In Flames - Reissue 2014. (1994-2011, 11CD)

From the throat-grabbing riff at the beginning of "Behind Space" to the last few seconds of "Clad in Shadows", this album is very easily my favorite of the In Flames discography (second only to The Jester Race). The heavily-distorted guitar harmonies and Mikael Stanne's raspy screams and shrieks, when combined with the raw production, gives this album a very thrash metal-esque sound, almost venturing into black metal considering the various folk music intermissions. So, what exactly is to be had with Lunar Strain? Everything you love about In Flames, but in an earlier version, with more raw production combined with a noticeably heavier instrumental section. Those who found post-1994 In Flames to be too "poppy" and/or "melodic" for their tastes might fall in love with this album, simply because it draws roots from more extreme styles in metal. Jesper Stromblad handles guitar, keyboard, and drum duties here, and (with Glenn Ljungstrom along side him) wrote most of the music on this album. Carl Naslund also provides guitar contributions, with Johann Larsson on bass. The one member that particularly made this album memorable to me was Mikael Stanne, of the so-beloved Dark Tranquillity. Being the brilliant lyricist he is, he wrote all of his own lyrics on this album, and made them sound damn good with this sharp, ear-piercing screams and shrieks that could be described as an amped-up alteration of David Vincent on Morbid Angel's Altars of Madness album. The music itself, as stated above, is a thrashy, heavy, and melodic combination of Iron Maiden, Bathory, and even a bit Kreator in some sections. Being this is of course a Gothenburg melodeath band, the emphasis is obviously on the melodic aspect, but the "thrashier" sections are not uncommon (see "Behind Space", "Starforsaken", and especially "Upon An Oaken Throne" for extreme examples of this). This combined with the raw production make the overall sound much heavier and aggressive than later releases by In Flames. The entire album could be thought of as a thrash/heavy-metal version of the band known for such highly praised works as "Pinball Map" and "Embody the Invisible". Overall, I highly recommend this for any fan of A) melodic death metal, 2) In Flames, or D) old-school metal with harsh vocals. This corner stone for an entire genre should not be missed by anyone who can appreciate extreme metal.

www.metal-archives.com

Musicians:

Vocals : Mikael Stanne
Guitars : Glenn Ljungström
Guitars : Carl Näslund
Bass : Johan Larsson
Guitars, Drums, Keyboards : Jesper Strömblad

Recorded in Studio Fredman, Autumn/winter 1993
Engineered by H Bjurkvist, F Nordstrom and J Karlsson.
Mixed by In Flames and F Nordstrom.

Track List:

01. Behind Space [4:55]
02. Lunar Strain [4:05]
03. Starforsaken [3:10]
04. Dreamscape [3:45]
05. Everlost (Part I) [4:17]
06. Everlost (Part II) [2:57]
07. Harglaten [2:26]
08. In Flames [5:33]
09. Upon An Oaken Throne [2:50]
10. Clad In Shadows [2:54]
11. In Flames (1993 Promo Version) [5:50]
12. Upon An Oaken Throne (1993 Promo Version) [3:06]
13. Clad In Shadows (1993 Promo Version) [2:47]

With the recent departure of the last original member of In Flames Jesper, and the life blood of the machine that is my favorite melodic death metal band, I had to take the time to re-listen to all of Jesper’s best works, and this one, every time I listen to it, stands ablaze above all the others. The talent that lies in these players never ceases to amaze me and every time I begin this album once more with Jesper’s piano melody in the first half minute I have to let it play all the way through, I just can’t seem to let this album go unfinished. The thing that really gets me into this album is the incredible musicianship by these performers, not only strictly Jesper, but each person. The session drummers that In Flames had on this album both provide a unique and different taste to the drums in each track. Whether it’s the steady and solid, but still very interesting and catchy beats of Anders Jivarp, or it’s the incredible talent of Daniel Erlandsson wailing away on the double bass but still keeping a very interesting group of hits on the snare and cymbals going through the whole song. It was a very smart move and as I said before adds a lot of flavor to this EP. Next are the vocals. These are just incredible; they really compliment the almost melodic black metal feel of this album, and Henke really puts a lot into it to make them as good as he did on this album. His shrieks are menacing and his growls are deep and cutthroat, I really wished they kept him around for a few more albums, because I really enjoy the type of vocals that he brought. And here comes Johan, the bassist, and holy crap you can hear him! He really doesn’t falter when he is playing and he does an excellent job on holding up the low end of this album and keeping it as heavy as ever. Plus he also keeps the main counter melody going when Jesper and Glenn are harmonizing on those amazing riffs together. Which leads me to my next point, I have always loved the guitar team of Jesper and Glenn, and they are able to compliment each other so well that every harmony sounds perfect and so well played and built up that it’s sad that they are not playing together any more. The melodic riff in Stand Ablaze is a perfect example of this when they are harmonizing while tremolo picking and string skipping in some instances, they were just made to play together and this EP is the prime example of them at their best. This album is a must have for any In Flames fan, for in my opinion, it their best album, each song flows into each other, from Stand Ablaze to the extremely catchy main melody of Biosphere, this album bleeds melodic death and black metal. It is a must have for any In Flames collection and if you can find the re-release that contains the demos of Dead Eternity and The Inborn Lifeless, it is even a better album and one that you will want to listen to over and over again. In fact, if you are a musician like me, you may even start playing these amazing bass lines or guitar riffs, and these will greatly influence and especially, will improve your playing and are just loads of fun to play, plain and simple

