Update

Hey guys. Im just giving a little update explaining why I havent posted anything in a while. Ive been really busy as of late with school work and other... issues. Basically I just havent had time to listen to much music. But I want you to all keep checking regularly cause ive got some cool stuff that im working on for when I get back form this short break. Of course I will be continuing my Pain of Salvation discography with The Perfect Element Part 1 (which you can expect sometime this week). I also have been working on my top 50 albums ever! Its been a big project but I think it may be quite enjoyable for some people. Also im planning on doing a Rush Discography soon and making them my third inductee in the Jm Hall of fame. I will have a metal grudge match coming soon (hint think progressive metal). For those of you who dont know what that is check out my Lamb of God vs Pantera article. Im also going to start doing Best of Genre awards to celebrate some of the best musical styles, bands, and albums, out there. Lots to look forward to so stay tuned! JM

Pain Of Salvation - One Hour By The Concrete Lake Review

With Entropia Pain of Salvation had broken major ground in the Progressive Metal industry. They had created a concept album that changed the way stories could be told and it carried a very heavy message about war and family. What could possibly come next you ask? Well another concept album. They released One Hour By The Concrete Lake in 1998 and this time they crafted what is probably Pain of Salvations heaviest album. The guitar parts are extremely complex and heavy with some amazing bass guitar work as well. They keyboards are more featured on this album and they sound like they've finally found their place in this band. This album is also less scattered and more focused. There are still the suprising twists and turns but the songs feel slightly more complete. The writing on this album is superb (which ill get to later) and vocally you can expect the same from David Gildenlow. He still has the soaring highs and belowing lows. The vocals are extremely powerfull and moving and some of the best vocals ive ever heard. All this said this album is only marginally better than Entropia. It improves slightly on almost everything plus it moves the band in a more cohesive and heavy direction. If you only listen to one song off this album, then listen to the closer "Inside Out". It is one of the most amazing songs Ive ever heard. Now on to the story of this album. Spoiler alert. I will be spoil some of the stories of these albums because some of them are so good but this one ill try to keep under wraps. Its another story about war like the last one except this time it takes a more factual approach. The story is about a man who works in the arms industry and starts to question wheather what he is doing is right. He decides to travel the world and see what real damage his weapons are causing. The album gets its name because at the end he arrives at this "Concrete Lake" in russia where so much nuclear waste has been dumped that if he stood there for one hour he would die in two weeks. Overall this is a very powerful album about war but this time takes a more factual and agressive approach and ends up crafting a better more refined album than Entropia. This is another must have POS album and it continues their progressive Metal/Rock legacy. 9.5/10.

Pain of Salvation - Entropia Review

Alright so i finished the In Flames discography and im right away ready to start Pain of Salvation. Let me start off by saying that Pain of Salvation are one of the most amazing bands on this planet. Almost all of their albums are concept albums and they all explore human issues and thoughts and feelings. Listening to a Pain of Salvation album can be one of the most emotional experiances on the planet. It can also be one of the most confusing. As is the case here with their 1997 debut Entropia. This album is a concept album but the twist here is that the story is told out of order. This can make the album extremely confusing but when you put the peices together it actually really helps this albums story. Now let get a little bit into the style of this band. pain of Salvation are a Progressive Metal/Rock band kind of like Dream Theater but a little less technical. So you got some extremely catchy melodic choruses and unlike my previous discography Pain of Salvation use only clean vocals. That said Daniel Gildenlow is an amazing Rock vocalist and does an excellent job. The musicianship of this album is excellent with very technical guitar, bass, drums, and piano. The sound of this album is excellent with very suprising twists and turns that suprise seasoned prog veterens like me. Now into the story of the album. The album is about an imaginary world called Entropia where a family is torn apart by war. Not only does the story deal with war but it deals with family issues, realationships, and loss. This is an extremely powerful story that can evoke tears in certain moments. This album will take you on a journey and it is an amazing debut. The guitar solos are also especially moving and are placed in the perfect parts to start the waterworks. Did I cry in this album? No. Did I cry in other POS album. Yes I did. That probably explains why this is only my fourth favourite POS album. It just didnt move me as much. That said this is a spellbinding amazing album that is extremely moving. It earns a very strong 9/10.

In Flames - Sounds of a Playground Fading Review

Alright time for the grad finale. The very last In Flames review before this discography is complete. Sound of a Playground Fading their newest 2011 release. Let me start off by saying this is a very good album. It is a combination of all of In Flames previous styles they've ever done and as a result it sounds completley diffrent form anything they've done before and is exceptionally good. There is a mixture of clean and dirty guitars. There is also a mixture of clean and harsh vocals and the cleans on this album are done very well. The music is more complexly written and layered than most of the stuff In Flames have done before. The lyrics are back to the peak of where In Flames should be lyrically. This is a really good album that said it has a few flaws. The diversity of the album is sometimes too much and it effects the overall flow of the album. That said the albums never gets boring and always has a new twist or turn for you. If in flames are going to continue with this new sound they definantly need to refine it but that said this is a very good album that should apeall to Hardcore fans and Mainstream fans alike. In fact this album is so good that I rate it higher than their debut lunar strain. This earns an 8.5/10 and caps off In Flames discography in a good way. Now I bet your wondering what discography is JM gonna go next. The answer is an amazing eroupean Progressive Metal/Rock band. Pain of Salvation.

