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.

In Flames - Reroute to Remain

Here it is. Probably the most controversial In Flames album in their discography. When released it divided fans, caused many arguments, and aleinated some hardcore fans. We'll here we go with the review of 2002s Reroute to Remain. With Clayman In Flames had tried to modernize their sound without aleinating hardcore fans and as my reveiw of that says they did a pretty good job. Clayman retained the hardcore elements of their sound while modernizing it alot. That said you obviously cant please everyone because the album never really got to the metal mainstream. Therefore with Reroute to Remain In Flames made a huge switch in sound, songwriting, and vocal style all with and attempt to reach metal mainstream and heck from the sound of this album they wanted to reach the music mainstream in general. In Flames' sound on this record is very "Nu-Metal". They add poppy synthesizers, Ander's screaming is less deep and growly and more raspy, and they even added clean vocals in the choruses. Yes thats right hardcore fans clean vocals. Almost an unspeakable word amongst people like you. I have to say though I dont mind clean vocals or the clean vocals on this album. What I do mind is how bad this album is. The songwriting like I said before sounds very Nu-Metal especially in the choruses. There are some good tracks on this album but the use of uneeded synthesizers really brings them down. The lyrics are a huge step down from earlier releases. The album is lyrically sound but you wont hear brillian lyrics like the ones in Jotun on this album. Rythym section of bass and drums is as strong as ever (except for the style change). The guitars (sigh) are not good at all on this album. The creative riffs of Whoracle and Colony are long gone. The sweeping solo's of The Jester Race are gone as well. Worst of all, the melodies are gone! Sure the odd one is thrown in here and there but they are nowhere near the excellence of earlier albums. The production on this record is also very average. Remember this is one of my favourite times for music production and I thought the produciton on this record was just so loud it muddled everything up. Dont get me wrong I like loud music. But I HATE muddled music. The guitars sound especially crappy. They are just not as clear as they used to be on earlier albums. Average. Thats pretty much how I describe this album. Its like any other Nu-Metal or Metalcore release being released at the time and the Melodic Death Metal element is gone. That said there are some good tracks so a 7/10 nis in order.

Billy Talent - Billy Talent Review

Alright so I kinda figured its time to take a break from the In Flames discography and do a review of a band that I have loved for a long time. Meet Punk/Hardcore/Alternative Rock band Billy Talent a fourpeice band from Canada whos albums have really been some of the most artsy to break into the mainstream the past few years and here we go with a review of the first one. This is a very edgy and rough first album and it leans more towards the Punk side of the bands influences. From the screaming chorus on This Is How It Goes, to the really heavy guitar riff on Cut The Curtains this is a really Hardcore album that alot of punk fans will enjoy. It definantly is not as poppy or mainstream as later albums would be but it is still very musically diverse. Let me start with the drumming since its what I know the least about. The drums on this record are not a big stand out point. They sound like basically any Alternative Rock drums should and they definantly arent as punky as the rest of the band on this album. The drums do really groove in parts and sometimes are even musically complex but often its an Alternative Rock beat that I could find in another Rock song. Granted at the time the album was released they were fairly original. Now the Bass Guitar. The Bass on this record is breathtaking. This genre of Alternative Rock/Punk really allows for the Basslines to shine through. The Bass carries the songs at points and is almost the standout preformance on this album. The Vocals are solid and well mixed but sometimes come off as flat. Yes Ben sounds like hes whining at times and his Screams come off as over the top (probably one of the reasons he stopped on later albums) but overall its a good preformance. And finally the guitars. Ian Ds'a is a songwriting genuis (which we'll get to) and his guitar parts on this album are INCREDIBLE. He uses and abuses the guitar in new creative ways on each song and he is a very innovative guitarist. Every song has a standout guitar riff or riffs. Its just so amazing to finally here a popular album as guitar centered as this one. He is the standout player on this album by far. Overall the songwriting is brilliant with some of the best lyrics since The Beatles. I was just blown away by this first album and despite its flaws I give it an 8.5/10.

