Warthur
Melodic death metal - especially that which is categorised as being part of the "Gothenburg" sound - comes in for a lot of shit from purists, but albums like Dark Tranquility's The Gallery stand head and shoulders above many of the lesser entries in the genre. Combining excellent songwriting and performances with a style which is both instantly accessible and irresistibly exciting, the album presents a compelling musical journey that allows the band to show their technical chops whilst never allowing technicality to override the demands of tone and atmosphere. Melodic death metal can be a little hit and miss, and there's plenty of releases out there which to me sound disappointingly hollow and generic, but The Gallery certainly isn't one of them.