I checked the directory for some of the new songs and nothing came up... I've been cycling through the In Flames station and I'm getting nothing except for a lot of Dark Tranquility and Disarmonia Mundi. Hopefully others will have more luck.
In Flames -Sounds of A Playground Fading (Upcoming 10th album)
- Thread starter krofius
- Start date
I suspect that it has to do with being in a controlled situation, doing plenty of takes and of course working some studio production magic.
I kind of decided that I no longer care if a singer can really sing. If they can, cool, but that's not what I think about when I listen to music. Oftentimes vocalists want the album version of the vocals to sound in a particular way that isn't even humanly possible. If they have to mess around with computers and shit to get the sound that they envisioned, all the power to them.
I kind of decided that I no longer care if a singer can really sing. If they can, cool, but that's not what I think about when I listen to music. Oftentimes vocalists want the album version of the vocals to sound in a particular way that isn't even humanly possible. If they have to mess around with computers and shit to get the sound that they envisioned, all the power to them.
It's Anders, he can't sing. Protools can make anybody sound half-decent on a record, but live is a different matter. I've noticed in a lot of the more 'epic' clean choruses In Flames have, eg Crawl Thru Knives, he holds the mic away from his mouth so that the backing vocals are basically all you can hear. He's not doing it by accident
To be fair to Anders, screaming & singing together are difficult, but it's worse because he's not a natural singer and never will be. His 'unique' voice sounds OK when processed, but put it out there live and it's just not good.
It's Anders, he can't sing. Protools can make anybody sound half-decent on a record, but live is a different matter. I've noticed in a lot of the more 'epic' clean choruses In Flames have, eg Crawl Thru Knives, he holds the mic away from his mouth so that the backing vocals are basically all you can hear. He's not doing it by accident
To be fair to Anders, screaming & singing together are difficult, but it's worse because he's not a natural singer and never will be. His 'unique' voice sounds OK when processed, but put it out there live and it's just not good.
I think Mikael Stanne, Jari Mäenpää and Mikael Åkerfeldt are the best live performers than can go back and fourth in live performances and still sound amazing.
I'd agree, all three are phenomenal. It's so, so difficult to both scream and sing well, to be able to do both takes a ridiculous amount of skill.
Stanne's voice suffered around 2002 - 2004, kinda around the same time as Anders' voice was going. Don't know if they had the same problem. Stanne's singing voice was still great, but his screaming voice just went. I think he took a year off, came back, and has been an absolute beast ever since!
Åkerfeldt is just ridiculous. I've never been into Opeth and don't really enjoy their live performances, but when I did see them I was in awe of how seamless his transition from scream/growl to clean was.
I hope to see Wintersun live very soon
That's another thing, DE4life. Because we are in an age where vocal modification in a recording studio is such a well known concept, nobody should be terribly shocked or disappointed when they discover that some singer is much worse live than on their album. But here's where I start to get annoyed. Unless it's for a second vocal track that the band feels is critically important to have playing over the PA, I'm definitely not a fan of trying to cover up natural vocals in live shows. You come to a concert to hear the band preform, not to see them play while the CD that you're already familiar with is playing loudly over the speakers. If the vocalist sucks live, so what? Anders has his moments of pulling off some impressive live performances, but usually it doesn't sound very good. Why? Anders is, in a traditional sense, a bad singer. But I actually like his vocals anyway. He didn't get start a band with the intent of singing anyways. He screamed and growled.
Anders, if you want to sing live, then sing. Nobody wants to hear the backing vocals overpower your own voice, even if your own voice sounds bad.
Anders, if you want to sing live, then sing. Nobody wants to hear the backing vocals overpower your own voice, even if your own voice sounds bad.
The thing that winds me up a little in regards to In Flames is that their excuse both for not playing the older music live(other than trying to blame the fans for "not moving") as well as making the instruments simpler on record is that they want to "make music on CD that can be played live".
Surely that should apply to all instruments, then, including the vocals? Yet despite their protestation that they've simplified things to make the live shows more authentic, Anders vocals continue to be processed to the point where there's no chance in hell he can pull them off live and ends up sounding pretty poor.
Hmm.
Perfect example of the live clean vocals. Pretty sure the last 2 times I saw them the chorus of come clarity was 100% backing tracks and then the crowd. It is totally noticeable and doesn't sound good at all.
I will say however when i saw DT last year Stanne was spot on with both his cleans and growls, much better live vocals than either time i saw in flames.
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Deveianse
Member
Here's another example:
Chorus = backing vocals. Just like that Wacken vid, they're so loud you thankfully can't hear Anders over them at all.
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replicator
Made in Vinnland
A couple besides the ones that already leak but only by Skype. Trust me people will be very surprised for this album.
I agree with your point DE3life, but I don't really feel that the newer albums are any simpler than previous albums. There are exceptions to that, I guess. STYE sounded pretty damn simple as far as the guitar work is concerned. But I don't play any instruments so I guess there could be something that I'm missing when I compare TJR/Whoracle etc. with CC and ASOP. The key difference that I see is how the tracks are produced. As time has gone on, the vocals have been louder while the instruments aren't exactly under the spot light.
All I can really say is that I don't think that In Flames should be saying that they are writing music so that it works well live until they stop polishing Anders' vocals so much. It really doesn't make much sense.
All I can really say is that I don't think that In Flames should be saying that they are writing music so that it works well live until they stop polishing Anders' vocals so much. It really doesn't make much sense.
Well, let's not go back into the debate of whether the actual songs themselves are simpler or whatever
But it is a fact that In Flames have phased out having, say, 3 or 4 guitar tracks in a song in favour of 1 or 2, because it's simpler and easier to play live.
They've gone the opposite route with vocals, though, adding wayyy more layering and shit to try and compensate for the fact Anders can't sing. Fuck, if they wanted to continue with this singing crap they should have searched for a guitarist with a good voice when Jesper left. Then he could have taken over the cleans and left Anders to do the screams/growls
But it is a fact that In Flames have phased out having, say, 3 or 4 guitar tracks in a song in favour of 1 or 2, because it's simpler and easier to play live.
They've gone the opposite route with vocals, though, adding wayyy more layering and shit to try and compensate for the fact Anders can't sing. Fuck, if they wanted to continue with this singing crap they should have searched for a guitarist with a good voice when Jesper left. Then he could have taken over the cleans and left Anders to do the screams/growls
I hope to see Wintersun live very soon
Don't rub it in. Grr...
Back on the subject of vocals, I have a mixed opinion on it I guess. I don't mind layering of vocals if it adds something and if backing has to be played live, so be it. However, it is a bit contradictory to say that they stopped layering the guitars to make it simpler live, while the vocals have gotten more complex. If you can play backing vocals live, why not guitars? Or on the other side of the coin, why do either?
A lot of bands have layered vocals, but tend to not filter any of the backing in live. Or, on the other hand some bands have backing vocalists that pick up the slack. Perhaps the next album will incorporate this, as Niclas Engelin did the backing vocals on Passenger and I believe Gardenian. Bjorn and Peter on the other hand could be worse at singing than Anders...but then again, we all know the history of the bass player doing vocals!
Haha, sorry dude
they're one of the bands I'm most looking forward to at Bloodstock. I need to revisit their discography though.Yeah, that video is awful
but Anders vocals around 02/03 were at their absolute worst. Thankfully he got a lot better after that. Saying that, they play Colony at the same gig and it actually sounds OK, screams and all. Black & White was just really bad... he even forgets most of the lyrics
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