It's indeed a small sample size, but STYE is not that surprising imo. It was during their boom period and it's also the most listenable for a wide audience within the r2r-stye-cc trio. I listened it to death for sure.
I also doubt being an mdm fan or not mattered much with the rankings for the post-Clayman era. Yes, followers of subgenres can be pedantic, pathetic assholes who would even gatekeep their mothers if they "had to", but your average music enjoyer just like what he likes - he won't pretend to hate something just because it would make him less mysterious. STYE is a fun, easy listen from start to finish - and on that note, fuck them for removing Discover Me from Spotify. Once it's burned into you as nostalgia, it's forever crowned as your favorite IF record, or at least for a very long time.
Battles is indeed underrated, but just like ASOP, it's an annoying record. It won't ever be considered a hidden gem, but it is a fun record which needed the production ITM got. In fact, you could make a really good record with a best of compilation of ITM+Battles with ITM's production.
In Flames feels special with how its post-Clayman albums all feel like they fall into different subgenres, so newer fans (Myself especially) kinda just love almost everything, if not everything, because we just love what the band does. I personally love the amount of variety the band's had over the years, which is making me sort of hate the modern era of the band a bit. Battles, ITM, and this new album all feel very much like they have the same sort of sound, just with Battles being a lot poppier, a lot more dumbed-down. and a lot more autotuned.
Completely agree about "Discover Me Like Emptiness" (And pretty much all of their other bonus tracks, seriously, what the fuck), especially since it's one of the very best songs off STYE if not the best. STYE's an album where, at least for me, its best songs are fucking awesome, and its worst songs are complete filler. It's weird because for as much as I used to absolutely love STYE and how nu metal it is, it's aged weirdly poorly for me.
Battles is a guilty pleasure when I'm in the mood for it, but that's the only good thing I can say. I can argue for SoaPF or even Siren Charms being underrated (Siren Charms is a
very difficult argument, as I don't think it's that good objectively), but I would never do so for Battles.
It's shit. You can find a hundred bands with albums a thousand times more creative, interesting and worthwhile than Battles. Some of these will be genuinely underrated. Listen to those instead. Can give you some guidance if required. Will not be recommending Static X, Coal Chamber, etc though.
I got kinda excited thinking that this was nu metal time. It was not. That being said, yeah, I agree with the overall sentiment here. I don't think I can really recommend anything in specific, as everything I listen to is either completely 90s (But very much unlike IF in every respect) or very modern shoegaze/post-hardcore. Best I can do is other melodeath bands that you all have probably listened to to death already. Only thing I can think of is Nebularium by Disarmonia Mundi. It's my favorite album ever and it fucking oozes natural creativity. I don't know anything else quite like it. But yeah, I've got nothing for you guys otherwise.
