In Flames New Album being released in Q2 of 2014 thread

[DE4life]

You can certainly tell the truthful reviews from the bought and paid up press crew

I'm actually quite worried as I think this is going to fall way below my expectations, and possibly rival ASOP as my least favourite In Flames album ever. The signs are ominous.

I would have settled for SOAPF Pt. II, In Flames... I would have settled

 

[DE4life]

Also, Through Oblivion is an awful, awful choice for the second single. It's way too slow and dull. From the sounds of it either When the World Explodes or Siren Charms would have been a better choice.

I guess that's what happens when In Flames say "fuck it" and let the record label decide for them. I find it pretty sad that they were asked to pick the singles and couldn't even be bothered to do that. Seems like they're willing to put about as much effort into promoting the album as they did making it.

 

[krofius]

Well I don't think it's about effort, they were just happy and didn't really have a certain song that they thought like ''This is the obvious single'' so they just let the label and promoters do that and choose singles (which is their job anyways lol). But all these reviews makes me have a little less expectation for the album though. I've always just had the expectation that I know they'll put out a solid album and that I would like most if not all songs on the albums and it hasn't really disappointed so far but we'll see about Siren's. But I don't know how much more they can evolve and take it a step further unless they stop playing metal. But they've said they will never not play metal countless times. But I only see two options for the next album after Siren Charm's, either they will have a more aggressive approach again, or they will be even more experimental, and that would be very interesting, in both a good and bad way.

 

[DE4life]

So far the three released singles are a lot closer to Rock than Metal.

 

[krofius]

I wouldn't say Everything Gone is that much Rock, definitely a metal song. Rusted Nail also is Metal, but with some other parts of course. Through Oblivion is a rock ballad, for sure.

 

[A88]

David Bergström 4/10
Jonas Granvik 5/10
Pelle Gunnarsson 4/10
Erik Thompson 3/10

Yep, this is pretty much what I'm expecting from SC.

Everything on Siren Charms is heard, done and redundant. Only for you who don't find the real Dead By April void enough.

Finally! With all this talk about progressing, changing, evolving and similar shit, I thought I was the only one to notice this.

Funny enough, nobody (myself included) seem to have a problem with IF doing folk songs, throwing in violins, electronics, female vocals, rock ballads etc.

So we are not against "progressing, exploring, changing, evolving". We're against dull, done-1000-times-before pop pseudo metal.

 

[only4theweak187]

Funny enough, nobody (myself included) seem to have a problem with IF doing folk songs, throwing in violins, electronics, female vocals, rock ballads etc.

So we are not against "progressing, exploring, changing, evolving". We're against dull, done-1000-times-before pop pseudo metal.

This. Big time.

People who say "you want them to do the same album over and over?"
Are a bunch of idiots. We want progression, ACTUAL progression. Not simplifying songs with zero imagination and just lazy composition.

Rusted Nail is a rock song. You hear the same exact shit on American rock radio stations all the time.

Going "poppy" with lazy riffs and the loss of dual(AT LEAST singular) guitar melodies driving the songs or at the very least catchy riffs, like IN FLAMES practically patented as their style just, sucks.

This is not progression. This is REgression into boring, unimaginative and again, lazy writing.

Colony-Clayman = progression

Reroute-STYE = progression

STYE-Come Clarity = progression

Progression doesn't have to mean to get "better". But just move into something different but still stay yourselves.

They stayed a heavy metal band and moved forward with different themes/experimented with sounds through the albums I listed and yet still made music that was def recognizable In Flames... At least it was metal.

This whiny, crying singing style with rehashed guitar sequences and no real, memorable melodies or main riffs isn't a sign of making "progress" as a band.

It's selling out and dumbing down your music.

40+ year olds can still make beautiful metal. I don't get it.

 

[DE4life]

The above two posts nail it... what In Flames have achieved is not progression, but regression into a much more simplistic and uncreative brand of music which inexplicably centres on one of the main weaknesses in the band (vocals) to the detriment of the instruments that made them famous in the first place (guitars).

Nobody on this Earth is going to be able to convince me that ASOP is a progression in comparison to Clayman. It's a downgrade in every possible sense.

