My view of In Flames - Reroute to Remain.

[Static]

OH NO!! Another review of Reroute to Remain...argh, won't people just let this freakin CD die...must it be talked of more!???

Yes...that is what you are thinking, I can just tell. However, as a lover of metal and fan of In Flames I am afraid I must resurrect this album once again, and take a look at it. I feel I have a slightly different view of this CD then many people, who think it is a piece of shit. I would say otherwise...on to the review...

I own three In Flames CDs, The Jester Race, Whoracle, and lately, Reroute to Remain. Of the three I would say my favourite is Whoracle, the runner up Reroute to Remain, and last, The Jester Race.

I like Reroute to Remain, but do not 'love' it by many means. Many of the aspects of In Flames music have been changed on this CD. Firstly, the songs feel more streamlined, dare say it, commercial. The song structures are much less complex than on say, TJR. Secondly, In Flames trademark of two guitars winding and twisting beautifully all over a song has not been abolished, but drastically toned down, replaced by more reserved leads and chugging chord riffs. Finally, Anders increased use of 'clean' vocals. Whether I like this CD or not, there is one thing that is obvious: Anders sucks at singing. However, I do think its pretty cool that he gives it a shot, and if you can stand his weak singing voice as I can...its not really a big deal.

So what it all boils down to is the conclusion that its a half-arsed nu-metal album. Not true at all. If nu-metal was as good as this I would be in heaven. The guitars are definately complex and melodic enough to place them miles above shit like Slipknot. While the guitars are toned down in their complexity from previous efforts, I do find myself enjoying the wide range of catchy, head-bangable riffs on this disc. Reroute to Remain is ear candy, not as deep as it could be, but far from being pointless fluff.

Fans and metalheads in general have widely pointed fingers at In Flames, saying they now 'suck ass' and that they are but a shadow of their former selfs. I completely disagree. Reroute to Remain finds the band hungry to go in a new direction, songs like the gorgeous Dawn of a New Day, and the almost polka-ish Metaphor are catchy little gems. Dawn of a New Day is my favourite song, its quite lovely, with acoustic guitars driving it forward. Not overly complex, but very nice sounding. Metaphor feels very intimate, with Anders sounding kind of weary. He sound be, In Flames has come far...

Also, Reroute to Remain is pretty damn heavy. Not Morbid Angel or Nile heavy, but heavy in general. The second song, System, bursts into your speakers sounding almost like thrash metal, on RtR In Flames certainly has a manic energy throughout. Cries of 'sellout' seem stupid to me with energetic pieces like Egonomic, System, Black and White and System on here.

Reroute to Remain is catchy, fun and enjoyable. If you give it a chance. It may feel like a dumbed down version of In Flames, what with the lack of solo's and melodic guitar leads...however, it is an easy listen. I'm sure we are all aware of what In Flames
can do with their guitars, and throughout RtR we are teased with mini-solos that only last about 1-2 bars...but RtR does not see In Flames recycling what they have done before and I find this refreshing. The increased use of electronics, and the reserved leads, when your in the right mood, can be much more enjoyable then the riff medlys of the past, which I have begun to find slightly tiresome to listen to, hence why I have not enjoyed The Jester Race as much as I should.

Overall - 8.5/10

An enjoyable and fresh new sound from In Flames.

...to some.

ps. If you are sick of hearing about this CD then ignore me, I don't want flames for giving my opinion. Thank you.

 

[MrMajs]

YES!!!

 

[SlaughterofSoul]

Personally I liked it. It was way better than Colony and Clayman, because it didn't rehash old ideas.

 

[Hellion]

Here is my review taken from www.sonicdeath.co.uk:

Leave it to my favourite band to cause a stir amongst their fans and create an album that, whilst in many ways is vintage In Flames, is also in many ways something quite different. It's evident from the beginning that this album has some surprises in store. Instead of opening with a killer guitar riff, like every In Flames album has previously, we are instead presented with a keyboard introduction, somewhat similar to Soilwork's latest album, Natural Born Chaos. In Flames? Keyboards? Interesting. I'm certainly not one to scoff at the use of keyboards when done well; just like any other instrument, although I'm sure this already has some In Flames fans balking. Indeed, the keyboards are reserved for the introduction alone here, and give way to the guitars pretty quickly. However, this is not the last you will be hearing of the keyboards on this album. Songs like the infectious, synth-pop influenced "Cloud Connected" use them quite heavily.