www.metal-archives.com

Musicians:

Vocals : Henke Forss
Guitars : Jesper Strömblad
Guitars : Glenn Ljungström
Bass : Johan Larsson
Drums : Daniel Erlandsson

Track List:

01. Stand Ablaze 4:35
02. Ever Dying 4:23
03. Subterranean 5:47
04. Timeless 1:46
05. Biosphere 5:11
06. Dead Eternity (Bonus Song) 5:02
07. The Inborn Lifeless (Bonus Song) 3:24
08. Eye Of The Beholder (Bonus Song, Metalica Cover) 5:29
09. Murders In The Rue Morgue (Bonus Song, Iron Maiden Cover) 3:09

Few artists could ever claim to have left such a lasting stamp on a genre as In Flames have on the melodic death metal genre since their inception in 1990, and not without good reason. This was the band that released Clayman, the mighty Whoracle, Lunar Strain, Colony and their opus The Jester Race. The band was initially formed as the side project of then-Ceremonial Oath bassist Jesper Stromblad as an outlet for his more melodically-oriented writing style that did not fit his primary band of the time. Come 1993, the situation had changed and Stromblad had quit that particular band and recruited a line-up to write and record a debut album under the In Flames band. Following this the band grew tired of using session musicians for vocals and Jesper playing drums on the album, and so they recruited the final members of their line-up and set about recording and then releasing The Jester Race in 1995. This is an album that has no intention of taking its foot off of the listeners throat despite its melodic nature. The guitar tones are exceedingly heavy and the vocals are aggressive; the riffs bludgeoning and the drumming cool and calculated but still carrying a lot of rage behind it throughout. As far as complete band performances go The Jester Race ranks right up there among the best albums, with every member of the band consistently contributing something good that adds to the overall mood of the album. The guitars create a dark atmosphere that the demonic vocals from new recruit Anders Friden perfectly compliment with a lot of aggression behind them. Jesper also contributes acoustic guitars on this release which add a lot of diversity to it and draw up a gloomy picture, particularly on the opening song Moonshield. This five minute masterpiece was the perfect way to open up the album, with the acoustic guitar being used more than once to great effect including as the introduction to the song. The way the band transition from accompanying acoustic guitar work to electric guitar work is also something to marvel at; with the acoustic sections feeling suitably relaxed whilst the heavy parts are barbaric and yet somewhat restrained, keeping to a slow pace. Each and every song on The Jester Race is one that leaps out with its own characteristics and yet still contributing to the overall flow of the album. The instrumental number The Jester's Dance shows off just how well the band can nail the soft to heavy dynamic, whilst Graveland shows off a much faster side to the band at times. The guitar work varies from the slow and sludgy to the lightning fast and the vocals aggressive whilst the drums constantly adapt to the meandering pace. This album makes great use of slightly more progressive song structures than what some death metal fans may be unaccustomed to with some frequently altering tempos and it is clear that In Flames really strived to make their mark on metal music with this release. This is arguably their most ambitious and complete-sounding release, although some might give that title to any of their first five releases. The pacing and flow of The Jester Race is completely unmatched, with every song feeling complete no matter what the length whilst the longer tracks (of which non stretches far past the five minute mark) never feel over-stretched, such is the genius behind the song writing. The Jester Race is the perfect example of flawlessly executed melodic death metal with some angry vocal work, thought-provoking lyrics and great riffing and the cool use of acoustic guitars mixed perfectly among the heaviness. The production job is crisp and the drumming and bass work merely completes the rout. If you have not heard this then I highly recommend it as In Flames proved on here that they are more than a cut above the average Gothenburg band.

www.metal-archives.com

Musicians:

Vocals : Anders Fridén
Guitars : Glenn Ljungström
Guitars : Jesper Strömblad
Bass : Johan Larsson
Drums : Björn Gelotte

Recorded and mixed at Studio Fredman in November 1995.
Co-produced by In Flames.

