IN FLAMES Clayman Re-recorded 2020

[A88]

.
To me, there is something incredibly worthy of respect when bands manage to create music with collective effort without a singular mastermind. It blows my mind that for a while now the main songwriters in DT for an instance have been the drummer and the keyboard player. I'm not saying that guarantees good music being created but if the music happens to be good, it will usually be really good because possessing understanding of multiple different instruments is invaluable.

Actually I think DT needs a proper guitar player/songwriter to give the music some edge again.

I really enjoy all the electronica, atmosphere, changing time signatures and all, but sometimes their music just lacks real punch.

I think Construct is a good album, Atoma even better... But DD had some really good energetic riffing. And I miss that.

 

[DE4life]

I didn't realise Children of Bodom had disbanded. Alexi and Daniel Freyberg are continuing under the name "Bodom After Midnight".

 

[The Grayfox]

Yeah, pretty clear that Alexi was the problem in that scenario. The other members own the Children of Bodom name, all quit at the same time and basically hung Alexi out to dry. I expect a reunion show in 2-3 years when things don't work out for any of them.

 

[DE4life]

Lol yeah, I was surprised to read that as Alexi is obviously a founder member of the band and the main songwriter. He done fucked up somehow to end up in a situation where he didn't own the band name.

 

[eochaid]

I cannot get into DT mostly because of Stanne's voice. I find him to be a boring singer.

As for Bosom, there's a lot of info at blabbermouth. But I was yet surprised that he was not the owner of the name. Still, he admitted to be the main problem on the band. So that's good.

 

[DE4life]

I cannot get into DT mostly because of Stanne's voice. I find him to be a boring singer

I think he's fine up until Character, then he gets more and more robotic as time goes on. His growls also sound pretty bad live post-2002. DT live videos from 2004 onwards are borderline unwatchable to me due to Stanne's growls. They just sound really bad to me - although I don't think it's as noticeable when you're in the crowd, as I remember really enjoying DT when I saw them live in 2007.

But anyway, his vocals in studio are still better than 90% of extreme bands people seem to love. I don't think he's any worse than Insomnium or Amon Amorth vocalists, for example.

 

[eochaid]

He's worse than insomnium's. Even if they were equally bath, Insomnium still has those amazing melodies that DT lacks. I see DT mostly as a baroque influenced band. While Insomnium has all those folk elements that I loved in IF and also a lot of old IF melodeath.

As for Amon Amarth, I cannot compare. And I mean that there's actually a song from Insomnium with Stanne as a guest.

 

[DE4life]

Yeah, Weather the Storm. It's the only Insomnium song I like DT have some great melodies pre-WATV. In the last decade not so much.

 

[eochaid]

If you don't like twilight trails or mute is my sorrow then you have no heart .

 

[The Grayfox]

Yeah, Stanne's vocals live are pretty meh. But like DE said, when I've actually been in the crowd at one of their shows, it's fine. It's on recordings that it bothers me. Either way, I give him a pass because I like DT so much.

 

[ThePhobiac]

Yeah, Stanne is fine. I liked him mostly until WATV, and since then he’s been just a neutral factor. Not bad or good.

I do think his lyrics on Atoma were a weak point. Just weirdly conversationalist and casual and didn’t fit with the music or delivery. It’s like some of them were written for a podcast.

I do think DT, as much as I liked Atoma, have gotten stale in the past decade. Glad they’re still going but definitely past their prime (Katatonia is also very much past their prime, for another example).

BTW, speaking of DT: super impressed with Mitochondrial Sun. That type of music is right up my alley. Love the new single Niklas put out. I’m more excited for that album than Moment.

 

[ciko_gfb]

I like DT, but Stanne is nowhere near close to Anders, its just boring.

Talking about IF, was listening ASOP today and it really is one of the best of IF. Awesome melodies, catchy choruses. I know production sucks a little bit buy holy shit. I think with the new vocals (like a re-record or something) that album has a capacity to race with Jester Race.

 

[ThePhobiac]

Yeah, vocals and production aside, I really like ASOP. Instrumentally one of their stronger albums, I’d say. The album is dripping with melody. Jesper isn’t wrong when he says it’s underrated.

 

[eochaid]

I like DT, but Stanne is nowhere near close to Anders, its just boring.

Talking about IF, was listening ASOP today and it really is one of the best of IF. Awesome melodies, catchy choruses. I know production sucks a little bit buy holy shit. I think with the new vocals (like a re-record or something) that album has a capacity to race with Jester Race.

Stanne is boring but doesn't need autotunes.

If we talk about vocal skills, Anders is a fake.

As for asop, even with better production, is still far from best IF albums. Is not as bad as an album as people usually thinks but is also not that good.

Comparing it to TJR is a joke.

 

[DE4life]

Improve the vocals and production and ASOP is an OK album. Nothing special, but decent for that era of IF. Still nothing compared to their older work though.

 

[galvanized]

Improve the vocals and production and ASOP is an OK album. Nothing special, but decent for that era of IF. Still nothing compared to their older work though.

Agree.

Comparing to TJR is hyperbole.

But imagine if ASOP had ITM production. Would likely have been the best post-Clayman album.

 

[DE4life]

I think I'd still prefer Reroute, CC and SOAPF ahead of ASOP, but it wouldn't be as far behind those as it currently is in my rankings. It still baffles me how anybody in the band thought ASOP's production was acceptable. They've had questionable production choices since they left Nordstrom, but for me ASOP is by far the worst. It literally ruins the album. At least with SC & Battles those albums would be shit with or without good production. ASOP is the only album which, for me anyway, is totally nuked by how it sounds.

 

[eochaid]

I don't think so. Even with better production it's still behind some albums in terms of music composition and, specially, vocals. They're the main weakness of this album. But only a full remake of it, with a good producer and all of them sitting and reworking the songs would make it better.

 

[galvanized]

New Dark Tranquility song out: Identical to None

 

[ThePhobiac]

Excellent song, apart from the key shift toward the end, but that's just a taste thing. Strong chorus. Not only do I like it much more than Phantom Days, I think it gives me a better picture of how Phantom Days will fit with the overall feel of the album.

I'll be interested to see the songwriting credits for this album.