'Fiction' is the eighth studio album from Swedish melodic death metal pioneers Dark Tranquillity. Despite being hailed as pioneers of the genre, they've been overshadowed for a number of years now by the likes of In Flames and Soilwork, with both bands sharing the crown as current leaders of the genre. With the release of 'Fiction' however, DT seem determined to bring themselves back to the forefront of the genre they helped create.

Album opener "Nothing To No One" comes in with a sound and rhythm straight from the 'Reroute To Remain' handbook. Everything reminiscent of said album is in place, but what manages to save it and set DT apart is the crucial placement of the keyboards. The melodies are simply amazing, and not being one to make the same mistakes as others, minimal keyboards are utilized for maximum effect, adding brilliant textures to the song. 'The Lesser Faith' is another great track, with a somewhat ambient vibe to it. Extremely catchy guitar work is everpresent, coupled with obligatory bursts of thrash. The melodic break that comes in midway through the song is absolutely stunning as well.

"Terminus (where death is most alive)" opens with a guitar riff that once again brings to mind "Reroute...." era In Flames. And while it can be argued that DT is the one that helped create said sound, listening to older material from DT tends to prove otherwise. In Flames may have been influenced by DT to a degree, and DT may have helped pioneer the "style", but the sound has been refined over the years. Regardless, it's still a worthwhile track.

"Empty Me" is a more balls out death thrash oriented track, with alot more blasting going on. Once again, great guitar leads and keyboard melodies within the break.
"Misery's Crown" is another notable track, as Mikael adds some clean vocals to the mix, which albeit a bit late, adds a bit of variation to the album.

The album closes with "The Mundane And The Magic", a slower number that actually features more clean vocals from Mikael, only this time trading off with softer female clean vocals during the chorus. And while it enhances the song greatly, the use of clean female vocals in more extreme forms of metal is not exactly grounbreaking.

Dark Tranquility have once again put forth a solid effort with 'Fiction'. Unfortunately, they seem to continuously be one step behind their peers. Helping to create or establish a genre or style does not guarantee that you will always be ahead of the curve, and Dark Tranquility is proof of that. Resting on one's laurels can be a death knell for some bands, while others simply get forced to the back of the line. And in Dark Tranquility's case, despite putting out rather solid albums over the years, they've slowly allowed themselves to be nudged to the back.