Track List:

01. Moonshield 5:02
02. The Jester`s Dance 2:09
03. Artifacts Of The Black Rain 3:15
04. Graveland 2:47
05. Lord Hypnos 4:01
06. Dead Eternity 5:02
07. The Jester Race 4:51
08. December Flower 4:11
09. Wayfaerer 4:41
10. Dead God In Me 4:16
11. Goliaths Disarm Their Davids 4:56
12. Gyroscope 3:24
13. Acoustic Medley (Instrumental) 2:33
14. Behind Space (Live) 3:38
15. Moonshield (Live) 4:17
16. Artifacts Of The Black Rain (Live) 3:10
17. Moonshield (C64 Karaoke Version) 2:38

Tracks 1-10 - The Jester Race (LP)
Tracks 11-14 - Black Ash Inheritance (EP)
Tracks 15-17 - Bonus tracks

Originality in songwriting is so much on here and I think it's In Flames' best, but it really did lack a solid production quality sound. If it was better, then my rating would be 100%. There is nothing (to me) boring about this release. It is riff-tastic and a extremely high quality written melodic death metal album. There is a combination of heavy C-toned guitar work flavored with some clean melodies and an instrumental. I'd have to say that riff-wise it's In Flames' best written album to date. So many would contest this based on checking over the scores it received, but I'd say In Flames' selective recreation of their reality based on their Gothenburg style of melodic death shined with vigor. The music here is top notch like no other featuring heavy bar chord riffs meshed with many different melodies that are played alongside them with precision. I would have to say that I preferred "Gyroscope" and "Episode 666" to be the best tracks on here. However, every song has amazing melodies (as is being discussed) and I would consider this album to be highly underrated. I don't think it is at all overrated and those who heard that on here would conclude that this is an amazing release. I don't think that In Flames could've topped this out of any album that they have released from the past to present dates. Lead guitar work was quite impressive and perfective all over the fretboard, so simply amazing! The vocals did not vary that much, mostly high end screaming with some clean which went alongside the clean guitar bits. They (the vocals) really suited the guitar well and did not drown out the music. The deluxe edition features bonuses which were really a good complimentary addition to the main album. I'd say that other than the production quality not being their best it lacked not only there, but also in the mixing, the bass guitar was a little hard to hear. The drums went well along with the music and fit in with the mild/moderate tempos and licks. Everything was right in queue with this monumental album, my favorite out of their entire discography. It did have that aggression (as previously discussed), but not very fast tempos and their cover of Depeche Mode's "Everything Counts" was very well played out. No complaints on that end. Really don't expect them to be explosive here guitar wise and with severe tempo changes. The album showed very good musicianship lyrically, melody wise and aura inspiring. I'd say it'd be easier to listen to more often if the album was totally remastered very much like Death's remastered releases. Bottom line, if you're highly into melodic death metal, this one is not an album to pass up. Yes it has a few flaws, but overall the quality is there and riff work was highly respected by me as a listener. If you're not convinced, check out those tracks that I mentioned plus "Jotun" and "Food For the Gods." In summation, In Flames stuck real quality in this album. I don't think that it's highly overrated Gothenburg metal, I'd say that it's up there in the way that At the Gates' "Slaughter of the Soul" is, so own it then you can be your own critic and establish your own value judgment on it. So near utmost perfection!

www.metal-archives.com

Musicians:

Vocals : Anders Fridén
Guitars : Jesper Strömblad
Guitars : Glenn Ljungström
Bass : Johan Larsson
Drums : Björn Gelotte

Recorded and produced at Studio Fredman on Spring 1997.
Mastered at The Mastering Room, Gbg.
Lyrics by Niklas Sundin, synopsis by Anders Friden

Track List:

01. Jotun [3:55]
02. Food For The Gods [4:21]
03. Gyroscope [3:26]
04. Dialogue With The Stars [3:01]
05. The Hive [4:04]
06. Jester Script Transfigured [5:47]
07. Morphing Into Primal [3:05]
08. Worlds Within The Margin [5:06]
09. Episode 666 [3:46]
10. Everything Counts [3:18]
11. Whoracle [2:46]
12. Jotun (Live) [3:38]
13. Food For The Gods (Live) [4:11]

