Yo, I want to do this too.
In Plain View — Awesome opener. The verses remind me of Katatonia, who I hadn't expected IF to channel in their music. Anders' vocal melodies work perfectly in the verses. Bridge is phenomenal. The last verse is a repeat of the first, but with the addition of a subtle synth that makes it fucking perfect.
Everything's Gone — Fun song. Love the verses. Anders' vocals work really well at lower ranges. Reroute-esque song, which is good. Only weak point: the bridge.
Paralyzed — One of my favorites. The way the guitars start off monotone and then fracture into harmony gets me every time. Nothing bombastic, but it doesn't need to be. Anders is great on this track. Awesome atmosphere. Solo is one of the best of modern IF. I think this fits nicely in the pantheon of big mid-tempo IF hits like OFTW, Cloud Connected, My Sweet Shadow, Alias, and WTDSD.
Through Oblivion — Song is too short and simply-structured for its own good, but what's there is awesome. Love Anders' delivery on this one, reminds me of his Passenger work. Always dug the subtle guitar licks in the verses. And the chorus is good; I like how it's different every time. And that bridge is the fucking best ("And I have wings..." then everything just blasts in. Gives me chills, for real.).
With Eyes Wide Open — Up there with Evil in a Closet and Come Clarity as one of my favorite IF ballads. Jester Race guitar tones in the verses give me goosebumps. And Anders sounds great in the verses, too. I love how the first verse starts, with everything cutting out. "A fate that we deserve..." Atmospheric synth and that subtle bass line. Song is fucking good. It's like the In Flames version of "Auctioned". Way shorter than it should have been.
Siren Charms — Favorite song of the modern IF era, and my favorite on Siren Charms. Love the baritone guitar, the 12/8 time signature, the haunting and hypnotic atmosphere in the verses. Some of Anders' best cleans can be found here, imo. And that chorus is so good, especially the second when it transitions into the bridge. The "solo" is like a time warp to The Jester Race, in my mind. The song hits all of the right notes for me. Criminally underrated.
When the World Explodes — Close second favorite. The main riff reminds me a little of Katatonia's "Forsaker" off
Nights is the New Day. I hear a lot of Katatonia on this album in general. Subtle guitar harmony after "You guide me...". Emilia Feldt sounds good here, but she kills it on the second and last choruses. Anders sounds awesome in the duet, too. Love the fakeout ending, too, and that crescendo to the final chorus. Gives me chills.
Rusted Nail — This song was ruined for me when someone (here?) pointed out that it was like multiple songs stitched together. I can't deny it. Chorus is great, that STYE-esque main riff is good, and I love that main melody. The verses are a little weird and getting that choir of mystery people to chime in during the song wasn't the best idea. I think it's the weakest track on the album, but still good, and lots of fun live.
Dead Eyes — Great atmosphere in the verses, and Anders again sounds good here. That main riff is vintage In Flames. I can't hear Martin Rubashov on this song, because he and Anders sound very similar. I guess the only thing that I don't like is the key change in the bridge, but after that we're right back to a phenomenal passage ("Throw it all away / afraid I will drift on the open sea...").
Monsters in the Ballroom — The whole point is the chorus, everything else is just there because they needed to have a song. Main riff, verses, and bridge are all okay, but that chorus just slays me. Very David Bowie, with a dash of Muse. Probably my favorite IF chorus since Crawl Through Knives. It's just so fun.
Filtered Truth — Objectively, this is probably the best song on the album. Energetic, great guitar work, Anders sounds great, phenomenal bridge, and a great last chorus that's compounded by that fucking synth pad. ("Your back turned against the world you knew") It all flows together so well.
The Chase — What can I say. How this is not considered on par with "A New Dawn" is beyond me. Whole song needs no defense. The outro is legendary. After
Battles, I can't imagine them writing another passage like that.
Beyond the Sky — Great stuff. Anders sounds weird on this track. It sounds like he's getting the rust out of his vocal cords and it's oddly satisfying. Again, like Monsters, this is a fun and positive track.
It's the last canon In Flames album.
PlainVanilla can protest as much as he likes, but by the end of this thread he will be stuffed into a Darth Vader suit.
