Mikael Stanne, vocalist for Dark Tranquillity and The Halo Effect, recently spoke with Metal Hammer and named the 10 death metal albums that inspired him to pursue a career in music. Following is an excerpt from the rundown.

Grotesque - The Black Gate Is Closed (1989)

Stanne: "I first got into extreme metal through trading tapes and reading fanzines. When I was fourteen, I went with one of my neighbours, Shamaatae, to sit in on a rehearsal with his new band. That band was Grotesque and seeing them rehearse was incredibly cool. The intensity and speed of the music being played at maximum volume impressed me like very little had up until that point. My favourite song quickly became 'Blood Runs From The Altar', from their second demo The Black Gate Is Closed. I was already a huge J.R.R. Tolkien fan, so this was just perfection to me."

Atheist - Piece Of Time (1989)

Stanne: "The Florida technical death metal scene was huge for me. The mind-bending songs of Atheist were just so out of this world and even if I didn’t understand the songs back then they still resonated with me. I couldn’t love this more if I tried."

Check out Stanne's complete list here.

On August 15, Dark Tranquillity performed at the 2024 edition of Germany's Summer Breeze festival in Dinkelsbühl. You can now watch professionally-filmed footage of the band's full set, courtesy of ARTE Concert.

Setlist:

"The Wonders at Your Feet"
"Hours Passed in Exile"
"Terminus (Where Death Is Most Alive)"
"Atoma"
"Phantom Days"
"ThereIn"
"Lost to Apathy"
"The Last Imagination"
"Shivers and Voids" (live debut)
"Unforgivable"
"Not Nothing"
"Our Disconnect" (live debut)
"Neuronal Fire" (live debut)
"Misery's Crown"