Dark Tranquillity Interview: The 90’s Gothenburg Music Scene

by Ryan Minic | Mar 15, 2010

Ryan Minic interviewing Mikael Stanne of Dark Tranquillity at Bonnerhaus in North Hollywood in 2010

They are one of the bands credited for pioneering the Gothenburg metal scene — a Swedish music community from the early 90s that influenced generations of heavy musicians worldwide. In fact, Dark Tranquillity is perhaps the longest standing band from the Gothenburg era. They were one of the first groups, alongside At The Gates and In Flames, to combine elements of progressive melodies with traditional death metal — and they’ve been doing it for nearly 20 years.

So how does a small group of kids playing metal in Sweden go on to influence the world of heavy music? Whom better to ask than Dark Tranquillity frontman Mikael Stanne.

I sat down with Stanne recently to better understand the Gothenburg community, to discuss the band’s new album “We Are The Void”, and to find out what motivates them to continually push the boundaries of the death metal genre.

Beginning with the early days of Gothenburg, here’s Mikael Stanne in his own words:

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