THE DEVIL'S MOUTH Vol. 136: Ten Rounds with Mikael Stanne (Dark Tranquillity and more)
Decades spent fronting the legendary Dark Tranquillity, and Mikael Stanne is now expanding, with none other than three different albums being released this year.
Mikael Stanne used to be much easier to introduce - as the frontman for Dark Tranquillity, one of the most shining beacons of constant excellence in the lauded Gothenburg metal scene, he seemed to always have his hands - and captivating voice - quite full with that enormous task. However, since 2019, his musical career has undertaken an unexpected expansion, with this extraordinary singer now adding his talents to no less than three other bands. In 2019, he joined the wonderful DT+old In Flames pile up that are The Halo Effect, in 2020 he went full old-school death metal on a much needed Stockholm/Gothenburg crossing of brutal simplicity called Grand Cadaver, and now - although that band, even if somewhate under the radar, also dates from 2020 already - he’s about to release the debut of perhaps the most surprising Stanne-fronted act of them all, the slick, elegant and super catchy goth dark-pop of Cemetery Skyline, where he employs his rich clean voice almost exclusively. Imagine an album full of ‘Day To End’s and you’re almost there. On this new episode of The Devil’s Mouth podcast we give you music by Cemetery Skyline and Dark Tranquillity, so before we dive into it, let’s take this opportunity to fill out our Stanne bingo card, shall we? Let’s start simply with ‘Serrated Jaws’, a nasty little banger from Grand Cadaver’s 2023 album, ‘Deities Of Deathlike Sleep’:
And while we don’t have an announcement for The Halo Effect - and if you hear the podcast, you’ll know a bit more about that, hint hint! -, here’s the irresistible opener of their ‘Days Of The Lost’ debut, ‘Shadowminds’:
It’s funny to note that, though there are obviously big differences between all the bands Mikael fronts, his taste in music is even wider than what his performative career would suggest. As he himself describes it, his Ten Rounds are full of “weird music”, and it’s been a huge pleasure to nerd out with the super-nice guy that he is about all this awesome weirdness.
Time to go listen to it!
Dark Tranquillity’s ‘Endtime Signals’ is out on August 16th via Century Media.
Cemetery Skyline’s debut album is coming out soon via Century Media, they have three singles currently published. Their live debut takes place at the John Smith Rock Festival in Laukaa, Finland, August 18-20.
The Halo Effect’s ‘Days Of The Lost’ came out in 2022 via Nuclear Blast. A new album is imminent.
Grand Cadaver’s ‘Deities Of Deathlike Sleep’ came out in 2023 via Majestic Mountain Records.