IN FLAMES Clayman Re-recorded 2020

[ThePhobiac]

Jester Race album art is the shit. I like Colony's, too, but it's hard to associate it with the music, since I used Colony songs for a video project in high school about the local skiing trail ("Man Made God" and "Ordinary Story"). So the music on that album makes me think of skiing instead, lol. Which is actually pretty cool.

Most IF album art is fine, though Lunar Strain's and Clayman's are not very well made, and the 3D models on Reroute's cover are pretty dated (much of Sundin's work in that period has those weird models, tbf). ASOP's and ITM's are pretty cringey, but at least ASOP has a varied color palette that matches the album's more melodic direction. Battles is very pop and the colorful album art reflects that. I like it better than the music.

TJR and Come Clarity are my favorites. I like how well TJR's matches the feel of the music, and I like CC's stark combo of monochrome and red, which also fits the songs.

 

[DE4life]

So, what are the top YouTube comments for the re-recordings, 9 months or so later...

Bullet Ride:



Yep that's about right.

Pinball Map:



Yep.

Only For the Weak:



Found Ciko and Phobiac's YouTube accounts.

Clayman:



Lol yeah, for sure.

What a stupid idea this was.

 

[eochaid]

Good question. This is my favourite one so far:

And when they play those songs live (before covid of course) it sounds exactly what they're played on EP and we all know how they perform live. (A hint, awesome.)

The fine, subtle use of sarcasm is amazing in this one.

 

[DE4life]

god bless Ciko. Someone has to carry the torch on here and he does it without any hesitation. When Krofius left the throne Ciko took the crown and made it his own.

But yeah, I seriously think the Clayman EP is the worst thing they have ever released. ASOP was a good effort sabotaged by shit production and vocals. Siren Charms was an earnest but misguided album which should have been a side-project. Battles was a contemptable but largely inoffensive and pointless piece of fluff. The covers EP was embarrassing but at least it came out with minimal promotion and was basically just a stupid little project that nobody really cared about.

To go back to an all-time classic album like Clayman, though, and shit all over their own legacy like they did... just shameful.

 

[eochaid]

That's the one thing that you never see any decent band doing.

 

[DE4life]

Sonata Arctica are the only band I can think of who did something similar, when they rerecorded Ecliptica in full in 2015. It sounded like shit though, and the band pretty much admitted afterwards that it was a mistake.

 

[eochaid]

Iron Maiden rerecorded Prowler and Charlotee the Harlott ack in the 88 but, it sounds good and it made sense, since both songs belonged to the first album, before Dickinson entered into the band. Also, the main thing that changes is the singer and the production. Everything else is there.