Arguably 'In Flames' best album, has and always will be the masterpiece that is 'Colony'. The album is the very pinnacle of the melodic death metal genre and Gothenburg sound. Understandably with any great band there are haters. Many people have deluded prerequisite views of what Metal, should and therefore must be. In Flames show this is simply not the case providing aggressive guitar work and classic Metal sound combined with the catchiness of any chart topper. Upsetting for many I know and unlike their later post 2000 work, which is horrible sell out shit, this album is absolutely incredible. Put simply, this album shows why 'In Flames' have become the inspiration and template of many modern bands today. As I’ve said, 'In Flames' have a hugely catchy sound, which is their main appeal. Brilliant dual guitar work which will have you banging your head to, and lyrics you’ll soon be singing along to. While the album is instantly accessible, it also has great depth in both colour of sound and the sheer quality of the music. Consequently unlike some other melodic death albums, this album is still enjoyable the first or the hundred and first time through. Each track on this album offers ‘In Flames’ unique blend of catchy metal brilliance. The album is very consistent and the songs while still keeping the core elements manage to differentiate from each other well, to make sure the album doesn’t start to get boring. The riffs are amazing, bombastic, speedy and melodic, all memorable and intricately woven together. The album also has some more thrashy songs which hurtle along at a sterling pace while still staying melodic, quite some feat. However unlike previous albums there are no folk influences, but rather classical ones The drumming doesn’t quite add up to the out of this world riffs but very importantly give the songs pacing and a bass element to them. They are never overwhelmed or are overwhelmed by the guitars, and seek to offset the high pitched tunes carried by the melody. The bass riffs are often very simple and serve to back up the drums while still adding to the overall melody and tune. Vocally, Anders isn’t as competent as many other metal vocalists; his voice isn’t that great, although his lyrics, while nonsensical are truly amazing. In other bands he would be a horrible choice, but he is truly in his form on this album. Anders provides the perfect mix between screams and growls, his voice is not overly guttural, and his sound while aggressive is also melodic and works well with the music. Overall the album is well produced, and is a perfect example of beautiful melodic death. The riffs stand out and solidify the album as a masterpiece; they are timeless classics, unmatched by any other band in this genre or others. This album is a must own for any self respecting melodic death fan, and truly shows In Flames at the top of their game. This album blows all other competitors out the water, its fun and isn’t at all pretentious. I both urge and plead to anyone and everyone to experience the greatness and wonder of ‘Colony’.

www.metal-archives.com

Musicians:

Vocals : Anders Fridén
Guitars : Jesper Strömblad
Guitars : Björn Gelotte
Bass : Peter Iwers
Drums : Daniel Svensson

Recorded and mixed at Studio Fredman.
Mastered at The Mastering Room.

Track List:

01. Embody The Invisible [3:38]
02. Ordinary Story [4:16]
03. Scorn [3:38]
04. Colony [4:39]
05. Zombie Inc [5:05]
06. Pallar Anders Visa [1:41]
07. Coerced Coexistence [4:14]
08. Resin [3:22]
09. Behind Space '99 [3:59]
10. Insipid 2000 [3:45]
11. The New Word [3:20]
12. Colony (Live) [4:30]
13. Ordinary Story (Live) [4:07]
14. Scorn (Live) [3:43]
15. Man Made God [4:11]

In Flames have had a lot of ups and downs over their career, and "Clayman" is definitely an up. I read a lot of the reviews telling people why this album sucks, so here is one saying why it doesn't. Firstly, Anders Friden's voice works. He has a fantastic death metal vocal sound that goes from a soaring scream to a deep throated growl, with everything in between, often in the same song - a good example of this would be the song "Square Nothing" which also includes some of the only 'clean' singing on the album (unlike their later releases which have a lot more of this evident.) Musically, the album follows a similar pattern, in that we have hard and fast throughout, interjected with slightly slower elements that pop up every now and then. This, however doesn't detract from the overall pace of the album, and what you have, essentially is a heavy fast paced album that doesn't really let up from start to finish. Right from the get go with the song "Bullet Ride" you get a feel of how the rest of the album is going to shape up. The drumming is fast and relentless, the riffs are pounding and heavy, and the guitar solos hit just the right tone that add the final awesome touch to the sound. I think the best song on this album, which essentiall epitomises the classic In Flames sound has to be the title track. The song Clayman starts off with a driving drum beat, and melodic guitars riffing over the top, with Friden's distinctive guttaral growls kicking in fairly quickly. This doesn't let up the whole track, and at the end you are left with a metal sign raised, and your head banging. You just can't help it! Incidentally, it was that song, and eventually this album that got me into death metal in the first place, so I have a personal respect for it… In Flames have done some pretty lame stuff (Soundtrack to your Escape), and I know a lot of metal fans who hate them for this. But as far as an exciting, well paced and musically excellent album goes, you can do a lot worse than Clayman.

www.metal-archives.com

Musicians:

Vocals : Anders Fridén
Guitars : Jesper Strömblad
Guitars : Björn Gelotte
Bass : Peter Iwers
Drums : Daniel Svensson

Recorded and produced at Studio Fredman.

