Dark Tranquillity (often referred to as creators of Gothenburg Metal) was formed in Sweden in December 1989 under the name Sceptic Boiler by Anders Fridén (vocals, later frontman of In Flames), Niklas Sundin (guitar) and Mikael Stanne (guitar), Martin Hendriksson (bass) and Anders Jivarp (drums). After they had recorded the demo "Enfeebled Earth", which had a horrible production, they changed their name to Dark Tranquillity.

In 1991 the bands first demo, "Trail of Life Decayed", was recorded and was followed by "A Moonclad Reflection". In 1993 they finally released their first full-length album, "Skydancer" which featured guest vocalists Stefan Lindgren and Anna-Kajsa Avehall. In 1995 the EP "Of Chaos and Eternal Night" was released. Shortly after vocalist Anders Fridén left the band so Stanne had to take over vocals and let the new member Fredrik Johansson take care of his guitar role.

Same year the band was signed to Osmose Productions and then they released "The Gallery" which featured Frasse Franzen and Eva-Marie Larsson (vocals). The bands success increased and a year later they released the MCD "Enter Suicidal Angels". In 1997 "The Mind's I" was released and, again, featured guests, one of them being previous vocalists Anders Fridén. After the release they left Osmose Productions and were instead signed to Century Media. In 1999 "Projector" was released.

After the release Fredrik Johansson left the band but the bands bassist Martin Henriksson took over his part as guitarist. Two other members then joined the band, Martin Brändström (keyboards) and Michael Niklasson (bass). In 2000 "Haven" was released and then in 2001 the band went on a tour with drummer Robin Engström as Jivarp couldn't.

"Damage Done" followed in 2002 and the compilation album "Exposures - In Retrospect and Denial" in 2004.

Character was the seventh release from Dark Tranquillity, released in 2005, and was held in much critical praise. It featured the first music video released by Dark Tranquillity to feature the band itself, with the single "Lost to Apathy." In 2007, Fiction was released, which in turn, saw a return of Mikeal Stanne's clean vocals, and the first female guest vocalist since Projector.

On the band's official website they announced that bass guitarist Michael Nicklasson left the band in August 2008 due to personal reasons with no hard feelings between him and the band. On September 19, the band found a new bassist, Daniel Antonsson, who was a guitarist for Soilwork.

Line-up:
Stanne - Voice
Jivarp - Drums
Sundin - Guitars
Antonsson- Bass
Henriksson - Guitars
Brändström - Electronics