IN FLAMES new album being released by the end of 2016

[galvanized]

One of my main concerns, apart from not finding anything "In Flames" is that, anytime that I listen to the songs I have the feeling that I heard something like that before. And this happens to all of the songs.

I would agree but I keep hearing their other recent albums on this. Mainly SOAPF and ASOP.

-The End - all of ASOP
-Like Sand - All for Me
-In my Room - End of the intro when verse kicks in reminds me of when verse starts in Fear is the Weakness. I keep expecting "what world do you perceive? Autumn cold...."
-Before I Fall - Dead Ships Dwell (electronics, overall composition, post-solo "aftermath" riff). Compare 2:34 of Before I Fall to 2;39 of Dead Ships

Another issue that has already been noted is the structural similarity of the songs. That lends to another "heard it before" angle. A lot of the solos are samey and the In Flames flourishes are samey as well.

But yeah, I hear a lot of pop punk / alt rock type singing. Elements I've heard before.

never liked the experiments mixing metal with pop or alt rock and I personally hate nu metal, with the exception of slipknot, a band that I find to be nearer to trash than to nu metal. Fuck, I wouldn't even call korn, linking park or limp bizkit metal.

Word. I think this is why I have such a love hate relationship with new In Flames. What people don't realize is in the late 90s nu metal was sheep music to people who listened to hardcore or metal.

A lot of us who listened to In Flames considered ourselves to have enlightened tastes and didn't buy into all that clown bullshit and worship of mental illness (Korn, others). Real metal came from a place of strength, not weakness (same as hardcore). Then after all that, In Flames decided to take up a nu metal sound... and not only that they did it when nu metal was already fading - they were behind the times. It was like betrayal.

 

[ThePhobiac]

Also just read Glenn's opinion of the album, he said he loved it, ''I'm on track 11 and I can only say damn what a good album, 11 choruses that really strike and the music is awesome''

Hard to translate literally cause there are Swedish slangwords and such but that's the jest of it.

Whoa! That's cool to hear! I'd somehow gotten the impression a while back that Glenn hated IF's post-Whoracle material (like, including Colony, but I may have misread an interview several years ago). Almost as surreal as reading Tomas Lindberg sorta-defend IF's musical progression a while back.

Having given the album a few more spins, I think I like it as much as SOAPF? Or as much as ASOP, at least. If the second half of the album was as strong as the first, it would be a really solid record. It's hard to judge at this point. It would probably be in the bottom half of my list, if I had to rank it.

@Dantess9226 - Yeah, agreed on the chants! They ruin the chorus and bridge of "The End" for me, full stop. Not so much in "The Truth", but I'd still rather they weren't there. I think, however, "Before I Fall" uses them perfectly.

 

[eochaid]

Also just read Glenn's opinion of the album, he said he loved it, ''I'm on track 11 and I can only say damn what a good album, 11 choruses that really strike and the music is awesome''

Appeal to authority? Glenn likes the album. Glenn was a part of in flames, so the album is good.

This logic fails by itself.

I would agree but I keep hearing their other recent albums on this. Mainly SOAPF and ASOP.

Hearing in the riffs, yes. This is the difference that I see. Whenever I think of an IF album, first thing that comes to my mind is some guitar riff. I can even think on full songs wiyhout "listening£ ( in my head) to anders voice, if you know what i mean. When I think about battles, I only "hear" Anders voice. And he has made a good job, since his melodies are really catchy. But that was not what in flames was about. I have the strong feeling that, removing the guitar solos, this album would still be the same. I even think that in many songs they could've changed all the guitar harmonies for synths and the songs would still be the same. The music is mere background to Anders voice. Nothing special or relevant.

As for the end being a part of asop, I don't get it, though many peoplee has said so. I se it being naturally a part of soapf, aftet wtdsd or before ropes.

 

[eochaid]

After more time to digest... Conclusively, Battles is an alternative/hard rock hybrid album... With more screams. You can barely recognize it as In Flames, only for a few seconds at a time (In My Room/The End/Here Until Forever main riffs)

I like several songs. More replayability for me than any song off of Siren Charms. Which is major, because I seriously don't listen to ONE song from SC ever, anymore. But, Battles is nowhere near the calibre of music IF are capable of, I believe we can all agree. It's also a compliment to the band, by the way, as some bands can ONLY ever reach this level of standard, more generic hard rock/radio metal. Its a compliment because it means this is child's play compared to the more complex epicness they could produce.

I'm not sure what the music I believe IF could make would sound like, though. Yet I'd say almost everyone here unanimously says they are certainly capable of achieving it.

