Favorite of the Gothenburg Trio

[dax21]

I'd say In Flames.

I think Dark Tranquillity are better overall, with maybe only 1 weak album (We are the Void), with the newest one especially being amazing. By far the most complex music, brilliant arrangements, also the band that shot arguably the best live dvd in metal so far. Stanne is also my favorite vocalist, probably the only guy in metal who should actually do cleans more.

But I still have to say In Flames because TJR and Whoracle have some of the best guitar leads ever in my opinion, DT comes super close but still can't exactly touch that atmosphere. Jesper's leads are just so unique.

I love ATG almost as much but for some reason I just never listened to them as intensely as I did IF and DT. I think SoTS, as influential as it is, is heavily overrated (Gates of Ishtar did that pedal riffing 24/7 a bit better even though they came later) and Terminal Spirit Disease is much more original and atmospheric. Definitely a landmark in production too, it's funny how SOTS still sounds better than most things today.

 

[DXL]

I stole some riffs from a CD today, I think it was At the Gates! I blend it up with my personal taste, my friends got totally amazed!" That's what everyone was doing back then

I admit I have accidentally stolen the interlude to Under a Serpent Sun. I was so pissed off after I realized it was their's

 

[mike0]

In Flames all the way. Not only are they one of my favorite bands, every time i hear Wayfaerer i get all giddy inside and chock-full of that feeling i can only describe as optimism and happiness. I can't say that for pretty much any other metal band i listen to.

Edit: Good to see the poll is split evenly with 10s across the board. Due to the Dark Tranquility love i'm going to go check them out. Never gave a really thorough listen to them before, so i'm excited to possibly have a new band that i'll love.

 

[wankerness]

I feel like At the Gates had a huge impact on american metalcore too, bands like Thrice just sounded to me like they were regurgitating ATG riffs most of the time. Maybe it somehow developed independently but I doubt it.

 

[dax21]

Due to the Dark Tranquility love i'm going to go check them out. Never gave a really thorough listen to them before, so i'm excited to possibly have a new band that i'll love.

I recommend you to check random songs from different albums, don't get discouraged if you dislike the first song you hear. They are very different (early stuff is a bit folky, acoustic guitars, mid stuff is a bit more pedal riffing, some cleans, and then later on they added keyboards and sound kinda modern but not in the soilwork/in flames way).

 

[oompa]

My hero. :') Finally a brother who has studied up on his stuff too!

(Let's create a club. )

Studied? I lived it lol No studies, that was my life there

 

[The Hiryuu]

Tough, tough call. Had In Flames not crashed so hard, I may have considered choosing them...I probably like the Jester Race more than any other album the others put out. But I definitely like the other two much more across the board. I probably have to go with Dark Tranquillity, though...just barely.

 

[ridner]

currently a 3 way tie! I cast my vote for At the Gates

 

[wankerness]

Swarm and Terminal Spirit Disease are two of my most-played songs on guitar. Such great riffs! Those two songs and "blinded by fear" were some of the first things I played when I got a seven string (my 6 string didn't react well to B standard).

 

[Wings of Obsidian]

to the Dark Tranquility love i'm going to go check them out. Never gave a really thorough listen to them before, so i'm excited to possibly have a new band that i'll love.

Dak 21 said it all. Dark Tranquillity doesn't have any definable "hits", and everything is so spaced out and is so great.

I recommend starting with their Damage Done album since it is straight rip-roaring killer melo-metal. Their big '95 album The Gallery is fantastic, but for someone just getting into the band, it's really weird to understand unless you're a death metal connoisseur. After you finish Damage Done and all of its heavy goodness, I recommend then bouncing to 1999's Projector, which is MY favorite album by them. I mean....I literally am getting all giddy and jittering just by telling someone to please check out this album. It's A LOT softer than anything "metal", (almost like a juxtaposition compared to a heavy album like Damage Done or Character), but it is super experimental and layered in dense, rich composition and structure.

 

[wankerness]

I agree that Damage Done is probably the best intro. It's very straightforward and awesome. Projector's really good but the clean vocals might throw you, they're well done but have a sort of silly sound to them that some people can't get past. It reminds me of the cowardly lion or something, especially on the outro to ThereIn. I've heard them compared to MOONSPELL before but they're nowhere near that bad.

 

[Wings of Obsidian]

currently a 3 way tie! I cast my vote for At the Gates

Man, it's CLOSE! Some real nice and real interesting reasons are coming out of this thread!

I LOVE IT! BOOKMARKED!

 

[Stainded]

Meridian Dawn - Iconic (Official Lyric Video) - YouTube

Heard this the other day. Got Nightrage and Firewind members in it

 

[Don Vito]

I've never listened to DT, but I'm going with 90's In Flames because of how well thought out the melodies are. At the Gate's muse is that they're ultra nihilistic and heavy, but I'm all about the melodies.

 

[DarkWolfXV]

For me it's At the Gates because I feel that they're the only band that have released something above average out of these three. The Red in The Sky Is Ours is great. And out of all of these three they had probably the biggest impact on the metalcore/deathcore scene. Dark Tranquility just seems incredibly mediocre to me, same with In Flames although their later stuff while not being melodeath is good at times.

 

[Veldar]

I feel like At the Gates had a huge impact on american metalcore too, bands like Thrice just sounded to me like they were regurgitating ATG riffs most of the time. Maybe it somehow developed independently but I doubt it.

2000's Metalcore is AtG riffs with breakdowns.

So I voted for AtG since I listened to SotS for about 2 months straight, In Flames from the few songs I've heard have simple song structure and DT have never done anything for me.

 

[Wings of Obsidian]

2000's Metalcore is AtG riffs with breakdowns.

Early metalcore, yes. Man, I can list so many early bands that ripped off ATG riffs and stuff.

Random side note: Of course, metalcore nowadays is all the same Killswitch Engage and All That Remains ripoffs. Everyone want those simple but melodic riffs. -.-' I miss the days of Underoath and Norma Jean, etc. Dissonance and more complex song structures.

 

[AdamMaz]

As a fanatic of the Stockholm scene; At The Gates.

Only ever heard one (newer) Dark Tranquility song. I've heard a couple of In Flames songs, I liked but never got me very interested.

 

[works0fheart]

I love all three bands, and for awhile I thought Dark Tranquillity was the shit, but their last few albums have disappointed me. Then again, so has the last few In Flames albums, but I've liked them more than the newer DT.

At The Gates is great, and would probably be my number one, but they don't have as much material as the other 2 bands and if we had to compare material up to when AtG stopped releasing stuff then I'd say it's a pretty tough call.

The Red in the Sky is Ours is top tier, so is Slaughter of the Soul, Whoracle, The Jester Race, Damage Done, Character, and Colony but if I really had to pick a favorite of all those it would definitely be a tie between TJR and Whoracle.

You don't get much better than this. Still some of my favorite songs even after all these years and pretty much growing out of melodeath.





Peter's bass tone in those vids is freaking awesome. Them riffs too. Mmmmmm.

It's too bad Jesper left. Their one of those bands now that has no business even going by their original name now since no original members are left in the band.

 

[Wings of Obsidian]

You sir, just started my dream topic.

I believe you stole my words good sir. (Refer to first page).

I do find it funny that In Flames is most definitely the more dominant and mainstream band out of all the three, so they have more fans; therefore, that is why I predicted them winning this.

But if people based their votes on consistency throughout a career and better creative musicality.....I think Dark Tranquillity or At the Gates will pull ahead and slaughter the rest of the votes.

I got to say though...I'm like biting my nails every time I check this thread since I have it bookmarked. IT IS SO CLOSE! O.O