Track List:

01. Bullet Ride [4:42]
02. Pinball Map [4:08]
03. Only For The Weak [4:55]
04. …As The Future Repeats Today [3:28]
05. Square Nothing [3:58]
06. Clayman [3:29]
07. Satellites And Astronauts [5:01]
08. Brush The Dust Away [3:17]
09. Swim [3:14]
10. Suburban Me [3:36]
11. Another Day In Quicksand [3:58]
12. Only For The Week (Live) [4:51]
13. Pinball Map (Live) [4:30]
14. Strong And Smart [2:36]
15. World Of Promises [3:50]

I don't hear anything wrong in this album. Sure, there are less solos and a couple "nu-metal" riffs, but I don't see this as selling out. Every band that's been around for atleast ten years in existance is doomed to make an album that will dissapoint a fan. Bands lose fans either because of medicore albums that sound the same or if they try something new in their sound. In this case, In Flames tried something new. I see that as a good thing because I'm already sick of seeing all these lame generic gotheburg metal bands that have been coming out latley, so many unoriginal In Flames and At The Gates clones, it makes me glad In Flames didn't get lost in the herd of their own followers. They managed to evolve their sound (I know some metalheads will laugh that statement here), but it's true, they don' have that primative gothenburg thrash sound and all the songs can be enjoyed by adults. Lets face it, majority of grown people won't want to listen to dark music. Older people want a more mature melodic sound and In Flames matured their songcraft. In Flames managed to make a refreshing album. The keyboards, although not complex, is a nice ingredient In Flames used in their latest recipe. There's also more singing than growls. I wasn't impressed by the singing but it works in their new sound, complimenting the not really heavy music. Transparent is a song that has the nu-metal riffs, but it still manages to come up with a catchy hook, I don't think a nu-metal band could even pull that off. There's also a solo towards the end of the song, so solos are not extinct on the album, just used spairingly. The best song In Flames ever did here is Egonomic. The chorus is just so catchy, it's one those epic type songs. Egonomic is the greatest achivement on the whole CD. I don't care what anyone says, I find the song perfect from begining to end and I find it much more better than some of their older songs before Whoracle. I'll admit, the slower songs that are focused more on regular singing are too bland. It's like the singer is talking in his sleep. That's the only real drawback here. The songs Egonomic and Transparent make up for the negative aspects of the album so all is not lost at all. After hearing this album, I'm really looking forward to hear what In Flames has up next. Yeah, they're getting popular, so what? I know underground bands that suck worse and I doubt In Flames changing so drastically to sell records that you'd find them number one on the American Billboards.

www.metal-archives.com

Musicians:

Vocals : Anders Fridén
Guitars : Björn Gelotte
Guitars : Jesper Strömblad
Bass : Peter Iwers
Drums : Daniel Svensson

Track List:

01. Reroute To Remain [3:53]
02. System [3:39]
03. Drifter [3:11]
04. Trigger [4:59]
05. Cloud Connected [3:41]
06. Transparent [4:04]
07. Dawn Of A New Day [3:41]
08. Egonomic [2:37]
09. Minus [3:46]
10. Dismiss The Cynics [3:39]
11. Free Fall [3:58]
12. Dark Signs [3:20]
13. Metaphor [3:39]
14. Black & White [3:35]
15. Watch Them Feed [3:12]
16. Land Of Confusion [3:23]
17. Cloud Connected (Club Connected Remix) [4:13]