Any thoughts on what material current IF are capable of creating would sound like?

We always talk about it but never go in depth...

Anything "a new dawn" level. They did that long song, it has old and new if vibe, new until they released this album, of course, has cool wmotive guitar riffs, good catchy chorus and anders screaming I'm a way that seems more natural.

 

[eochaid]

Anyway, I tenatively raise my Battles score to 6/10 and put it level with ASOP.

Just the solo from sleepless again is far better than anything on this album.

Their producer helped them write songs? Strange.

Yep, they're 42 43 years old grown men, but they needed the producer to tell them what to do with their music.

 

[A88]

Album is better than SC. Not on ASOP or SOAPF level still. ASOP has much better music even with shitty washed out production and bored-to-death Anders.

As eochaid said, I listen IF because of the music, not because of the singing and lyrics. Now it is quite hard to do that with Anders being everywhere and instruments being relegated to bare minimum.

If I don't take Battles for serious I can enjoy them here and there. Sometimes you just want to hear simple, catchy stuff. Sometimes I like to listen rap, or pop, or some silly '80 pop.

But as a long term thing, nope. Doubt this one will work for me. It is just so...well, made for whiny teens.

Even with singing and that awful lyrics ignored, there is still the question of lacking guitarwork and lazy composition.

Where I want to hear Maidenesque melody and harmony, packed with mighty riffs, strong rhythm, lots of acoustics, some progy stuff, deep electronics... they, and a lot of other former metal bands are giving me simple consumer product.

And even when they do some riffs and harder stuff, there is no real beauty in it. They play the most ugly, boring and repetitive thing you can think off (see few SC songs).

On the other hand, when they do melody, we get the most basic, sickening sweet, shitty melody there is (see Save Me, a lot of SC songs).

So, we get music somewhere in limbo between numetal band that long passed its best years and worse part of HIMs career, now with US radio rock input, a some traces of IF identity (that now sounds out of place on fucking IF album), while the vocalist is a cross between bad D.Mode clone and BFMV singer.

 

[krofius]

I think it depends on the music that people listens at. Definitely the last two songs, then Battles at some points and other songs here and there.

BUt this album, I don't find that unique vibe. It sounds as if they're trying to be other bands. Picking pieces here and there and joining them together. The only IF that I recognize is when they copy older riffs into the new songs.

No, I don't see In Flames anywhere on this album.

So either they copy other bands or they ''copy'' their own songs or riffs? So it's a lose-lose situation then.

 

[krofius]

Whoa! That's cool to hear! I'd somehow gotten the impression a while back that Glenn hated IF's post-Whoracle material (like, including Colony, but I may have misread an interview several years ago). Almost as surreal as reading Tomas Lindberg sorta-defend IF's musical progression a while back.

Yeah he didn't like SOAPF or SC at least.

Appeal to authority? Glenn likes the album. Glenn was a part of in flames, so the album is good.

This logic fails by itself.

Lol when did I use that as an argument for the album being good or bad? I was just sharing some fun trivia.

 

[galvanized]

If I don't take Battles for serious I can enjoy them here and there. Sometimes you just want to hear simple, catchy stuff. Sometimes I like to listen rap, or pop, or some silly '80 pop.

But as a long term thing, nope. Doubt this one will work for me. It is just so...well, made for whiny teens.

Even with singing and that awful lyrics ignored, there is still the question of lacking guitarwork and lazy composition.

Where I want to hear Maidenesque melody and harmony, packed with mighty riffs, strong rhythm, lots of acoustics, some progy stuff, deep electronics... they, and a lot of other former metal bands are giving me simple consumer product.

And even when they do some riffs and harder stuff, there is no real beauty in it. They play the most ugly, boring and repetitive thing you can think off (see few SC songs).

Those are the reasons I started listening to IF as well. Maidenesque riffs, aggression and raw vocals, but with an "aesthetic" element. The last time I heard outright beauty in IF was TJR (December Flower, Lord Hypnos) and the EP with Davids Disarm their Giants. MAYBE Whoracle, haven't listened to it as a whole in a while and not really from that particular angle. Whoracle, Colony, and Clayman simply rocked.

I can't listen to anything after Clayman "seriously"... Although SOAPF maybe could demand that kind of listening, when I spin newer discs I suspend that kind of thinking. I listen to it like I would listen to a kpop album or rap or something like that. When I need metal I'll read angrymetalguy to see what's new, or listen to At the Gates, or the latest Skeletonwitch EP, stuff like that. That reminds me, I wonder how the new Kalmah is coming....

