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

[DE4life]

TLI goes from mediocre to good. A think is't a bit overrated just because it is a double album.

Interesting how Soilwork is always releasing good albums, but never reached serious commercial success. Although that has a silver lining I guess, as they've stopped trying and went back to writing more complex music.

I would tend to agree on TLI. It's a bit too much at once for me, although I admire the effort nonetheless. Can you imagine if SC was a double album? The horror...

Soilwork have all the ingredients to be way more commercial than they are, but for whatever reason it just hasn't happened for them. I don't think it's the screams as bands like IF and Arch Enemy have screams/growls and have developed a decent commercial following. For me Soilwork had quite a big lull after Figure Number Five before starting to get back on track with TLI. I wasn't really interested in any of their stuff between 2003 - 2013.

 

[A88]

If Anders&bros ever release a double album filled with Truths, Houses and personal struggles with inner demons and ex-girlfriends YOU are to blame!

Soilwork nearly did it with Stabbing the Drama. Even had a decent music video for that one.

Truth be told, they have a problem with bunch of stuff happening in their songs. Like the new album. The song has a fantastic melody, epic riff kicks in, I'm all hyped and everything... then some weird shit happens, some random riffing, singers screams something, there is chorus that is catchy but not really special, somewhere along the way there is solo that is good but really not memorable (APP was much better with solos), more chorus, more riffs, the end. It's all good, it is technical and all, but N'flamez layer repeating electro/dist.guitar melody over simple droning guitar riff while Anders screams "Fueled, these new shores buuurns..." and it's a hit song.

 

[PlainVanilla]

No, Soilwork is just melodic death metal for grown ups.

 

[Jester Slave]

Moving on from the yawn-inducing Verkasomething...



I've been cecking out some old IF interviews, and this came up on my feed. The most interesting stuff is probably Anders saying that the R2R/STYE/CC trio were recorded seperately, and it was good to do a record (ASOP) in one place, together. Suddenly the story changes from primadonna Anders who is doing his own things with producers turns out to be a mean-spirited assumption as a.) they were recording in more than 2 places and b.) he thought this practice was not the best so he was happy to return to the roots.

It's also true how he handled the melodeath question here. I guess IF were playing music which others labeled as mdm, and while they moved on easily, because they were never invested in any genre other than "some kind of metal", some fans thought they owed it to them, and the band shifting styles was some evil plot, sacrificing what they believed in, etc.

It's also funny to see how Anders was the main talker even during the Whoracle era. (referring to another vid)

Not quite sure how Daniel meant that [ASOP] sounds the same as CC, that part was weird to hear. It's interesting to see such delusion from the band members. It is three of them (Anders, Daniel, Jesper) at least who thought it wasn't much different.

 

[ThePhobiac]

I think when you're part of the band and living with the music as much as they are, CC and ASOP don't sound as different as they do to fans. They sort of live in a bubble. Either way, give ASOP CC-like production and I don't think they're *that* different. ASOP is softer and more melodic, but they're both straightforward, typical In Flames albums.

The main things that differentiate CC and ASOP are the quality of Anders' vocals and the production, imo. But both albums are dripping with melody and have plenty of fast tunes with a darker edge than, say, Reroute. Which is why I've always considered them to be connected, stylistically. I'd have been dumbstruck had they said SOAPF sounded the same as previous albums a few years later, though — that was a huge stylistic shift.

 

[galvanized]

Best track off Verkligheten imo. Dat solo starting at 03:37 blows Bjorn's stuff out of the water I'm afraid, as does Arch Enemy's guitar work.

Yeah, that song is a total stand out. Bluesy intro, black & roll verse, catchy chorus, great bridge and solo. The only thing I don’t love is the pre-chorus “what if it’s too late to ... “. Totally agree it’s the best song and most memorable as well.


But overall I’m still not a huge fan of Soilwork. They just never had enough bite for me. I mean they are good and great musicians. And I’d be proud to “get it” and be a fan. But it’s like they are a little too consistent or something. Honestly I’ve felt that way since ~2000 when everyone was jerking to Predator’s Portrait, Steelbath Suicide, and Chainheart Machine. It’s pleasant listening but blurs together to me. They are kind of like the radio rock of metal to me. I don’t mean that a diss.

Natural Born Chaos was a stand-out to me and they definitely beat IF’s RTR on that release. But most of their releases are just in the noise. Yeah, it’s better than IF but in a way that doesn’t make me super excited. I do like the latest Verkligheten album, maybe that will stick better like NBC.

