Consistency can be both a blessing and a curse when discussing Metal or really any other category of music. On one hand, METALLICA were blasted for their 1990s transgressions because they weren't exactly churning out "Master Of Puppets" every four years and had changed more than their core audience preferred. Yet a band such as AMON AMARTH puts together a powerful and blisteringly wonderful album every few years that don't vary a terribly large amount from each other, yet you'll always find someone who's unhappy they haven't "grown enough as an artist."

So there's the crux. It rears its head again with the latest from Swedish Death Metal pioneers DARK TRANQUILLITY and their ninth studio album "We Are The Void". While there have been some mild variations from their 1993 debut "Skydancer" over the years, by and large DT fans know what to expect from the band. Is that really so bad? Oddly enough their closest counterpart IN FLAMES (whose frontman Anders Friden was DT's initial singer) have altered their path just enough that their most recent offerings have paled obviously in comparison to their earlier work.

Therefore, consistency has been a strength for DT, which is proven again on "We Are The Void". Vocalist Mikael Stanne goes for a bit more gristle in his work, scaling back the cleaner vocals of the past few efforts to mere cameos on moody "The Grandest Accusation", dramatic closer "Iridium" and the Gothically haunting, KATATONIA-reaching "Her Silent Language". For the most part, he's growling his heart out as his bandmates lather his calls in furious twin-guitar assaults and thick, Euro-style keyboards, both of which are trademarks of their sound.

"Shadow In Our Blood" feels Middle Eastern at times and isn't the most enthralling opening track in their history, but it's more than made up for on "The Fatalist" and its anthemic chorus, "Arkhangelsk" and the furious title track. It's DT. You get what you expect, and to those who cry they didn't do enough tweaking, ask yourself this: When you buy your favorite orange juice, do you take that first gulp expecting the same refreshing citrus, or are you disappointed it doesn't taste like cherry, or grape, or ketchup? Let's hope DARK TRANQUILLITY never change their ingredients because, as long as they maintain their passion, they're refreshing enough as is.