New album Foregone out February 2023
- Thread starter TheJestersDoor
- Start date
I asked ChatGPT to rank IF albums from best to worst:
Looks like it's not a fan of newer In Flames either
apparently also a fan of old school death metal, giving Lunar/Sub a high-ranking
- "The Jester Race" (1996) - This album is considered by many fans to be a classic and a defining moment in In Flames' career. It has a perfect balance of melody and aggression. Often considered the band's masterpiece, it features a perfect blend of melodic death metal and catchy hooks, with standout tracks like "Moonshield" and "December Flower".
- "Clayman" (2000) - A more refined version of the band's signature sound, with cleaner production and more memorable choruses, it contains some of their most beloved songs such as "Pinball Map" and "Only for the Weak".
- "Colony" (1999) - Widely regarded as In Flames' breakthrough album, it showcases their unique take on the melodic death metal genre, with epic anthems like "Embody the Invisible" and "Zombie Inc."
- "Whoracle" (1997) - Another fan favorite, it features some of the band's most progressive and experimental songwriting, with tracks like "Jotun" and "Episode 666" that combine aggression and melody in equal measure.
- "Lunar Strain/Subterranean" (1994) - These two albums were In Flames' earliest works, and they have a more raw and experimental sound compared to their later releases. Lunar Strain still holds up as a solid example of early melodic death metal. The band's sound is a bit rawer and more experimental than on later releases, but there are plenty of great riffs and melodies, while Subterranean showcases In Flames' early sound at its best. The production is a bit rough, but the songs are full of energy and aggression.
- "Reroute to Remain" (2002) - A more commercial-sounding effort that polarized fans upon its release, it nevertheless contains some of In Flames' biggest hits, such as "Trigger" and "Cloud Connected".
- "Sounds of a Playground Fading" (2011) - A more modern and polished-sounding album that marked the departure of longtime guitarist Jesper Stromblad, it still features some standout tracks like "A New Dawn" and "Where the Dead Ships Dwell".
- "Come Clarity" (2006) - A return to form after the somewhat lackluster "Soundtrack to Your Escape", it features some of In Flames' catchiest and most melodic material, such as "Take This Life" and "Come Clarity".
- "I, the Mask" (2019) - This album sees In Flames continuing to refine their melodic metal sound, with some more modern production elements and even a few electronic elements. While it's not as groundbreaking as some of their earlier work, it's still a solid album with plenty of great tracks.
- "Soundtrack To Your Escape" (2004) - This album marked a departure from In Flames' classic sound, incorporating more industrial and electronic elements. While there are some standout tracks, such as "The Quiet Place" and "Touch of Red", the album as a whole feels somewhat disjointed and unfocused.
- "A Sense of Purpose" (2008) - Another average effort that attempts to retain the band's trademark sound while experimenting with new elements, it features some standout tracks like "The Mirror's Truth" and "Alias".
- "Battles" (2016) - A divisive album that saw the band moving further away from their classic sound and embracing more modern influences, it nevertheless has some strong moments such as "The Truth" and "The End".
- "Siren Charms" (2014) - A polarizing album that saw In Flames experimenting with more atmospheric and ambient elements, it failed to resonate with most fans but still has its supporters, particularly for tracks like "Through Oblivion" and "Paralyzed".
Looks like it's not a fan of newer In Flames either
apparently also a fan of old school death metal, giving Lunar/Sub a high-ranking 
Moonshield_
Member
IF will only play for 50min at Hellfest next month, and at daylight (7:40 to 8:30pm). It’s the shortest set they’ve ever done at this festival. I don’t get it
Setlist will probably be :
The Great Deceiver
Cloud Connected
Behind Space
Only for the Weak
Foregone pt1
State of Slow Decay
I am Above
Take this Life
At least there’s nothing from Battels & SC
Setlist will probably be :
The Great Deceiver
Cloud Connected
Behind Space
Only for the Weak
Foregone pt1
State of Slow Decay
I am Above
Take this Life
At least there’s nothing from Battels & SC
Two possible reasons:
1. There are simply bigger and more relevent metal bands than IF these days, so they're down the pecking order. On the other hand, are Architects, Parkway Drive, Generation Sex and Hollywood Vampires bigger than IF? I don't even know the last two bands, but maybe they are.
2. IF are getting old and just don't want to do long festival sets anymore. I mean, they aren't that old but they've been doing this for a long time without a break, so maybe it's just catching up with them.
1. There are simply bigger and more relevent metal bands than IF these days, so they're down the pecking order. On the other hand, are Architects, Parkway Drive, Generation Sex and Hollywood Vampires bigger than IF? I don't even know the last two bands, but maybe they are.
2. IF are getting old and just don't want to do long festival sets anymore. I mean, they aren't that old but they've been doing this for a long time without a break, so maybe it's just catching up with them.
Moonshield_
Member
Considering the first one features members of the Sex Pistols and the other one Johnny Depp, they might be bigger indeed
Anyway, it sucks.
The Grayfox
Gravesinger
Yeah, I mean Hollywood Vampires is Alice Cooper, Joe Perry from Aerosmith and Johnny Depp. No surprise there at all. I kind of feel like In Flames isn't really relevant anymore. I mean, they're the top band on their day among the more "underground" stuff I guess. Architects and Parkway Drive are miles more popular than IF is right now.
Well, I guess it's obvious I don't keep up with modern metal these days although to be fair whilst I like a handful of Alice Cooper tracks, I've zero interest in Aerosmith or the Sex Pistols, or Johnny Depp for that matter, so I'm okay with not knowing those bands.
I remember Parkway Drive and Architects being these smaller bands that were making a name for themselves, but that was a while ago. Nice to see they've done well for themselves, as both are solid acts.