This is In Flames' seventh album, and it's without a doubt among the most hated albums in all of metal.
Hell, this has an average 8% below Metallica's disgusting St.Anger right here on the Metal-Archives. I want to state right here that the hate that this album gets is vastly undeserved, since it's still metal, and it's very far from bullshit like Korn and Linkin Park, the mallcore/nu-metal bands that most reviewers compare Soundtrack To Your Escape (STYE) to. The opening track, F(r)iend stats off quite well with some whispered female electronic vocals and a nice little riff. Good drumming too. Anders' opening vocals are allright…a few seconds later though they get annoying. Then the chorus starts. Anders screams Fiend over and over in a way that's so fucking shitty and irritating that it makes every other In Flames song ever done seem like the best ever. This is their worst song ever. It drags the rest of the album down so much I wouldn't be surprised that, without it, the average ratings by everyone would go up 20%. At least. Skip it or die. The rest of the album is fortunately much, much better. The Quiet Place and Touch of Red are the supposedly "popular" tracks on here, as they've been chosen as the two singles and music videos. I'll be reviewing the clips too since I have the slipcase version with a DVD including the two clips. The Quiet Place is quite a strong track, it should have been the opener, there's no doubt about that. It's clip is actually very well done, especially the part that accompanies the opening riff, shaking the camera and making it seem generally quite heavy. The other single is Touch of Red, which is again quite a strong song, although not as good as The Quiet Place. My problem with this one is the clip. In Flames, you're fucking Swedish. That means, Anders, that you don't go around with a Hummer in Los Angeles, getting your car cleaned by a bunch of American girls with wet white shirts while while the rest of the band pretend to be Orange County bikers with their Harley's. And the Pitbull/Ipod scenes really, really make this seem like the most mallcore song ever. Could be a clip for a Tampa Death Metal band or maybe some retarded rappers, but In Flames… The rest of the album is in my opinion quite good. Many songs really sound similar to each other to the limit of being considered filler, but even there they sound good. Nice riffs in most places, with some added electronic effects which really seem to make many metalheads shit themselves. Lyrically we're dealing with the standard In Flames crap about mostly psychotic stuff. Better avoid focusing on the lyrical content of this one. So I say that this album is vastly underrated and the hate it receives is undeserved. However, even though I like it more than 90% of people out there I can't help but state that it's undoubtedly their worst full-length ever. The songs tend to blend in with each other, especially after Evil In A Closet. The highlights on here include The Quiet Place, the aforementioned Evil In a Closet for sounding very light while he's screaming like a moron (in a good way) and My Sweet Shadow. This loses points because of the bland lyrics, the lack of originality and variation with many songs and especially the opener F(r)iend, the worst song ever done by this band. This doesn't deserve neither the hate it receives nor a rating above 79%. I just can't give this 80 or above. Approach this with an open mind.

www.metal-archives.com

Musicians:

Vocals : Anders Fridén
Guitars : Björn Gelotte
Guitars : Jesper Strömblad
Bass : Peter Iwers
Drums : Daniel Svensson

Recorded at Dug-Out Studios, Sweden & Galaxy Studios, Belgium.
Mastered at Cutting Room.

Track List:

01. F(r)iend [3:25]
02. The Quiet Place [3:45]
03. Dead Alone [3:43]
04. Touch Of Red [4:13]
05. Like You Better Dead [3:23]
06. My Sweet Shadow [4:39]
07. Evil In A Closet [4:02]
08. In Search For I [3:23]
09. Borders And Shading [4:22]
10. Superhero Of The Computer Rage [4:01]
11. Dial 595-Escape [3:48]
12. Bottled [3:06]
13. Discover Me Like Emptiness [4:18]
14. The Quiet Place (Live) [3:31]
15. The Quiet Place (Edit) [3:25]
16. My Sweet Shadow (Remix) [4:36]
17. Varmlandsvisan (Live) [1:45]

Ever get into a band and you really like them, and you feel special knowing that you like them so much, like they are an unknown treasure? Then, out of nowhere, someone you know starts to like them, and then eventually more and more people seem to be really into this band, and pretty soon you start to critique the way everyone else appreciates this band? That would be my relationship with In Flames. Fantastic band, got into them around when "Colony" first came out, and I continued to like them even though I hated the last, gawdawful excuse for Swedish metal, "Soundtrack to Your Escape”, but right around when the "Trigger" E.P. came out and that damn video was all over MTV2's Headbanger's Ball, it seemed that all these hardcore and metalcore and emo kids started to get really into them, and so therefore when the aforementioned gawdawful "Soundtrack…" came out, I really started to hate this band just for their fanbase. I felt as though their music and their sound was being compromised so that their new fans could more easily grasp them and therefore us seasoned-vet In Flames fans were being left out to dry. And then the band release "Come Clarity" as a slap in the face to this concept that I have conjured up… Truth be told, I didn't hold out much hope for this release. Not only was it's immediate predecessor a watered-down version of the real deal, but now with having left longtime label Nuclear Blast for more hardcore pastures on Ferret Music, the label run by Nora frontman Carl Severson, I was really worried. But this CD is awesome in every way shape and form. This uber-inspired disc is just what the band needed to put out. The songwriting is the best it's been since "Colony", and the sound quality is comparable to "Reroute to Remain", although with a more delicious sonic palate (crisper, for sure). Drummer Danny Svensson puts in his most ambitious performance since he joined the band, and guitarists Bjorn Gelotte and Jesper Stromblad churn out their best interplay in ages, playing the melody card to their advantage every time, and throwing in some downright pummeling riffage. And how about Anders? Remember back when us fans all thought he was starting to go a little kooky and we thought that he had this goofy idea about being some Swedish Jonathan Davis? Yeah, forget it, it’s gone!!! Here again, is the best performance in ages actually, probably ever by the frontman, as he demonstrates a further developing melodic sensibility and clean singing approach best exemplified on the amazing second song Leeches, and his screaming simply has not been this good since at least “Clayman”. All in all, I am most pleased and this is probably going to be the best $10 (it was on sale) that I spend for the majority of the year. This is a return to form for the band and I think all former fans who gave up after the last few disappointments should give it a shot. Kudos, much Kudos!!!