HOWEVER, to be fair to the band, I'm not sure they've ever stated that they are musically progressing. I could be wrong, but usually I just see quotes like "this music is a snapshot of who we are at this moment in time" or just generally speaking about making different music as opposed to better music.

 

[Clay-Man]

It's been a love/hate since R2R. Funnily enough some people who hated R2R and STYE has been starting to like them more now because they think that ASOP & SOAPF has been so extremely terrible that R2R and STYE suddenly becomes better albums just by other albums being even worse, in their opinion.

That's some logic I don't really understand. I don't understand how you can dislike an album a lot and then suddenly start liking it more just because there's a new album that you think sounds ten times worse, somehow making that album better in hindsight. So in like 3 albums when In Flames has become even more shittier (in some people's opinions), ASOP, SOAPF and Siren Charms will all of a sudden become acceptable albums. Lel.

Just proves how fucking awful ASOP is really

Was about to say, I still can't really stomach ASOP. The riffs has some interesting aspects, but the execution tone and variety are so boring it's not even funny.

I like Reroute and Soundtrack now because when I first "hated" it it was because I barely listened to them, because I was being a dumbass back then.
With that, and a change of taste in music, I can enjoy Reroute and Soundtrack.

You can hear the effort in those discs. They're different, yes, but there preformed brilliantly and the guitar riffs, while extremely different in style compared to pre-R2R (Though R2R's leads are very old In Flames esque), they're still really well done.

Back on R2R's leads, I still think they sound like something straight off the Jester Race. Say, Reroute and Dismiss's intro leads are both in major key scales like TJR's Moonshield and Artifacts leads are.
They both are also very mid-heavy in guitar tone and have a touch of reverb.


Also whoever said Everything is Gone is a rock song, get outta here. It reminds me of this if anything:
http://youtu.be/fqYnQ2R5v8U?t=42s



Also

David Bergström 4/10
Suddenly the boundaries between In Flames, Radiohead and Kent

Offended. If In Flames were sounding like metal version of Radiohead that would be the shit.

 

[shad0w__]

The way bunch of old dudes should do music...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92_XyoAGprc

I dislike Helloween (and power metal in general), but this is a fine example of power metal transformed to pop-rock/metal, with good vocals and nice melodies after the solo. And they are not acting like US teenage something-core band.

This song sounds to me like dull, done-1000-times-before pop pseudo metal, thats my opinion
This is such a generic song and the lyrics are boring. There is no uniqueness to the song. The only thing I like about this is the riff in 3.45 but its still very generic.
Why is this better than anything IF have done recently?

 

[Dantess9226]

I agree with A88 and only4theweak187's posts.

I feel like In Flames could do with genuine progression. They might feel that Siren Charms is a snapshot of where they are, but I don't feel they are very inspired. It's hardly the most catchy (Come Clarity), the most melodic (Clayman, Colony or The Jester Race), the most alternate (STYE), the most radio friendly (ASOP).

I'm totally with the others here- I'm fine with In Flames making other music, progressing into other genres (I'd love more acoustic, folky songs- think Come Clarity mixed with The Attic or Metaphor/Dawn of a New Day, or even more songs with strings like A New Dawn) I just don't feel that Rusted Nail and Through Oblivion hit the nail on the head when it comes to the alt-metal niche. Heck I even enjoyed Liberation, when it comes to In Flames doing rock music.

I just heard Everything's Gone, and really enjoyed the chaotic parts and the chorus was the best I've heard from the album so far. Just feels a bit out of place and heavy for heavy's sake after hearing the other 2 singles, but I guess I'll have to hear how it sits within the rest of the album to really judge.

Just a shame that In Flames might finally release an album that I won't feel the need to purchase. I even have the gatefold CD of A Sense of Purpose, a great package, no matter what I think of the album nowadays.

 

[DE4life]

If In Flames do release an album consisting primarily of songs like Rusted Nail and Through Oblivion, I genuinely hope it fucking bombs. I certainly won't be buying it. I regret purchasing ASOP, although it was only after a few months that I realised the album was an abomination.

The only thing the band care about these days is their cash flow, they've run the band as a business since 2002 and a lack of sales will make them sit up and take notice. They deserved the success they got for Reroute, Come Clarity and SOAPF... but if the new album is more of the same of what we've heard so far, it'll deserve panning and if that does happen it may be the wake up call the band needs.

