IN FLAMES new album being released on 1st March, 2019

Apparently anime is cool nowadays. Kim Kardashian posts anime on her instagram and stuff. I think Dungeons & Dragons is still non-cool nerd though. Hard to say these days.

 
I literally can't think of any other reason why they'd be so popular. I mean, their music isn't exactly groundbreaking or revolutionary. They sound like every other MDM band you heard in the late 90s/early 00s. Still do. Just with a female vocalist who does screams.

AE is a great business, and there is a strong core of members and one guy, guitarist-primary songwriter in control.

They keep the music rooted in the same place and similar melodic ideas as they did since the beginning, they keep the things simple enough for the crowd to like it, tr00 enough for the older fanbase to stick around and they have great PR stunts like hiring growling hot chicks (who can also actually sing, take a hint Anders) or getting one of the best guitar heroes of modern age to play second fiddle for the older Amott brother.

They look great, they look like a metal band, they have music videos people want to see (ahem, take a hint Anders), they are a spectacle live, they have lyrics that an average angry teenage girl or a fat metalhead can both relate to.

They did it all without throwing their trademark cheesy melodic style away.

Decent band I have nothing against, even though they've past their prime by mid '00.

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Lol, take out the chick from the equation and both are equally bland and boring. How can you guys not laugh at yourself when you post dumb shits like this? Random long-haired dudes in leather are mega cool and interesting, while randoom tattooed guy in streetwear are lame. Zzzz
 
they are a spectacle live
Have you actually seen them live? Pretty much "the usual", except from dem tiddies + waving a flag. Slayer's farewell tour is a spectacle. Rammstein is a spectacle. Flying whales in middle of Gojira is spectacle. AE is average. Except from tiddies.

they have lyrics that an average angry teenage girl or a fat metalhead can both relate to
Take a hint, Anders?
Self hatred I know it well
It's dragging you down
Listen to me now

There's a reason to believe again
There's a reason to go on
Always keep on fighting my friend
There's a reason to believe
How far is that from (This is Our) House? I'd say those two are next doors.

They did it all without throwing their trademark cheesy melodic style away.
Now, have you actually heard the latest album? It made lot of people angry. In comparison to Root of Evil, it's closer to power metal. Probably Amott did his best to stop Alissa, but in the end he had to adapt.
https://www.angrymetalguy.com/arch-enemy-will-power-review/

The answer to their popularity is probably tiddies. They had their fans with Angela, but Nemeis is 20 million views - Eagles Fly Alone is 38 (with My Apocalypse having just 1, insane). That's how you speak to your neckbeard audience.
 
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Agree, from that description of Arch Enemy the only way they are “better” is because they make more money?

I don’t think neckbeards would listen to Arch Enemy. They probably hate her because they know she would reject them for being betas.

Also, reading those AMG comments reminds me so much of the same things we say about In Flames, just different names.
 
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The number 1 rule of circlejerking hate on anything is to praise the competition. In Flames has shifted and been shifting musically for a very, very long time now, and eventually everyone reached to a point where they thought to themselves: "ok, I don't really like this one". This in itself is fine, but some people treat it like IF was your ex and they fucked with all your best friends so you have to shit on them, no matter how stupid you look in the process.

I've tried listening to Arch Enemy a number of times, but it was always the same old story: fucking boring. Usually I like the beat, catchy stuffs or some crazyness in every music, so even if overall I think it's shit, I can at least say this or that was decent. With Arch Enemy, I basically fell asleep at every song. There is a band called Epica I believe, and they do so, so, so, SO much more with a female vocalist, and I barely listened to them either. AE having a female vocalist to me is nothing but some media stunt - maybe it didn't start out like that, but that is what it deteroirated into.

The one positive thing I can say about them is that the song someone linked here surprised me in a good way, when she actually sang clean. Her growly voice is the embodiment of every argument in my mind why I am happy that Anders is "flawed" instead of being this godawfully generic. So yeah, utilizing your female talents can help, but I suppose fans who grew to like the generic shit are upset. IS THIS TIME TO CHANGE THE BAND'S NAME??!!
 
AE is a great business, and there is a strong core of members and one guy, guitarist-primary songwriter in control.

They keep the music rooted in the same place and similar melodic ideas as they did since the beginning, they keep the things simple enough for the crowd to like it, tr00 enough for the older fanbase to stick around and they have great PR stunts like hiring growling hot chicks (who can also actually sing, take a hint Anders) or getting one of the best guitar heroes of modern age to play second fiddle for the older Amott brother.

They look great, they look like a metal band, they have music videos people want to see (ahem, take a hint Anders), they are a spectacle live, they have lyrics that an average angry teenage girl or a fat metalhead can both relate to.

They did it all without throwing their trademark cheesy melodic style away.

Decent band I have nothing against, even though they've past their prime by mid '00.

archenemy2017promonew2_638.jpg


VS

f2dc8cb2e372425ede8467243f3952761835d578

Only thing I can agree on this post is Jeff Loomis part.
 
Sounds like IF fucked up so bad with SC and Battles that their bank balance has gone negative, and in desperation they've turned to Putin and the Russian Ruble to survive :( tragic.
 
Okay, this was most definitely a Soilwork album. Weaker than the previous one, but has meny nice riffs and melodies. My biggest issue is the lack of coherency. It feels like the guys found a cool riff, melody or the vocal equivalent of these, and threw everything around it together in a half-hearted effort. It says a lot about these guys, that even their half-hearted effort sounds as good as this, but aside from a very few songs, none of them feel like a group effort.

I know there were bands like Flatwood Mac, where many members of the band never even met during song sessions, and they created songs almost individually, but it worked, because they had such different styles.

I don't know, it's really hard to criticize something that doesn't sound shit. For all I care they can pump out 20 more records like this and I will listen to them now and then, plus select a few songs from them on my playlist. But I'm not a die-hard Soilwork fan, so I don't know how it feels to them. I guess I'll check out their discussion when I'll have time, as I'm curious how they behave there.

Edit: nvm, there's no Soilwork forum. Nani the fuck?!
 
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I mostly agree. Sounds far more positive than Ride Majestic, with some TNFO vibes. I'll have to give it a couple of spins, but at the moment the only thing I truly dislike is how they didn't do anything to use Tom Joutsen from Amorphis, it really could have been something. Mikael's Stanne feat in Insomnium was so much better.
 
I like more the ride majestic. This album is good but the mix is a mess. Lots of riffs buried under the drums.