In Flames - Clayman Review

So In Flames have just come off of four massive groundbreaking albums. Lunar Strain essentially created the genre known as Melodic Death Metal. The Jester Race created massive guitar soniscapes and uped the ante on the first album. With Whoracle they created a "perfect" concept album about earths past, present, and future. Finally with Colony they modernized their sound and made themselves more accesible to less hardcore fans. Now we come the the fork in the road known as Clayman. In Flames 5th studio album was released in 2000 and with the dawning of a new decade In Flames were starting to realize that they could become popular amongst mainstream metal crowd's. If Colony was that realization then Clayman was definantly them making a bid for mainstream sucsess. This turns out to be a good thing as In Flames craft one of their most acsessible albums without alienating hardcore fans (a mistake they would make in the future). The album is really good and has some of In Flames best, most hard hitting songs while still making itself... easier to listen to for mainstream audiences. The album is not perfect by any means nor does it touch their earlier albums in quality but there are good songs here. Some In Flames fans even consider it their favourite album and Im sorry if im offending you guys but thats not my intent (trust me the next couple albums with get worse). The songwriting is mostly solid and like their other albums the guitar harmonies are still extremly prevelent. But the guitar sound is more modern and the riffs seem more bland. As for the lyrics they are mostly solid but some songs (ahem, Pinball Map) arent as thought out or as meaningfull as earlier In Flames releases. Still every track is enjoyable and the album is very solid. As for the production, its amazing! This is the early 2000s were talking about (my favourite time for music production) but still this produciton is really good. Every guitar note rings through yet doesnt sound muffled or bland as it would on later releases. The drums click and boom at the prefect times and Bass is mixed extremly well. Every instrument shines through exactly when it needs to. Overall this is a very good album. If you like modern In Flames, Pick this up, and If you like the classic In Flames, you should pick this up as well. A few flaws but still very very solid. 9/10

In Flames - Colony Review

Alright here we go with another In Flames album review. After the mighty power of Whoracle, it was clear In Flames would be hard pressed to follow it up. But follow it up they did, whith "Colony". This is another amazing In Flames album and from the first notes of Embody the Invisible you again know its going to be amazing. The album is less experimental and more solid all the way through. You can hear In Flames modernizing their sound a bit but it works extremly well. The songwriting is at its best once again and the production is even better than on "Whoracle". The dual guitar melodies and solos shine through once again and some of In Flames best songs are on this album. The opener Embody the Invisible may be the best In Flames song ever. Then we move into amazing cuts such as Ordinary Story, Colony, and Zombie Inc. The album closes with another amazing song in Man Made god. This track is amazing just like everything else on the album. The rythym section is as tight as ever and the Harsh Vocals are very good. As far as the vocals go Ander's has intrdouced some spoken word vocals in this album and they flow very well with the rest of the music. They are not over used (as on other albums) and Hardcore fans dont be scared they are not clean vocals at all. This is an album that like the last one takes you on a journey that you wont forget but I will have to say Whoracle is just marginally better than Colony. As amazing as Colony is it is not perfect. There are the odd flaws with lyrics or songwriting throuout the album and some songs are slightly forgetable. I like to put this album right in between The Jester Race and Whoracle. But since there isnt a score for that this album will earn a 10/10 as well even though its not quite perfect. You defenantly need to listen to this if you like modern In Flames. This may even be for some their best classic album.

In Flames - Whoracle Review

By now you should know my feelings on In Flames. They are an amazing band whos first two albums created and revolutionized a genre of metal and in 1997 it seems In flames could go nowhere but up, and up they went with the release of "Whoracle" a concept album which has become my favourite In Flames release. Yes folks thats right, a concept album. Once I get reviews of "The Wall", "Metropolis: Part 2", and "Operation:Mindcrime" up you'll realize that concept albums are some of my favourite albums ever and also some of my least favourite. So I was going into this album very tentativley seeing as The Jester Race was so good. But obviously as ive said above this album blew me away! The whole story of this concept album is looking at the past, present, and future of planet earth and In Flames do a mighty fine job of getting their point across. The album opens with Jotun which could be the single best In Flames sing ever. This song is amazing and again from the opening notes you can tell this album is going to be good. Then epic tracks like "Food for the Gods", "Gyroscope", and "Dialouge with the Stars" follow closley behind and trust me you will be blown away by the percision and accuracy of the music. Yet it still retains great musicality and songcraft like other In Flames releases. The diversitey on this album is alot like on "The Jester Race", with acoustic guitars being added in with the heavy guitars. Seriously if I had to pick one bad song I dont think I could do it. While the song "Morphing into Primal" is a little weaker than the other songs it is still amazing! There is not a single note placed wrong on this album. The guitars sound great. The mixing sounds in your face and precise. The vocals shine through at the perfect times and the lyrics are brilliant delivering the message of the album with poinnient accuracy. This album is perfect. There I said it PERFECT! There is nothing wrong at all and it goes above and beyond taking you on a journey you wont easily forget. I recomend this album to anyone. If you like In Flames, if you like concept albums, if you like Melodic Death Metal, and even if you like Power Metal or Thrash Metal or any type of Metal or Rock this album is amazing! What else could i give it other than a perfect 10/10.

