dismissed cynic
New Metal Member
- Oct 22, 2012
- 7
- 0
- 1
This is a difficult question, because since In Flames changed their style so drastically over the decades, it's almost impossible to compare something like The Jester Race to Reroute to Remain. They're two completely different sounding albums that almost aren't even competing in the same category. This seems to actually be a pretty common thing amongst European and Scandinavian metal bands, generally speaking. Bands like In Flames, The Gathering, Lake of Tears, Paradise Lost, Katatonia, and Fall of the Leafe all drastically changed styles over the years in the pursuit of experimentation, some faring better than others.
In Flames' old style gets nearly completely deconstructed around Soundtrack to Your Escape. Arguably, Clayman was the last committed album in the old In Flames sound; the last one with a prevalence of gothic melodies and folk influences mixed with death metal. Reroute still had some melodies in that vein, but the production was completely different, and by Soundtrack, almost nothing of the old sound remained. So, if I had to pick a favorite of the old style, I would probably say Clayman or Colony, but any album between Jester Race and Clayman defines melodeath. In Flames was pretty much the reigning kings of melodeath for six, seven years, putting out four near-perfect albums in a row.
As for the new sound, which is kind of a weird Swedish metal approximation of hard indie rock with occasional alt-metal, metalcore, and industrial influences, it begins on Come Clarity, which was definitely on the heavier side of this framework, then begins more earnestly on Sense of Purpose. My real complaint with the new sound is that it's all very self-conscious, with repetitive Protooled riffs and not much progressive experimentation. It's all kind of disposable. But there are gems. I like Come Clarity, I dislike Sense of Purpose (which sounds like it was created by a computer program), and I mostly like the new album, even though it kind of feels like The Bjorn and Anders Show Featuring Three Other Guys.
Nothing is truly essential or groundbreaking about their new music, unlike the old sound, which defined a whole genre. They're kind of fucked in a way; they can't go back to the old sound, and their new sound will always be derided as breaking into no new interesting territory. If I had to pick the best of the new era, I'd probably go for Sounds of a Playground Fading, which is probably their most diverse set of songs in years.
I dunno, I guess I'm just getting bored with melodeath influenced music. In that sense, I like hearing songs like "A New Dawn" that add kind of a progressive artsy feel to the formula, what with the atypical structure and violins. I expect this kind of experimentation nowadays. This is why Omnium Gatherum is my favorite of the modern melodeath bands; they take the old melodeath formula and put new interesting twists on it.
In Flames' old style gets nearly completely deconstructed around Soundtrack to Your Escape. Arguably, Clayman was the last committed album in the old In Flames sound; the last one with a prevalence of gothic melodies and folk influences mixed with death metal. Reroute still had some melodies in that vein, but the production was completely different, and by Soundtrack, almost nothing of the old sound remained. So, if I had to pick a favorite of the old style, I would probably say Clayman or Colony, but any album between Jester Race and Clayman defines melodeath. In Flames was pretty much the reigning kings of melodeath for six, seven years, putting out four near-perfect albums in a row.
As for the new sound, which is kind of a weird Swedish metal approximation of hard indie rock with occasional alt-metal, metalcore, and industrial influences, it begins on Come Clarity, which was definitely on the heavier side of this framework, then begins more earnestly on Sense of Purpose. My real complaint with the new sound is that it's all very self-conscious, with repetitive Protooled riffs and not much progressive experimentation. It's all kind of disposable. But there are gems. I like Come Clarity, I dislike Sense of Purpose (which sounds like it was created by a computer program), and I mostly like the new album, even though it kind of feels like The Bjorn and Anders Show Featuring Three Other Guys.
Nothing is truly essential or groundbreaking about their new music, unlike the old sound, which defined a whole genre. They're kind of fucked in a way; they can't go back to the old sound, and their new sound will always be derided as breaking into no new interesting territory. If I had to pick the best of the new era, I'd probably go for Sounds of a Playground Fading, which is probably their most diverse set of songs in years.
I dunno, I guess I'm just getting bored with melodeath influenced music. In that sense, I like hearing songs like "A New Dawn" that add kind of a progressive artsy feel to the formula, what with the atypical structure and violins. I expect this kind of experimentation nowadays. This is why Omnium Gatherum is my favorite of the modern melodeath bands; they take the old melodeath formula and put new interesting twists on it.
