure. Oh I love what Niklas have come up with, the albums really is all him. And the new one is just pure frustration put onto vinyl. I think it's spectacular.

[u/noshoesforyou]

Hi Mikael,

What is your favorite beer to drink? I saw you on oddislandbrewing's page - is their beer any good? Ever tried homebrewing?

[u/MiklStne → u/noshoesforyou]

All the beer is my fave! Love trying out new breweries and weird styles. Check out my Untappd. Odd Island are great. Daniel is a great brewer and almost everything they do is incredible. Great traditional styles usually but also some more experimental things. Give them a try if you have the chance. Been homebrewing for years actually. Done all kinds of styles and I love it. Hard work but the pay-off is the best ever.

[u/[deleted]]

I found Character on CD at a random record store in a strip mall in Barstow, Ca. USA in the mid 2000s. I bought it based solely on the album art. You have been one of my favorite bands ever since. No question really just wanted to thank you for your work and congratulate you for how much of a banger the new record is.

[u/MiklStne → u/[deleted]]

Thank you so much! Hope to see you soon when all this is over. Cheers!

[u/Lalothemute]

First of all, massinve album. Thanks. Can we get a breakdown of how riffs/guitar solos came about regarding Chris and Johan. The solos are so beautiful this time and I wanna know more!

[u/MiklStne → u/Lalothemute]

Thank you very much! Oh I think Johan and Chris would be better suited to answer this but I'll try. Most of the stuff was written by Anders and Martin with Johan translating everything into guitar with Martin producing and keeping track of everything. With solos Johan is more deliberate and plans out alot whereas Chris is more instinctual and improv prone. Love how it came out and I can't wait to tour properly and have them really show off.

[u/Newly_CasPa]

Hey Mikael :) I'd like to congratulate you for the Moment album! It's really super good, you've done great job guys and thanks for your music! It makes lockdown-life so much easier. In terms of the questions, what is an advice you'd give to your fans and what's the best advice you'd be given? And what's your favourite beer? Cheers :D !

[u/MiklStne → u/Newly_CasPa]

Thank you so much! It has made my year a whole lot easier too but in a different way. I guess if I were to give advice to fans, and I really never do, it would be to never lose the fandom, never lose the passion for things. Never grow up basically :-) And as for best advice I have gotten it's probably not always be true and honest when it comes to music. Never fake it and treat every show as the last. Fave beer right now is probably a Weihenstephaner Weissbier.

[u/ottorwaefre]

Hey man, huge fan here, you guys are my biggest musical influence since the day I first heard The Mind's I. Loved all your albums to date, and since its release I just listen to Moment all the time.

My question is about the lyrics in Moment. As always with your albums, they seem to be abstract enough to be interpreted differently by everyone, yet manage to convey unique emotions. I also noticed that this time there were some exceptionally catchy clean vocal parts, which I l o v e. So, how would you explain the concept of this album, what sort of things influenced you, how much of it is similar with your old stuff and what are some unique feelings/issues/moments that helped shaping this record?

Thanks for being consistently wonderful throughout the years.

Cheers!

[u/MiklStne → u/ottorwaefre]

Hey man! Thank you so much. This album was all about the frustration I've felt about where the world is heading in certain places. How ignorance is a virtue, how fact is subjective and belief and faith is regarded higher than truth and science. I tried to figure out how we got here and it feels good to write away some of the anger and helplessness I've felt. Also I cannot wait to scream about this in front of you guys eventually :-) Cheers!

[u/vanerose]

I love your music! I've been listening to DT for years and I never get tired of it. What's your favorite thing to do after a show?

[u/MiklStne → u/vanerose]

Thanks! The absolute best part of the day on a tour aside from the show is the post show beer either in the dressing room or as we get back to the bus. Put on a great record, open up an Imperial Stout or something and just chill out. Oh I miss it so much!

[u/[deleted]]

Good evening, Mikael, if you won't mind, i'll ask a couple of questions

1. What artists and bands do you like and which of them inspire(d) you? No matter if melodeath or metal in general

2. A bit dumb question: why didn't you turn back to playing guitar after Niklas left?

3. Despite not recording guitar in DT, do you still provide your own riffs/licks since Of Chaos And Eternal Night?

4. Have you ever wanted to create a one man band? If yes, what genre would it be

5. What places do you wanna visit, as tourist or with the band? Is Eastern Europe among them (come to Brazil Moldova)?

6. Are any geographical locations you ever visited inspiring for you?

[u/MiklStne → u/[deleted]]

Hey there!

1. Everything that I listen to somehow inspires me and it's mostly stuff that is outside the realm of melodeath. I am fascinated with music that I don't understand so I am drawn to prog and psych mostly.

2. I am a crap guitar player, I wouldn't be able to get through a single song to be honest.

3. No I never have. I wrote the chords to Day to End. That was the last time.

4. One man band? No I think that would be boring since I don't play any instruments really. But I love the band dynamic. I love how we all shape what we do.

5. Always! We have travelled alot but there are always places that are still waiting to be explored. Would love to play Iceland for instance, also just go there actually. Eastern Europe we've been to alot but there are still cities and countries we have missed I believe.

• I love going out for runs in new cities and taking in the sights and it really gives me a creative boost. But I think the north of Sweden and Norway is just incredibly beautiful and every time I go I take alot of inspiration from it.