In Flames - The Jester Race Reveiw

With Lunar Strain In Flames had given the Metal world exactly what it needed. They gave Heavy Metal a shot in the arm and created a completly new genre in the process. Out of the woodwork came bands like Dark Tranquility, Children of Bodom, and Amon Amarth and Gothenburg sweden became home to one of the biggest Metal movements since the Thrash Metal movement of the mid-late 80s. Now everyone had one question on their mind. How would In Flames follow up Lunar Strain? They got their answer in 1996 when In Flames released "The Jester Race". Let me start off by saying that this album is the album that is considered to be In Flames masterpeice. While I dont nessecarily agree with that, I do agree that the album is brilliant. From the opening notes of "Moonsheild" you can tell this is going to be an epic album. In Flames take everything that they did on Lunar Strain and expand it here. The guitar melodies are more epic sounding and they harmonize alot more with each other. The rythym guitar parts sound massive and they layer perfectly over the rythym section of bass and drums. The songs are better written with acoustic interludes and the odd talking part by Anders Friden who is a much better vocalist. The music is complex and the lyrics meaningfull. It seems like In Flames have done nothing wrong right? Wrong. There are 2 faults of this album one of which In Flames could do nothing about. The first fault is the mixing of the vocals. They are swamped by all the other music thats going on around them making them hard to hear. This is a big deal seeing as the production got better on later albums. The second fault which really isnt this albums fault, is that they improved everything on The Jester Race on later albums as well creating some of the most perfect albums I have ever heard! But that said this is an amazing albums that has nearly no issues therefore earning itself a 9.5/10. I strongly reccomend this album if your going to listen to In Flames but dont know where to start.

In Flames - Lunar Strain Review

Metal was dieing in the 1990s. The ever so popular Grunge movement had taken over the mainstream and underground scenes at the time and there were only a few Heavy Metal bands that were acctually making quality music. The old ways of doing "Heavy Metal" had died and Genres like Thrash Metal had morphed into completly diffrent Genres like Death Metal. The stage was set perfectly for a revolution to happen in the Metal world, and happen it did. Bands like Pantera had taken Thrash Metal into the Mainstream creating essentially Groove Metal. Chuck Schuldiner and his band Death had exploded creating the Death Metal and Progressive Death Metal genres and then there was In Flames. They werent hugely popular until later and their influence wasnt felt until later but they spawned one of the biggest most popular movements in Metal ever. They were merging the genres of Death Metal, Black Metal, Progressive Metal, and Power Metal. They created one of the greatest genres of music ever in Melodic Death Metal adn this is the album that put everything in motion. Lunar Strain came out in 1994 right when Heavy Metal needed a shot in the arm. This album is Breathtaking. Its one of the greatest Melodic Death releases ive ever listened too and its only In Flames first album! The riffs are powerfull yet they retain just the perfect sense of melody. The Melody and Harmony guitar lines are brilliant and original (for 1994) and they sweep you right off their feat with the dreamy acoustic sections. The Drums are excellently preformed. The blast beats and double bass are all put in the exact right places and they only compliment the music. And the solos! Oh my god the are the most eargasmic solos ive heard in a long time. The songwriting is very good but its hard to hear the lyrics at times due to the bad production, but overall the songwriting/vocals is very good for the genre. The Production is the only noticible flaw on this record. But seeing as it was this bands first album and it was 1994 the bad production is almost excusable. This record doesnt really have any "standout tracks" because they are all really solid and flow together well. To sum it up, this is a brilliant genre defining album with excellent flow and great musicianship. The bad production brings this down from being a 9/10 but its almost there. Really Solid 8.5/10