Review by Rexorcist for Dark Tranquillity - Damage Done (2002)

Dark Tranquillity were the first melodeath band I ever checked out, and of course, it was such a new experience for me that I had learned to love them.  However, as I checked out more tech and brutal death, I eventually fell out of favor with melodeath, so it's been a while since I checked out DT.  Damage Done is considered as essential to death metal as The Gallery, but while The Gallery is a great album on its own, it doesn't hold up as well for me anymore.  Will the same be true for Damage Done?

I admit, this is pretty enjoyable.  It's got its catchiness about it, and because of its accessibility it makes for a great entrypoint into death metal in general.  To be honest, this would likely be the first or second death metal album I'd recommend because of that.  It also has great production working for each song.  Unfortunately, it's a little TOO accessible and not that varied, so all the songs mold with each other to the point where, even though it's obviously death, it has the same vibe as bands like Born of osiris and As I Lay Dying, modern-day alternative-structured metalcore bands that just want to get a few singles out.  So while this is obviously a good album, it doesn't hold up as well once you expose yourself to much more true death metal.  Even other melodeath bands like Edge of Sanity and In Flames don't go THIS radio.