So what is the next big change? The vocals. Yes, Ander's high-pitched rasp is still ever present, perhaps showing some improvement over his Clayman performance, however he has now bitten the bullet and decided to try some full on cleanly sung vocals. Do they work? Yes, and no. On some songs they fit perfectly, adding a new dimension to In Flames not heard on previous releases. However I think I would be quite justified in saying that his vocals are far from perfect, and that at times, he doesn't sound entirely confident. It will also be interesting to see how they are pulled off live, as I have to admit, Ander's vocals are generally what I consider to be the weakest link in In Flames' live performance. Having heard a live bootleg of the second track "System", it would appear that Anders eschews the clean vocals in favour of growling his way through, which does leave you wondering, if you cannot perform the clean vocals live, why introduce them into your music at all? On record, "System" comes across as a modern In Flames classic...a fast chugging riff ala "Pinball Map", with a "new style" In Flames chorus. The vocal melody adds a whole new dimension to the track and the live version loses this. If this is how they are going to approach all of the new material, then their efforts may well have been lost.

I guess this review has been pretty negative so far. More negative than I was expecting this review to start off, so let's move on to the positive side of things. One of the major criticism's I have seen regarding this new album is that the album "isn't In Flames" and that there is no "In Flames of old" on this album. Comments like this really do make me wonder about the ability of some people to sit and listen to music properly, without having their views distorted by personal opinion. Tracks like "Dark Signs" and "Trigger" wouldn't sound out of place on Colony. Remove the vocals from "Dawn of a New Day" and you are left with an acoustic riff that would fit on to The Jester Race with ease. On top of that, there are Clayman-esque melodic-riffs scattered all over the place, in almost every song on the album. Could I listen to this without knowing what it was, and pick it out as an In Flames album? Most definately.

There are going to be a LOT of people out to slate this album. You only need to read the comments on the *Official* In Flames message board to realise this. I fully respect anybody's opinion on this album, whether you love it, hate it or aren't swayed either way, but by reading you some of the narrow-minded, below the belt comments aimed at the band personally, you'd either have to wonder what the band could have done that is so heinous or wonder why exactly these people call themselves fans. In Flames have made a bold move by releasing an album they so clearly wanted to release, and for that I have even more respect. They have merged a variety of influences to create their "experimental" album. Is that a nu-metal riff, one that would not sound out of place on a Slipknot album, that I hear at the beginning of "Transparent"? Why yes, yes it is. The cynics are already crying sell-out. Well "Dismiss The Cynics" (I think I would have failed as a reviewer if I didn't manage to slip that one in somewhere, heh) and try and be a bit more positive eh? I say, how refreshing to hear a nu-metal riff used in such a great way. And what about one of the standout tracks, "Metaphor". Why it's not even a metal song I hear you cry! Maybe not, but ain't it great? "Egonomic" is another deceptively different track...starting off like a typical thrashy melodi-death song, then all of a sudden you are thrown into one of the quirkiest, yet greatest choruses the band have written since "Coerced Coexistence". Another sure standout.

Now, let me be completely impartial here. This In Flames album will NOT be for every In Flames fan. Some of you will LOVE this. Some of you WILL HATE THIS, and I see no point in denying this. But if you have not heard it already, go out and buy it when it's released. If you like it, then it's money well spent. If you do not like it, then fair play. Is this album an experiment or the start of a new direction? If it's the former, then you have no reason to worry. Cut the band some slack and let them do their thing. Surely as a fan you owe them that right? If it's the latter, then as much as it may pain you to do so, move on. You will always have your Whoracle and The Jester Race CDs right? Just do one thing...with full knowledge that this album is that little bit different, approach this with your mind fully set to open, and try and appreciate this for what it is...a melodic, yet very daring metal album. In Flames is a band who are in the business of writing catchy, melodic heavy metal. I for one have found myself on more than several occasions humming along to a fair few of the tracks on here...when the music isn't playing! Job well done then is what I say. And on that note, I'm off to give this another spin, because it fucking rocks!

 

[hydrogrind]

Originally posted by SlaughterofSoul
Personally I liked it. It was way better than Colony and Clayman, because it didn't rehash old ideas.

AGREEEE!!!!
I love reroute to remain too!

 

[DarkFifl]

I enjoy the CD as well.. its not my favorite in flames but I think it is good

 

[Bodylouseuk]

...I to believe rtr is a good album. What spoils it for me is the god awful production. Its got to be the most badly produced album I've heard in years. At times it just sounds a mess and I believe this is the root cause for so many detractors. Check out the new Paradise Lost album, the production is awesome..........