Line #18 Music/TheDarkElement


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ei3pty_xsaamxci_2.jpg]]
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3	The Dark Element is a project formed by Jani Liimatainen (Music/{{Insomnium}}, ex[=-=]Music/SonataArctica, Cain's Offering) and Music/AnetteOlzon (Alyson Avenue, Music/{{Nightwish\|Band}}) in 2016, known for its poppy, synth-backed GothicMetal with Anette's mezzo-soprano vocals front and center. Their self-titled debut came out in 2017 to much critical acclaim and warm welcome particularly by fans of the duo's former bands. In November 2019, their sophomore effort ''Songs the Night Sings'' was released.
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5	[[folder:Members]]
6	!!Current lineup
7	* Jani Liimatainen: guitars, keyboards, programming, principal songwriter
8	* Music/AnetteOlzon: lead vocals
9	* Jonas Kuhlberg: bass
10	* Rolf Pilve: drums (2019-)
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12	!!Past members
13	* Jani "Hurtsi" Hurula: drums (2017-2019)
14	[[/folder]]
15
16	!!Discography
17	* ''[[SelfTitledAlbum The Dark Element]]'' (2017)
18	* ''Songs the Night Sings'' (2019)
19
20	!Tropes the Night Sings:
21	* AllDrummersAreAnimals: Conspicuously averted in the video for [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKd6GfzpvdY "My Sweet Mystery"]]: Hurtsi is depicted as grimly and methodically pounding his drums in several close-ups.
22	* BreakupSong: "Dead to Me" and "Silence Between the Words" are two (of many) flavors: the former is a [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech harsh rebuke]] of a manipulative ex, the latter a more pensive final love letter from someone getting ready to move on. "Not Your Monster" similarly uses the "TakeThat to a manipulative ex" angle.
23	* DestructiveRomance: Jani seems to love this trope. "Dead to Me" and "Not Your Monster" are both about really messy break-ups.
24	* GenreBusting[=/=]GenreMashup: What happens when you take a PowerMetal guitarist and team him up with an AOR singer whose voice has challenged a SymphonicMetal band to play GenreRoulette. The band's sound is chiefly a blend of PowerMetal and GothicMetal but has heavy SymphonicMetal influence.
25	* HarshVocals: Provided by [[Music/{{Insomnium}} Niilo Sevänen]] on "Dead to Me" as a counterpoint to Anette.
26	* LyricalDissonance: "Pills on My Pillow", one of the band's most upbeat songs, is about [[ThroughTheEyesOfMadness mental illness]].
27	* MaleBandFemaleSinger: The Dark Element is the third well-known male-played band Anette has fronted in her career.
28	* PowerBallad: "Someone You Used to Know", "Only One Who Knows Me", "To Whatever End", "When It All Comes Down".
29	* PowerMetal: The band describes itself as SymphonicMetal, but the keyboard work tends toward synthesizer sounds rather than orchestral samples ''a la'' Music/{{Nightwish\|Band}}. It's also been described as "melodic symphonic metal".
30	* ProgressiveInstrumentation: "Someone You Used to Know" starts with just Anette and a piano and gradually adds in other instruments until the whole band is playing soft rock by about the three-minute mark.
31	* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: "Halo" and "Dead to Me" are this oh so much.
32	* SopranoAndGravel: Usually not used--Liimatainen sings clean vocals on the rare occasion he sings at all--but [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eidS1nyQB50 "Dead to Me"]] has a few moments of Music/{{Epica}}-like roars from guest vocalist [[Music/{{Insomnium}} Niilo Sevänen]].
33	* StarCrossedLovers: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZsuGtv3-co "The Ghost and the Reaper"]] speaks of a princess and a knight, a ghost and a reaper, duos that seem to go together [[DestructiveRomance but always in a self-destructive manner]] that ensures they will never be together.
34	* {{Supergroup}}: Anette has a (relatively short) solo career and is best-known as the former lead vocalist of Finnish SymphonicMetal superstars Music/{{Nightwish\|Band}} from 2007 to 2012. Jani played guitar for Music/SonataArctica and is the frontman of Cain's Offering. Jonas and Hurtsi likewise play in Cain's Offering; Jonas has also played for My Grain and One Desire, while Hurtsi played for Silent Voices and has toured with Music/IronMaiden.
35	* SurprisinglyGentleSong: "Someone You Used to Know", a mostly acoustic soft rock PowerBallad about love in the middle of a Scandinavian PowerMetal album.
36	* UncommonTime: Quite a few tracks on ''Songs the Night Sings'' have sections of this.
37	* WanderlustSong: The title track of ''Songs the Night Sings'' is an upbeat tune about wanting to see the world through the view of TheAntiNihilist. The singer says she wants to experience [[TheWorldIsJustAwesome all the cool things the world has to offer]] while simultaneously saying she wants to "feel the pain when it hurts."

Context Music / TheDarkElement