Bengt Mikael Stanne (born 20 May 1974) is a Swedish musician, best known as the vocalist, primary lyricist and a former guitarist for the melodic death metal band Dark Tranquillity. Since the departure of original drummer Anders Jivarp in 2021, Stanne is the only remaining original member of the band. Stanne is also the vocalist for bands Grand Cadaver, the Halo Effect and Cemetery Skyline, which formed in 2020, 2021 and 2023, respectively. He was also an ex-vocalist for HammerFall and In Flames.

Career

Dark Tranquillity

Stanne, along with Niklas Sundin, formed Dark Tranquillity because they were bored, along with interest in metal from their influences. He played guitar and performed clean backing vocals 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 Haven, however, the clean style was mostly abandoned until the release of Fiction in 2007.

Other projects

Stanne is the vocalist for death metal band Grand Cadaver (formed in 2020) and for gothic metal band Cemetery Skyline (formed in 2024). Stanne was the original vocalist for HammerFall from 1993 until 1996, after which he was replaced because of his commitment to Dark Tranquillity.

Personal life

Stanne has been married to Pipsa Piipari since 1999. The couple have one daughter.

Discography

Guest appearances