www.metal-archives.com

Musicians:

Vocals : Anders Fridén
Guitars : Björn Gelotte
Guitars : Jesper Strömblad
Bass : Peter Iwers
Drums : Daniel Svensson

Drums, vocals, keyboards and programming recorded at Dug Out Studio.
Guitars and bass recorded at The Room.
Mixed and mastered at Tonteknik Recording.

Track List:

01. Take This Life [3:35]
02. Leeches [2:56]
03. Reflect The Storm [4:16]
04. Dead End [3:23]
05. Scream [3:13]
06. Come Clarity [4:16]
07. Vacuum [3:40]
08. Pacing Death's Trail [3:01]
09. Crawl Through Knives [4:03]
10. Versus Terminus [3:19]
11. Our Infinite Struggle [3:47]
12. Vanishing Light [3:15]
13. Your Bedtime Story Is Scaring Everyone [5:19]

I never really liked the death metal genre but as strange things seem to happen, I accidentally heard the single "The mirror's truth" and was blown away by the song's energy and sharp riffs, its harmonic guitar solo parts in the key of Iron Maiden and the catchy chorus in short and sweet three minutes. I later decided to buy this album and got an introduction to a whole new genre. There are a few other strange things that happen. In Flames is a very popular band, one can easily recognize this by the number of reviews that have been written about the band on the metal archives. But most of the reviews are negative and most of the albums have just an average rating around sixty percent or even less so that I ask myself why so many people listen to this if it is only mediocre or even worse. Another thing that I can't understand is the fact that this band gets low ratings but the mall core poser of Children of Boredom got quite high ratings. When I decided to buy this album I wasn't sure whether the album would satisfy me or not and I didn't have any true expectations. I bought this by intuition or instinct and it was the right choice. This album is extremely diversified and courageous and most people seem to have problems with this. True and grim death metal fans get scared by acoustic guitars or ballads, somewhat like the elephant that is frightened by the mouse. Personally, as a fan of progressive and melodic music, I adore this album. You have many different kinds of styles on this record. Fast and pitiless killers like the highly emotional "Disconnected", the haunting and melancholic atmosphere of "Sleepless again" and "Delight and angers", the surprising breaks and acoustic guitar parts of the brilliant "Alias", the melodic catchiness of "The mirror's truth" or "March to the shore" and finally the innovating, weird and very unusual ballad "The chosen pessimist" that has a slight “emo” touch. I usually hate “emo” music and other stuff, but this ballad is haunting, hypnotizing and inspiring. I never expected such a song from such a band. That's why adored this album, because it didn't stop to leave me stunning. You have to be quite open-minded to accept and like this album, it takes some time before you truly begin to appreciate it but once you are open to get into this album, you will live a great experience and strange things happen. Surely, there are also a couple of fillers towards the end of the record like the perfectly entitled "Sober and irrelevant" for example. But the album as a whole is very entertaining. This album was one of the best positive surprises of the last years to me and I have since taken a look on other bands of the same kind. I highly recommend this album to people that aren't normally that much into the genre and rather prefer classic heavy metal, power metal or progressive stuff as they may get surprised by this record. To have an idea, check out "The mirror's truth", "Alias" and "The chosen pessimist", probably the best songs on this record to me. Traditional death metal fans may be warned, as this album is very diversified, melodic and progressive and there is not much straight forward anger to find in here.

www.metal-archives.com

Musicians:

Vocals : Anders Fridén
Guitars : Björn Gelotte
Guitars : Jesper Strömblad
Bass : Peter Iwers
Drums : Daniel Svensson

Recorded at IF Studios, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Produced by In Flames.
Assisted by James Musshorn at Skip Saylor Recordings, Los Angeles, California.
Mastered at Marcussen Mastering Studios, Hollywood, California