 

[DE4life]

Yeah, that song is a total stand out. Bluesy intro, black & roll verse, catchy chorus, great bridge and solo. The only thing I don’t love is the pre-chorus “what if it’s too late to ... “. Totally agree it’s the best song and most memorable as well.

Yeah, pre-chorus is so-so but the chorus is really powerful so it makes up for it. As Slave pointed out so thoughtfully the lyrics are admittedly total nonsense for the most part, but it just proves that if the music is good enough you can give the lyrics a pass. The only reason IF lyrics are so focused on these days is a) because the music is so boring/simple that you need something else to focus on, and b) Anders actually did write great lyrics back in the day that added value to the song rather than taking away. In comparison Soilwork's lyrics have always been kind of shit.

 

[Jester Slave]

The thing is, if Soilwork failed to break out commercially with their good records, they will never achieve it with absolute mediocre records like Verkligheten. It was pretty much make it or break it with Stabbing the Drama, and failing to grasp such heights as IF surely have some (un)luck involved in it. I'm not saying it's pure luck, but it would be really mean to assume that they were just not good enough to the commercial listener, because they were.

However, with records like Sworn, Panic and Living Infinite, they (not necessarilsy as a conscious decision) pretty much gave up on ever breaking out any more than they already had. These records are the very definition of forgettable, and it's amazing that some guys who haven't showered in 3 days and have dusty, old Soilwork T-shirts on them praise Living Infinite for being a double record. In reality, no one gives a fuck. It's cute, and if you are a big fan, it is really cool. Are the songs any better or worse than on the previous two records? Not really, but man, double record. That's like... two records... in one. Amazing.

When you make the same (good or bad - doesn't matter) songs every single record, a double record of the SAME FUCKING SONGS will not blow anyone away who is capable of thinking objectively for a second. It's so ironic that if you try to merge that double record with Ride Majestic into a single album, then at least 70% of the songs would be still from the latter. They are simply a class above.

But I think everyone can be happy in the Soilwork relationship. The band is successful, the fans get more or less the same exact record every 2-3 years, they are touring constantly. This is like a well-oiled marriage, where you are already through the hard times and just enjoy however much time you have left together. This concept is not my cup of tea, as I would rather have "my band" do some occasional Houses and Save Mes, if it results in occasional [insert whichever song here from SC/Battles/ITM which I may dig, but you don't]+[plural form], but I'm happy for them.

I am still going to check out every single new Soilwork stuff, and let's be positive: even if this record is as forgettable as some past kings/emperor who only ruled for a few hours or days at best, at least their next stuff will probably have some effort in it.

 

[krofius]

When it comes to comparing Soilwork and In Flames you gotta remember Soilwork is a couple years behind IF. In Flames was already doing world tours before Soilwork barely started touring. I'm not surprised they never got as big, even though they are about equally as good for me personally, it just has to do with timing and some luck (and maybe the sound of the music). Doesn't matter to me either way since they are consistently releasing good music, I don't care how successful their band is. I definitely think they should be bigger than they are though, they deserve it.

 

[galvanized]

But I think everyone can be happy in the Soilwork relationship. The band is successful, the fans get more or less the same exact record every 2-3 years, they are touring constantly. This is like a well-oiled marriage, where you are already through the hard times and just enjoy however much time you have left together. This concept is not my cup of tea, as I would rather have "my band" do some occasional Houses and Save Mes, if it results in occasional [insert whichever song here from SC/Battles/ITM which I may dig, but you don't]+[plural form], but I'm happy for them.

I am still going to check out every single new Soilwork stuff, and let's be positive: even if this record is as forgettable as some past kings/emperor who only ruled for a few hours or days at best, at least their next stuff will probably have some effort in it.

Good summary. Solid music, but they have barely changed in the last 20 years. Their music is interchangeable across time. I’m much more entertained by IF’s releases, even the ones I don’t like.

Yes, some of Soilwork’s releases are better but overall IF is a more interesting band.

 

[DE4life]

I think it's harsh to say their sound has barely changed tbh. Their early albums were just solid MDM, Natural Born Chaos and FNF were modern metal in the vein of Reroute. They then changed to a more American Metal sound for a few years, which is when I totally turned off from them. STD, STAGD, Panic Broadcast, boring shit to me. Their last three albums have been a return to NBC type sound, with influences from their other sounds thrown in along with, imo anyway, some NFO influence as well.

I don't think you could compare Chainheart Machine and STD for example, they sound very different. Even NBC and Panic Broadcast sound really different.