Always liked this one
although to be fair whilst I like a handful of Alice Cooper tracks, I've zero interest in Aerosmith or the Sex Pistols, or Johnny Depp for that matter, so I'm okay with not knowing those bands.I remember Parkway Drive and Architects being these smaller bands that were making a name for themselves, but that was a while ago. Nice to see they've done well for themselves, as both are solid acts.
Always liked this one
I could be wrong, but it sounds like Nita's a fan and this was her take on writing an IF-inspired song. Autotune chorus aside, it reminded me most of A Sense of Purpose, there were some nice things going on melodically with the guitars, but Anders went in heavily with the 'yell-screaming' he used on that record, which is not my favourite of his vocal techniques. It makes me all the more appreciative of his harsh vox on Foregone, to be honest.
The Grayfox
Gravesinger
This is just evidence of what metal has become these days. Pure fakery. It's not different, anymore, from any other of the pop culture genres. And Anders fits perfectly into that circus.
Fucking hell. The song is embarrassing.
Fucking hell. The song is embarrassing.
Anders: What people don't realise is that with a couple of production tweaks these vocals could easily have been on TJR
A stone cold classic, and much like Sonata Arctica's 'Blank File', more relevant today than when it was released.
Speaking of stone cold classics
What an absolute masterpiece this is (ignoring the fact the official IF channel for some reason has it uploaded with the wrong title). Melodies all over the place, solid drumming, and Anders' harsh vocals are absolutely blistering on this track. Cleans are obviously touched up, but not to the point of ridiculousness. It still sounds like him, and it sounds good. Why couldn't he just roll with this or SOAPF style instead of the fake bullshit we get now?
If the band were at loggerheads during this album, I wish they had been at loggerheads more often. If Anders left the others alone to do the instrumental parts and then just put the vocals on top afterwards, maybe we'd have kept getting great albums like CC instead of turds like ASOP and Siren Charms. With that said, Anders has said that he had nothing to do with STYE instrumental, so, maybe not.
Anyway, CTK is one of In Flames' best songs and has possibly the most epic chorus in their entire back catalogue. This track alone makes the entirety of Foregone look like an album for children.
What an absolute masterpiece this is (ignoring the fact the official IF channel for some reason has it uploaded with the wrong title). Melodies all over the place, solid drumming, and Anders' harsh vocals are absolutely blistering on this track. Cleans are obviously touched up, but not to the point of ridiculousness. It still sounds like him, and it sounds good. Why couldn't he just roll with this or SOAPF style instead of the fake bullshit we get now?
If the band were at loggerheads during this album, I wish they had been at loggerheads more often. If Anders left the others alone to do the instrumental parts and then just put the vocals on top afterwards, maybe we'd have kept getting great albums like CC instead of turds like ASOP and Siren Charms. With that said, Anders has said that he had nothing to do with STYE instrumental, so, maybe not.
Anyway, CTK is one of In Flames' best songs and has possibly the most epic chorus in their entire back catalogue. This track alone makes the entirety of Foregone look like an album for children.
MySweetShadow01
Token metalcore fan
Crawl Through Knives is probably one of my favorite IF songs. It just works so well. The band could've been just fine continuing with a style similar to RtR or CC. A more modern style without compromising much of their musical integrity. Also would've helped to hire a separate clean vocalist lol.
ThePhobiac
be at ease
I actually like that Nita Strauss song, tbh.
Crawl Through Knives is a highlight of CC for sure. I remember my MSN group at the time calling it the "gayest song" on the album. I think it's a little too eager to get to the chorus, but when the chorus is that good, it kind of makes sense.
I came across this song last year and the main riff here is quite similar to the main riff in CTK. Came out two years earlier than Come Clarity, too.
Crawl Through Knives is a highlight of CC for sure. I remember my MSN group at the time calling it the "gayest song" on the album. I think it's a little too eager to get to the chorus, but when the chorus is that good, it kind of makes sense.
I came across this song last year and the main riff here is quite similar to the main riff in CTK. Came out two years earlier than Come Clarity, too.
They just never seemed comfortable with any kind of identity. It's ironic that people call their post-Clayman work evolution, because they actually never evolved a sound, they just moved to a different one. Colony > Clayman is the closest they came to evolving a sound, although admittedly that was basically from perfect to perfect, so not much else to do there. I suppose you could say LS > Sub > TJR > Whoracle as well, albeit the makeup of the band was totally different back then. From Reroute onwards their production values were all over the place, which doesn't help when trying to achieve any kind of consistent sound. It's nice to try new things, obviously, but it felt more to me like they were never comfortable with themselves and their output. Not enough to evolve a sound further, anyway.
I don't think they needed a separate clean vocalist, Anders was fine with the right production. Granted he could never do it live, but at least back then the clean vocals on the album were imperfect too, so it was less jarring live. ASOP was where they started going overboard with trying to make Anders sound far better at cleans then he really is, and it only got worse from there. If you listen to Come Clarity (the song) for instance, the clean singing on there is actually not very good at all. I'd even go as far as to say it's pretty bad. So, when it sounds bad live too, then that's not a surprise.
I seem to remember the reaction on the Everdying forums at the time was quite positive towards CTK. STYE was widely hated so CTK and CC as a whole was a relief to a lot of people. On CTK they do go to the chorus a lot, but one thing I would say in their defence is that they change it up a lot, the choruses all have some kind of variation to them which helps make it sound fresh throughout the song.
One other thing I like about CTK, and CC in general, is the tasteful use of electronics. They add to all of the songs without coming across as overbearing or out of place.
Even though I don't like that Illdisposed song, I can hear what you mean regarding the CTK riff. Definitely similarities.
Similar threads