In Flames - A Sense Of Purpose Review

Hey guys. Sorry this is soo late. My computer is in the repair shop and I have school starting tommorow so Ive had trouble finding time to do this. Anyways here we go with another In Flames review. So Come Clarity was a real Identity crisis for In Flames. It was Poppy mainstream music in some parts and Black Metal in others. Im happy to say that with A Sense of Purpose In Flames sound like they have well... a sense of  purpose. This album is an attempt for In Flames to return to their roots. They bring back in the juicy guitar melodies. They bring back the crunchy complex riffs. Most of all they bring back the old vocal style of Anders that he had on the classic albums. This record is really awesome I have to say. It flows very well from top to bottom and it feels alot like a classic In Flames album. The music is complex again, the lyrics have some meaning, and there is no Identity crisis here. In Flames sound like they know exactly what they want to accomplish and they do a damn good job of executing it. And for those of you that like modern In Flames, dont worry, the modern influence is still here but they take the good parts and infuse it into this new faced paced classic style. This album has alot of catchy tracks as well that can easily get stuck in your head. I think this is a good thing because it makes the songs more memorable. Still the album has flaws. After a while In Flames start to repeat themselves and the album gets boring. These dull sections of the album really start to get annoying when your listening to a 50 minute album and it bogs down the flow. Overall this is not a classic album by any means but it is a good fun listen where In Flames sound reinvigorated. 8/10.

In Flames - Come Clarity Review

So In Flames had just left us with two stale releases which, although hated by the hardcore fans, they were gaining them massive popularity amongst the mainstream scene. Now im the first to admit Reroute to Remain wasnt that bad (although flawed as you'll see down below) but Soundtrack to Your Escape was just terrible.
So what would the mighty In Flames do next. Well ill tell you what they did. Instead of selling out and making another crap album they made Come Clarity which you tell by the name and the cover art that the album has been taken more seriously. That said this is not the sound of old In Flames. What it is is the sound of a band having an Identity crisis. On some parts of the albums they sound like their trying to be very hardcore Black Metal and on other parts they sound like the new experimental In Flames we're starting to get used to. Still at no point on this album do they sound like the old In Flames that we know and love. Though I will commend them for trying and being more hardcore with the Black Metal stuff unfortunatley its that stuff that just doesnt often work on this album. An example I like to use is the first song Take This Life. This is an amazing song and it merges the two In Flames styles perfectly. Heck if every track on the album was this good the album could be their best. But unfortunatley its not. Most of the other songs lean to heavily in one direction or the other and sometimes the Black Metal influences are just to harsh. Sometimes the Nu-Metal influences sneak back in and it never really meshes. The album just isnt that cohesive. Then theres the title track Come Clarity which is In Flames trying something completly diffrent that what they've done before. This album is a bit of an experimental mish-mosh but it does have some incredibly good lyrics and the instrumentation is back to where it was on Reroute to Remain. Anders incorperates alot more clean vocals than before and it actually works pretty well. As for his harsh vocals well they are... harsh. Too harsh actually as he tries to sing in a Black Metal style with the higher thrashier screaming and sometimes its just painfull. Overall this was In Flames in an identity crisis and even then they managed to craft an ok album. Still it has its flaws and faults and is not as cohesive as most of their albums. A solid 7.5/10.

In Flames - Soundtrack To Your Escape Review

Ok so its time again for another in flames album review. Now im really sorry for those of you out there reading this that dont like In Flames or Melodic Death Metal. I promise my next discography will be something a little more mainstream. I acctually know who its going to be but I will save that for later. Now In Flames were coming off a bad album with Reroute to Remain but one that had done its job and propelled them into the mainstream. They now had a huge fanbase clamouring for a new release and Hardcore fans wondering if theyd go back to their roots or not. Then they released Soundtrack to your Escape and sold out. This is the worst In Flames album (in my humble opinion) and this is where IN Flames started to become boring to me. This album is no longer Melodic Death Metal its full blown Nu-Metal with small amounts of crappy black metal singing. Other than that its all poppy clean vocal choruses, and although I like Ander's voice I think his clean vocals would improve on later records. This record is full of synths, lame guitar riffs, and unexplicably bad lyrics. Some fans of this album claim it tells a story and is a concept album. No its not, and if it is could you please explain to me why its the most choppy plotholed story ever! Seriously ive listened to this album twice and could not tell there was a story to it. The sweet guitar melodies are completly gone on this record and in their place are unoriginal synth melodies that sound like they were ripped of of Linkin Park or Limp Bizkit. There are no emotionally moving moments on this album and each song feels the same as the last (probably because most of the songs are in the same key or same tempo). The album becomes extremely boring towards the end and I almost couldnt make it through the second time. That said this album does have some good qualities. Songs like Dead Alone and The Quiet Place are actually quite good and very well layered. The complexity of the music is still there on some songs and Ander's singing isnt half bad. But overall this album is very dull and unenjoyable. Stay away from this even if you like Modern In Flames. It earns it self a 6.5/10.