 

[ThePhobiac]

The Panic Broadcast was a bit of a head-turner for me. Was never that big into Soilwork but that album was a pleasant surprise. Especially since Sworn to a Great Divide had unforgivable production (that guitar tone should be illegal).

 

[A88]

TPB gets a lot of hate, but that album is really not that bad. I fucking hated Sworn (sound and songwriting).

Still think APP was their best work. One of the best melodeath albums out there. So I was not really happy with NBC and FNF and softer sound.

 

[galvanized]

I think it's harsh to say their sound has barely changed tbh. Their early albums were just solid MDM, Natural Born Chaos and FNF were modern metal in the vein of Reroute. They then changed to a more American Metal sound for a few years, which is when I totally turned off from them. STD, STAGD, Panic Broadcast, boring shit to me. Their last three albums have been a return to NBC type sound, with influences from their other sounds thrown in along with, imo anyway, some NFO influence as well.

I don't think you could compare Chainheart Machine and STD for example, they sound very different. Even NBC and Panic Broadcast sound really different.

I don’t know, the guitar tone for the rhythm parts sounds pretty similar all the way back then. “Smooth” and “rounded” kind of tone. Some octave chords or something all the time. And the harsh vocals are basically the same as well. Lack variation, lack personality, not much emotion. Maybe I’m harsh or picky, I don’t know. Generally their stuff just doesn’t do it for me. I’ll leave it there.

 

[galvanized]

Still think APP was their best work. One of the best melodeath albums out there. So I was not really happy with NBC and FNF and softer sound.

To me NBC and APP are both good. I just listened to Like the Average Stalker and to me that song could have totally been on NBC. It’s not like they did a huge change there.

FNF sucked though and that’s where I jumped off totally.

 

[Cobra8472]

TLI is an amazing album. It's one great song after another. The only throwaways are really Memories Confined and Drowning With Silence. Entering Eons too, I guess, but that is a segue/interlude song, so it doesn't really count.

The fact that they had another 4 awesome tracks on "Beyond the Infinite" blows my mind. In theory they could've put together 3 more songs and released an amazing triple album.

It probably has the best production of any melodic death album in a decade too. Rich and thick.

I don't know what they were on when they went to that cabin and recorded this record, but it produced a classic.

 

[ThePhobiac]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Bjorn Strid write most of that album, when he never really wrote all that much music before? That's what I heard back when it first came out. Seriously impressive if true.

 

[Cobra8472]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Bjorn Strid write most of that album, when he never really wrote all that much music before? That's what I heard back when it first came out. Seriously impressive if true.

He's always written a lot of their music AFAIK- even back in the Chainheart days. He and David are the two primary songwriters since TLI (+Sylvain, but he didn't contribute at all to Verkligheten apparently)

 

[Clay-Man]

Soilwork's worst albums are def Sworn To A Great Divide and The Panic Broadcast. Mediocre metalcore.
The 2 new guitarists brought Soilwork back to the light.

 

[DE4life]

I'd personally split Soilwork into four fairly distinct eras:

Steelbath Suicide/Chainheart Machine/Predator's Portrait - good, solid MDM.

Natural Born Chaos/Figure Number Five - melodic metal. NBC is great, FNF is like NBC b-sides - probably released a bit too soon afterwards.

As an aside here, Soilwork's album output between this time is absolutely incredible.

1998 - Steelbath Suicide
1999 - Chainheart Machine
2001 - Predator's Portrait
2002 - Natural Born Chaos
2003 - Figure Number Five

Five albums in six years! Most of which are fucking great. Quite a big change in sound between Steelbath Suicide/Chainheart Machine and Predator's Portait/NBC, too. Soilwork evolved and matured very quickly. Anyway...

Stabbing the Drama/Sworn to a Great Divide/The Panic Broadcast - Metalcore/American Metal, I was totally turned off Soilwork during this period. A few good songs here and there but I really didn't like this period of their career at all.

The Living Infinite/The Ride Majestic/Verkligheten - Modern/Melodic Metal with influences from all their past eras.

So there was a good eight years where I couldn't give a shit about Soilwork. I hated Stabbing The Drama (other than Nerve, which was alright) and didn't find the next two albums very impressive either. Figure Number Five was nowhere near NBC's level either, so really it was more like ten years where Soilwork continuously disappointed me. I liked some stuff from TLI but Ride Majestic was where they really hooked me back in, and Verkligheten is pretty cool too. All I can say is thank god they steered away from the awful metalcore path they'd started going down, because that was very sad to see from such a talented band.