In Flames is back, more focused and sounding tighter than ever before. When things are good, things are good. However, when things are bad, they are boring. This review is a going to be a little different. I'm writing this as I listen to this album track by track. Currently Where the Dead Ships Dwell just ended and we're now off to The Attic. If I back track a little, the two opening tracks are killers. No this is not the old In Flames of Whoricle but rather a new chapter in this very talented band's career. There are two major and sharp contrast that set this new album apart from In Flames of the past. One, the use of electronics/ambiance is a lot more prevalent. This is a natural conclusion one should come to when listening to the 2 previous albums, Come Clarity and A Sense of Purpose. Each successive album has relied more and more on these backdrops to carry the heavy guitars and drums. The second major point is Anders... holy crap where the heck have you been?!?!? He sounds absolutely incredible. Just listening to The Attic his sense of melody and pitch is bounds ahead of the days of A Sense of Purpose. Now Darker Times is on and here is another evolution in his voice. His death growls are no longer pitchy, they're deep and dark. He no longer sings from the throat of the devil, it comes from the belly of the devil. If there is only one merit in this album, it has to be Anders. Now back to the point of when it's bad, it's boring. After the second track, Deliver Us, we sorta fall off the train a little and lose the pulse. It's not bad, but when it comes to talented bands, hardly anything they make sounds bad. The problem they face is keeping interest in the audience. Here and there, there are little sparks of inspiration, such as the very end of All For Me, but not enough to continue the fire. But man have these guitars tightened up. With the departure of Jesper, it was not known how Bjorn would pick up the slack but luckily Niclas has come back and they have really picked up the slack. Man, without Jesper, you would have expected the guitars to suffer, but no way, these guitars soar. Ropes and Enter Tragedy are good examples. However, it still remain the same old recycled Melodic Death Metal we expect from In Flames. Now we're at the Jester's Door... and you know what. Anders really reminds me of Jon Davis now. Which is a good thing; deep, growly; evil vocals is definitely what this band needs. Ok, this may be unconventional but I think so far the best track is Jester's Door. It's so far from Melodic Death Metal but it maybe their best. There isn't even guitars in it. Ok, now A New Dawn which starts off very similar to Crawling Through Knives. OMG, ANDERS HE GREW BALLS!!!! Those are DEEP death growls. And thank god his whiny clean vocals from the Come Clarity days are gone. Those were annoying and very metalcore/punkish.
So, at this point I'm half way through A New Dawn and have yet to listen to Liberation. But I think I get the general idea of this album. It's a nice album. It's a very nice album. It's not a hard shift away from the core In Flames sound, but it is far enough to sometimes ask whether this is even melodeath anymore.... wow, A New Dawn has just taken the award for best song from Jester's Door. They really did save the best for last.
The In Flames of the past are gone and it's a good thing. I'm sorry I've listened to Colony and Clayman already. Those albums have been written, recorded, and shared with the world. It's time to move on. In Flames does not need to write another hashed out Lunar Strain.
Now, I'm on Liberation. and OMG
this album is beautiful. Regardless of where In Flames goes on from this point it doesn't matter. This album is an evolution, a personal diary of the journey of this band. From the opening track, Sounds of a Playground Fading, the title should be self-explanatory. It is a fitting title for this album. This album is a statement of the band, that the sounds of their childhood, of their youth are slowly fading away. In Flames are not the band they were when they started in 1993. They are a new band. From the good times to the Darker Times. They come out of this by climbing the Ropes. Through their journeys life happens and there Enter Tragedy. There is A New Dawn the band must face and at the end there is Liberation.
I can tell you right now, that those "true" fans of In Flames will bitch and complain about this album, but hell they've been complaining since Reroute to Remain. This is what In Flames is. This album is a perfect journal of the life of this band and their journey.
Yes, there are weak spots in this album. But as a whole this album couldn't be better. It's a beautiful time capsule of the band, a great piece of art.
To a metalhead the ending of this album may signal the demise of In Flames as we know them. But if this is the direction that their hearts take them, then there is no better way to convey this new direction to the fans like this album.
So, at this point I'm half way through A New Dawn and have yet to listen to Liberation. But I think I get the general idea of this album. It's a nice album. It's a very nice album. It's not a hard shift away from the core In Flames sound, but it is far enough to sometimes ask whether this is even melodeath anymore.... wow, A New Dawn has just taken the award for best song from Jester's Door. They really did save the best for last.
The In Flames of the past are gone and it's a good thing. I'm sorry I've listened to Colony and Clayman already. Those albums have been written, recorded, and shared with the world. It's time to move on. In Flames does not need to write another hashed out Lunar Strain.
Now, I'm on Liberation. and OMG
this album is beautiful. Regardless of where In Flames goes on from this point it doesn't matter. This album is an evolution, a personal diary of the journey of this band. From the opening track, Sounds of a Playground Fading, the title should be self-explanatory. It is a fitting title for this album. This album is a statement of the band, that the sounds of their childhood, of their youth are slowly fading away. In Flames are not the band they were when they started in 1993. They are a new band. From the good times to the Darker Times. They come out of this by climbing the Ropes. Through their journeys life happens and there Enter Tragedy. There is A New Dawn the band must face and at the end there is Liberation.
I can tell you right now, that those "true" fans of In Flames will bitch and complain about this album, but hell they've been complaining since Reroute to Remain. This is what In Flames is. This album is a perfect journal of the life of this band and their journey.
Yes, there are weak spots in this album. But as a whole this album couldn't be better. It's a beautiful time capsule of the band, a great piece of art.
To a metalhead the ending of this album may signal the demise of In Flames as we know them. But if this is the direction that their hearts take them, then there is no better way to convey this new direction to the fans like this album.
