Mikael Stanne

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Mikael Stanne
Mikael Stanne
Mikael Stanne
Background information
Born May 28, 1974 (1974-05-28) (age 34)
Genre(s) Melodic death metal
Progressive metal
Instrument(s) Vocals, Guitar
Years active 1989 – present
Label(s) Century Media
Osmose
Spinefarm
Associated acts Dark Tranquillity
ex-HammerFall
In Flames (session member)

Mikael Stanne is the vocalist for the Swedish, melodic death metal band, Dark Tranquillity.

Contents

[edit] Background

[edit] 1989 – present: Dark Tranquillity

Mikael Stanne, born May 28, 1974 in Gothenburg, Sweden, originally played rhythm guitar and provided backing vocals for his band Dark Tranquillity. He played guitar on Dark Tranquillity's first album, Skydancer, as well as on their early demos, including Enfeebled Earth released under the name Septic Broiler. In 1994, Anders Fridén, Dark Tranquillity's original vocalist left the band to join In Flames. Stanne then became the new vocalist and discontinued playing guitar.

In addition to his usual growling vocals, Dark Tranquillity's 1999 album, Projector showcased his operatic "clean" singing abilities. After Projector, however, the clean style was mostly abandoned until the release of Fiction. Stanne is known as one of death metal's most impressive singers for his ability to switch styles from a deep, bellowing growl to a screeching, piercing scream.

[edit] Other projects

Mikael Stanne was the original vocalist for the Swedish heavy metal band, HammerFall. He was HammerFall's vocalist from 1993 until 1996, after which he was replaced because he couldn't perform with HammerFall due to his commitment to Dark Tranquillity.

[edit] Guest appearances

Stanne was a session vocalist for the Swedish, melodic death metal band, In Flames, during their early career. He provided the lead vocals for In Flames' debut album, Lunar Strain in 1994. Contrary to popular belief, Stanne was never an official member of In Flames, he did the session vocals as a "favor" to In Flames, who did not have a vocalist at the time.

In 2005, Stanne provided a clean vocal passage on the Nightrage song "Frozen," alongside former At the Gates vocalist Tomas Lindberg on their album Descent into Chaos.