In Flames new albums are not real metal but several of them are still listenable. Battles falls into the listenable camp to me. At least it's not SC. I do wish they would put out albums as good as their old stuff, I just don't expect it. I kind of hate them for it but here I am. I guess most of us have complicated relationships with IF...

 

[InWaves]

After they released Save Me my expectations dropped to absolute zero but now that I've heard the full album It's not that bad. Wallflower is definately my favourite.

I really would like to hear a more structurally diverse album from them though.I don't think solos are adding much value to their current style. Often times "sad verse Anders" sounds tonally off to their "upbeat autotune chorus Anders". When they give time for the ambient parts like the beginning of Drained it actually sounds good. maybe not very metal, but good nonetheless.

I'm a huge prog metal fan so maybe it's just my personal bias.

 

[only4theweak187]

Now, for the next album... What style will that be? (Yeah I'm onto that already as the new material isn't complex[or hateable] enough to continue on conversation with hehehehe)

Siren Charms was easy listening

Battles is Hard/Alt Rock with more screams than average

What next???

 

[A88]

Well, what's the next big thing?

I must agree with InWaves about beggining of Drained and whole Wallflower. Nice example they CAN do it when they are not sellouts rushing to get to the first chorus in dat 3 minute song.

While I don't think the band capable of reaching TJR-Clayman heights anymore, I wouldn't mind them writing less heavy, but more atmospheric music.

But, then they would really suffer complete comercial breakdown so... jumpthefuckup, You break my heeaaart, You ripped my heraart, I'm so saaaad and everyboody's against meeee! Now lets go play COD!

 

[eochaid]

So either they copy other bands or they ''copy'' their own songs or riffs? So it's a lose-lose situation then.

You know that there are many riffs recycled, as you know that they went in a more simplistic way, where there is a lot of production arrangements and keyboards and programming. Then you know that what makes if what they are today is anders. And yes, he has been inspired by other bands. I always mention the same because, you know, I don't listen to a great variety of rock or alt music, and those bands always come to mind because those are the bands whose music I know.

 

[eochaid]

Yeah he didn't like SOAPF or SC at least.

Lol when did I use that as an argument for the album being good or bad? I was just sharing some fun trivia.

OK. Sorry about that.

 

[eochaid]

Now, for the next album... What style will that be? (Yeah I'm onto that already as the new material isn't complex[or hateable] enough to continue on conversation with hehehehe)

Siren Charms was easy listening

Battles is Hard/Alt Rock with more screams than average

What next???

The same. This album is going to be a big success and this is going to encourage them in the same direction.

 

[only4theweak187]

Hahahahahahahaha A88

I'm watching Cloud Connected's performance on the new live DVD.
Dude, I really don't know why that simple guitar riff NEVER gets old to me.
The synths accompanying it only increase it's presence.

If they want to make simplified metal, why not more songs heavy AND simple as Cloud Connected?
It's mostly singing with just screams in the chorus... Like many songs they do now...
Except, songs they make now are barely memorable riff-wise.

I mean, I really like that "groove" riff that pops up in In My Room too. These nice catchy riffs are not complex.
Nevermind, I'm rambling at this point.

 

[eochaid]

Now I'm listening to clayman. It has been easier than I thought, having in mind that I'm starting to fear my reaction when listening to anders voice. Then I went to bed, I'm with a flu, and woke up with Anders singing the end in my mind

 

[InWaves]

Many progressive bands release one or two simpler songs as a single to attract more listeners.

In Flames fans are going to buy their album whatever they do and others are going to listen to the album from Spotify like they always do.

I'm not saying it's going to happen but you never know.

 

[InWaves]

If somebody feels like their sodium levels are too low go get some fresh salt from this yearly "wtf happened to In flames"-thread in metal subreddit
https://www.reddit.com/r/Metal/comments/5cer2x/what_has_happened_to_in_flames/

 

[Jester Slave]

If somebody feels like their sodium levels are too low go get some fresh salt from this yearly "wtf happened to In flames"-thread in metal subreddit
https://www.reddit.com/r/Metal/comments/5cer2x/what_has_happened_to_in_flames/

"They became the melodeath Metallica" - this one I liked

Anyway, it's down in the comment chain, but I'm glad there are other sane people who realize IF did not do a 180 with Battles, nor with SC nor with ASOP, but it was R2R they completely embraced their new identity.

There is no "okay, THIS TIME they really have to change names!!" record out there, CC or STYE were just as distant from TJR/Whoracle as Battles or SC, the only exception is that you (or we) like the former more for various reasons.