Unfortunately it'll probably be their best selling album ever, and Through Oblivion and Rusted Nail will become live staples for decades to come

 

[Clay-Man]

Just listened to SOAPF and I can't believe how solid that album honestly is. I think that was their album that was a progression for them, honestly. It was a new direction for them, and it still stampeded pretty hard despite how different it was.

I'll be honest, these new songs are not hitting me like the ones on SOAPF. I'm still going to wait. I just hope the band is enjoying what they're doing. I really do think being a musician, the band comes first, then the fans.
I just hope I can appreciate it more when it shows up.

 

[Dantess9226]

Just listened to SOAPF and I can't believe how solid that album honestly is. I think that was their album that was a progression for them, honestly. It was a new direction for them, and it still stampeded pretty hard despite how different it was.

I'll be honest, these new songs are not hitting me like the ones on SOAPF. I'm still going to wait. I just hope the band is enjoying what they're doing. I really do think being a musician, the band comes first, then the fans.
I just hope I can appreciate it more when it shows up.

Bang on the money there, Clay-Man, I agree totally. SOAPF feels so cohesive and like it has a flow (Anders himself mentioned this I think in the build up to it's release), it has slow songs and fast songs and nothing feels out of place. It has TWO outtros haha.

It just seemed more guitar driven than these new songs off Siren Charms do. Bjorn really stepped it up on SOAPF, pursuing his "guitar hero" style while still nodding back to the band's past.

I'm looking forward to Opeth's new album at the end of August so I'll probably just play that over and over, and if Siren Charms doesn't suit me I'll go right back to playing Opeth over and over and over...

 

[PlainVanilla]

Bang on the money there, Clay-Man, I agree totally. SOAPF feels so cohesive and like it has a flow (Anders himself mentioned this I think in the build up to it's release), it has slow songs and fast songs and nothing feels out of place. It has TWO outtros haha.

It just seemed more guitar driven than these new songs off Siren Charms do. Bjorn really stepped it up on SOAPF, pursuing his "guitar hero" style while still nodding back to the band's past.

I'm looking forward to Opeth's new album at the end of August so I'll probably just play that over and over, and if Siren Charms doesn't suit me I'll go right back to playing Opeth over and over and over...

The new Opeth album is pretty decent. Regarding Siren Charms, I'll just wait until it leaks somewhere. Then, I shall talk about the quality of the songs.

 

[krofius]

New interview with Björn. page 111-114
http://issuu.com/stencilmag/docs/issue26

 

[ciko_gfb]

Just read the interview. I don't know why but day by day I'm getting hopeless about the album. I like the new songs (Rusted Nail, Through Oblivion, Everything is Gone) but they arent "In Flames'ish". I loved In Flames because of the harmonies and melodies. I don't expect them to do melodeath again, but c'mon atleast be melodic! Waiting new album with no excitement.

But I got a big hope from At The Gates. lol

 

[DE4life]

The reason In Flames have sounded "In Flames-ish" for so long is primarily because of Anders. Take his vocals out of STYE and does it really sound like In Flames? Same for ASOP.

With Anders increasingly trying to sound like some shitty alt-rock douche it's potentially the end of the In Flames sound.

 

[ciko_gfb]

ASOP sucked because of Anders. The lyrics of that album is terrible we all know that. Take "Disconnected" for example. I think it's very good music wise. Vocals and lyrics are making the song one of the worst from In Flames.

 

[Pitiless Wanderer]

Actually Colony--->Clayman was a regression, albeit a slight one because Clayman is still good, but it is where the changes (negative) began. Higher pitched/whiny at times vocals, lazier composition throughout in general, a big grab for the mainstream with Only for the Weak. I could go on. Clayman has some great songs - Bullet Ride, Swim, Clayman, Pinball Map but it signified a marked change for the worse for the band. I remember vividly listening to the album and after it sank in thinking, 'the next album is going to be a totally different In Flames' and I was right. ' "All we did was shift the melodies from the guitars to the vocals. We truly hope you enjoy the album as much as the others" - Anders, quoted on the IF website on the eve of RTR release.

Sigh.