Spotlight: In Flames - Reroute to Remain

So last week we listened to some Swedish death metal and we didn't listen to this album at all because I wanted to listen to the whole thing. Now this isn't In Flames' best album, but it defintely is in their top 3 for me. This was one of the last In Flames albums I picked up because most reviews said they went nu-metal and sounded like Korn. That right there is enough to keep me away from it. I just remember thinking one day... what the heck? and picked it up. I really was surprised how different it sounded from Clayman (which was their previous album before this one). Gone were the Iron Maiden twin guitar harmonies, in its place was a thick bass/guitar tone. And yeah there were parts that reminded me of some nu-metal and Korn. But there was no rapping and no beat box goin on here.

There were still some fast songs, in fact there are alot. But the missing harmonies I think really pissed off a lot of older fans. The harmonies were now in the vocals. For me there is absolutely no fillers on this album. I think it is the big choruses that get me. From Cloud Connected to Free Fall they are just great sing a long type choruses.

With Soundtrack to Your Escape (their follow-up) they added a little bit more of their traditional sound. And with Come Clarity, most of the nu-metal sound is all but gone. But the nice thing is that they kept the great choruses.

In Flames have a new album coming out in a few weeks...I will defintely be getting this one ASAP.

Playlist for the week:
Entire album

In Flames - Come Clarity

Wow... 2 posts in one day!!! What is the world coming to? Anyway let me continue from this mornings In Flames post. First off, I kept quoting the "death metal" category because In Flames to me is Swedish Death Metal. They really started that whole sound. Now you will also see it as Gothenburg Metal, but for me Swedish Death metal.

Ok so I left off with their last two albums Reroute to Remain and Soundtrack to Your Escape. RtR was a huge experiment for the band after the successful Clayman. Despite what most fans think, I personally loved the album for it's daring change of style. Soundtrack to Your Escape kept some of the elements from RtR, but also mixed in some of the speed from earlier albums.

So last year they brought us Come Clarity. This album was a natural follow up to StYE. It continued to mix the styles, but with more of an emphasis on Clayman. Why? How about the return of the twin guitars, speed, and awesome solos...while keeping the vocal melody they started with RtR and StYE. When I first heard the single Take This Life I was floored. The intial speed and brutality was unmistakable, then the chorus was so beautiful it shocked the hell out of me. So what you get on this album is that perfect combination of Clayman's speed & solos with RtR/StYE melodies. The album on the whole is a very solid album, minus the sing-a-long Scream. There is also a female vocalist on one song, Dead End. It is a nice change of pace and she doesn't overshadow the rest of the band so it's not a big deal. In fact it's one of my favorite songs on the album.

In Flames' Myspace (Take This Life, Leeches, Come Clarity, A Touch of Red)

In Flames...my first "death metal band"

Well after all of those depressing posts it's time to get back to work with what I always imagined this blog to be about...music. So a few days ago I mentioned how I had been listening to female fronted metal for awhile. Well as it would happen that day when I was working out I happened to listen to some In Flames (they have a song with a female guest vocalist on their latest album) and realized just how great of a band this is. So how did I find out about this band? To be honest I can't remember, but I do remember picking up Clayman for the first time. Check out that cover. Sweet. Now as I said this was my first "death metal band"...I really couldn't understand anything they said, but the music was awesome. It sounded like Iron Maiden on steroids. Twin guitars, beautiful solos, rapid drumming...just too awesome. The first song I heard from In Flames was Only for the Weak, this song is more of a mid-tempo metal song. So when I started listening to the rest of the album I was blown away.

Now when I started listening to In Flames, they had already released 2 more albums. I decided to look at some reviews to see what they thought. Reroute to Remain was the follow-up and most fans bashed it left and right as a nu-metal sell out album. Soundtrack to Your Escape was next, the reviews were a little bit better. But the common theme was that they couldn't match up with Clayman. Well I didn't pick up any of those albums until I was watching Headbanger's Ball and saw the video for A Touch of Red and My Sweet Shadow. Those songs were pretty solid and so I decided to bite the bullet and pick them up. As I listened to it, it sounded like a combination of Korn and Clayman. I defintely heard some nu-metal, but it wasn't all nu-metal. I was totally different than Clayman. So after enjoying that album I felt like I wanted to try Reroute to Remain. Highlights of Soundtrack to Your Escape include A Quite Place, A Touch of Red, My Sweet Shadow (my personal favorite), and Dead Alone.

Now RtR is defintely more nu-metal. But there is no rapping on it. The first time I listened to it, I turned it off and bashed it on some metal boards like everyone else. Now if I had to compare it to Metallica, I would say RtR is like Metallica's Load albums. They are solid albums, but they aren't metal like Metallica's albums. In fact, years later I find RtR to be one of my favorite In Flames albums. The mood is different. The twin guitars are gone, most of the solos are gone. There is more of an emphasis on song structure and melodies. There is even a super ballad...kind of a country feel to it. When I listen to this album now, I pretty much listen to it from start to finish. There isn't alot of filler on it. I think it's because the music is so different from everything else they have done it makes it more enjoyable. Hands down my favorite song on this album is Free Fall.

This has gotten pretty long...I think I will save their latest album for another day. But I will say this about it, it is more of a return to Clayman than RtR or Soundtrack.


In Flames' Myspace (Take This Life, Leeches, Come Clarity, A Touch of Red)