Released in 1999, Projector marked a major departure for the band renowned as one of the founders of the Gothenburg Sound. Eschewing much of their trademark dual-guitar attack and ferocious "death-growl" vocals, Dark Tranquillity's Projector album featured almost as much piano and clean guitar as traditional metal. The album was also the first introduction (more or less) of vocalist Mikael Stanne as a "clean" singer - Stanne delivered almost half of the lyrics in an operatic baritone, far removed from his typical metal growl.

Because of its massive deviation from the band's previous efforts, Projector was met with mixed opinions by fans. For whatever reason, the clean vocal style was almost entirely discarded after this album, although the keyboards and pianos would become an integral part of the band's present sound.