Track List:

01. The Mirror's Truth [3:00]
02. Disconnected [3:37]
03. Sleepless Again [4:10]
04. Alias [4:49]
05. I'm The Highway [3:41]
06. Delight And Angers [3:39]
07. Move Through Me [3:06]
08. The Chosen Pessimist [8:14]
09. Sober And Irrelevant [3:22]
10. Condemned [3:34]
11. Drenched In Fear [3:30]
12. March To The Shore [3:28]
13. Eraser [3:20]
14. Tilt [3:48]
15. Abnegation [3:44]
16. Alias - Laid Remix [6:22]

I personally think SoaPF is an improvement over A Sense of Purpose. While I did enjoy ASoP it was still a rather weak release. On Sounds In Flames seem to go for a little heavier approach and while its nothing like their old school melodic death metal albums its better than the last album. First, either I'm getting used to Anders' vocals or he is actually getting better at his singing and growling. Where as post Colony his screams seemed almost too forced and like he was trying to copy Jonathan Davis from Korn. Here I don't even cringe while listening. This is a big deal since in the past Anders Friden was probably the weak link of the band. I'm interested to see how those who disliked his style in the past feel about what they might hear here. I have to admit though on Ropes his singing voice kinda falls flat and sounds a bit weak, probably because his accent is so obvious. The lyrics are still a mess. Its not even necessarily the subject matter (personal struggles which has been done to death), but the lyrical make up itself. Old In Flames always had interesting lyrics about science fiction and future issues. But on the last 3 or 4 albums they switched to inner turmoil. But Anders must still not have a good grasp on english or something because the lyrics just don't flow properly in a number of places. One of the big things about this record is how guitarist (and the last founding member) Jesper Stromblad left before the recording began. But as soon as you go through the album once you can tell that with the last few releases Jesper played a smaller and smaller part in the writing process. This sounds like a proper progression of A Sense of Purpose and what you would expect the band to sound like even if Jesper had stayed. So Bjorn and Niclas Engelin pull off the same sound you know and love (or don't) from the past few albums. In Flames continue adding a little more of a progressive/experimental edge to their sound. The Jester's door is a mix of electronic and instrumental music but is very quiet and soft. The title track is soft guitars for about the first minute before shooting off into something resembling what you might hear from Come Clarity. There are really no bad tracks on this album save for maybe Jester's Door which is basically a throw away/filler track. The band really hits the melody strong here though with tracks like Deliver Us, All For Me, The Puzzle, ect ect. As always there is a big emphasis on the guitar harmonies, one of my favorite things about IF. There album hits on a darker tone though as well. Along with Jester's Door there is The Attic which is like this albums shorter version of The Chosen Pessimist. The last minute or two of Liberation isn't quite as dark but the clean guitars going on with the drumming sticking to the background as the song finishes give it that sort of feel. Sounds of A Playground Fading is an excellent album if you take it for what it is, a modern metal album. It's a sort of mix between A Sense of Purpose and Come Clarity with a little more progressive/experimental frame of mind to it. As always Daniel Svensson's drumming is a joy to listen to and the melody makes this an easy, fun album to get into. The riffs stand out as being easy on the ear without crossing into alternative/rock territory. And with Anders vocal improvements I think In Flames fans who enjoy their discography as a whole are in for a treat.

www.metal-archives.com

Musicians:

Vocals : Anders Fridén
Guitars : Björn Gelotte
Bass : Peter Iwers
Drums : Daniel Svensson

Recorded at IF Studio - Gothenburg (SW)
Co-produced by In Flames & Daniel Bergstrand
Mastered at Studio Bohus Mastering

Track List:

01. Sounds Of A Playground Fading [4:43]
02. Deliver Us [3:31]
03. All For Me [4:31]
04. The Puzzle [4:35]
05. Fear Is The Weakness [4:04]
06. Where The Dead Ships Dwell [4:28]
07. The Attic [3:16]
08. Darker Times [3:25]
09. Ropes [3:42]
10. Enter Tragedy [3:59]
11. Jester`s Door [2:37]
12. A New Dawn [5:53]
13. Liberation [5:13]
14. Darker Times (Eagleclaw Remix) [5:45]
15. The Puzzle (Big Chocolate Remix) [3:43]
16. Where The Dead Ships Dwell (Casper Remix) [4:05]
17. Where The Dead Ships Dwell (The Qemists Remix) [5:12]
18. Where The Dead Ships Dwell (Kristof Bathory - Dawn of Ashes Remix) [4:46]