[u/60_Icebolt]

Hello Mikael! I got to see and meet you guys at The Chance in Poughkeepsie about 3 years ago. You put on a phenomenal performance, and you all were so nice to my starstruck self, haha! I absolutely love Moment through and through, but it seems most people here have asked the same questions I've had about the music, so I'd like to ask: do you have an all time favorite beer if you could pick one? Or would you have to narrow it down to a few? Are you able to play video games at all while on tour? And what kinds of games do you like?

[u/MiklStne → u/60_Icebolt]

Hey! I remember that show! Goood times! I am a big beer drinker and it all changes but some of my go-to's are Bell's Two Hearted, All day IPA from Founders and Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale but usually on tour I make a point of never drinking the same beer twice. And in the States that is not hard to do. Oh I miss it now. We always bring a console on tour to have a gaming room in the back of the bus. Great for couch co-op games and competitive games but also great if you just want to get away from everything for a while. Played Horizon-Zero Dawn on our last tour. Perfection!

[u/Tranquillity-Metal]

Hi Mikael. Moment is the best thing created this year. 🖤 Beautiful vocals and lyrics.

What has been your favorite venue to play at and what have you been listening to recently?

[u/MiklStne → u/Tranquillity-Metal]

Hi! Thank you so much! There are a few great ones we've played. My favorite in the world is probably 013 in Tilburg, Holland. Been listening to a lot of Christian Kjellvander, Nick Cave, Ulver and Motorpsycho.

[u/Talonraker422]

Hi Mikael, huge fan of your music, thanks for coming out and doing this!

For my questions, I hope to be a writer someday and Dark Tranquillity's early lyrics have been a central source of inspiration to me to pursue that dream, so I'd like to know a bit more about them. I've always been fascinated by Silence and the Firmament Withdrew in particular - what was the inspiration behind those lyrics and what was the writing process like? How do you go about turning these abstract concepts and emotions in your head into coherent and meaningful lyrics? And are there any other lyrics you've written for the band you're particularly proud of or any interesting insight on them you can offer?

[u/MiklStne → u/Talonraker422]

Hey there! Thank you so much for being here and I hope I can help you or at least answer some of your questions. I didn't actually write that particular one. It's Niklas' track and I really love it. But in general I try to always write down feeling, phrases and ideas whenever I have them. My notebooks make no damn sense but it's great to have as reference or when you are stuck somewhere. Mainly I try to stay as close to truth and reality as possible without revealing too much about myself really. I want something that I feel like screaming, something that needs to come out in the angriest form, something that drives the vocals. The best is always if I am able to get so close to what I am actually feeling that I can get back to that feeling every single time we play the song. Rarely happens but when it does it's what I always strive for. Encircled for instance from Atoma did that every single night on tour and we usually opened with it. Put me in a mood immediately.

[u/SoulShadow1743]

I have never heard of your band before. What songs do you personally reccomend that best fits your band?

[u/MiklStne → u/SoulShadow1743]

Start from the latest and work your way back. Have a great trip and we are thrilled to have you. Cheers!

[u/alter_egoist]

Hey, fan of your work. I can't stop listening Moment album. But "Gallery" is not available in Spotify anymore. What is the problem? Will it going to return soon?

[u/MiklStne → u/alter_egoist]

Some issue with the rights to it. It will be back soon I'm told.

[u/OccasionAvenue]

I’ve always noticed you drinking local beers on tour like Schlafly in St. Louis and Sweetwater in Atlanta. When you’re on tour in the USA, is there a specific beer or brewery you love most and look forward to?

Moment is a gift, the stream was awesome, and can’t wait to see y’all on the road again. Thanks for the AMA!

[u/MiklStne → u/OccasionAvenue]

Haha. Those in particular was given to me by a good beer buddy of mine but yes I always try to find local stuff. Using the Untappd app or asking around I go around during the day collection bottles and growler. I love it really and I miss it like crazy. I love Modern Times and Coronation so I look forward to going back to San Diego. Cheers! Thank you!

[u/[deleted]]

Ah, and a bit personal question: do you intentinally look like Jesus in European Renaissance painting tradition or it's just a coincidence?

And how do you broom your hair and beard? Any tips for bearded metalhead bros?

[u/MiklStne → u/[deleted]]

haha! Been working on that look since I was born :-) I always use one of those untangle brushes whatever they are called and of course beard oil is your friend. Smells nice and keeps it shiny. Cheers beardbro!

[u/geraltofrivia1983]

How come you rule so much?

[u/MiklStne → u/geraltofrivia1983]

Never sober.

[u/fil_fernandes86]

Hi Mikael,

I would like to express my appreciation to you guys for all your contribution and presence in the scene all these years! And respect for your consistency and strength in both growling and amazing clean vocals! Moment is amazing !!! Just wanted to ask if there is any plan to reissue the gallery or haven in vinyl? of course more cool versions for other albums as well will be welcome. many thanks :)

[u/MiklStne → u/fil_fernandes86]

There were some re-issues some years ago and now that we have all the albums under the Century Media label that is very possible. I will keep it in mind.

[u/Darklight3110]

Thanks for the new album. This is the best Moment of the year! 🖤