New album Foregone out February 2023
- Thread starter TheJestersDoor
- Start date
The Great Deceiver is kind of like that to me. I still maintain it was written like a Battles song but then they inserted better guitars. If The Great Deceiver is this album’s Underneath my Skin we are in good shape.
I don't recall talking about rules nor exceptions, only something that melodeath band usually tend to do. I just gave you examples from some of the biggest melodeath bands out there, all with some of the latest albums, and it looks to me like they actually tend to do quite the opposite of what you've said. Unless you want to prove otherwise?
Just to add to that list: Amon Amarth - The Serpent's Trail, 06:01
Omnium Gatherum - Solemn, 08:47
Looks like the only big bands who haven't gone in that direction in their latest albums are Arch Enemy (they did in WtP), Dark Tranquillity and IF, though Stay With Me is 05:17, which still is kind of long.
Well, if there's one song from time to time, then they stick to the safe rule. Then, using Insomnium as an example is pretty funny. It's not as they tend to deviate from their own formula or as if they have just started making long songs recently. In fact, for Insomnium, to run away from their formula would be to release an album with 4 minutes or less time songs. It's not as if someone is going surprised about them relseasing a 7 minute or longer song. It would be as being surprised because Opeth are a progresisve band or that IF release four minutes songs. That just doesn't make sense.
I don't think you can really compare TGD to TO, The Truth or House though
those songs are not at all /barely metal and cringe x1000 for various reasons, whereas TGD is just a fairly standard heavy-ish MDM track with just one super cringe lyric line. It's not a song where someone like me or Eochaid is going to be like "LMAO THIS IS TERRIBLE". It's just there, for the most part.Like I said previously, that's correct when talking about albums length, but those longer tracks do appear, while they haven't previously.
On the other hand, there's Soilwork, with a longer album, which got criticized because reviewers though it's too long (similarly with recent Machine Head), so that might be one reason to play it safe.
As for Insomnium, that again was example of one track that stood-out, as per the latest case with Pale Morning Star, though they did that on previous albums as well.
On the other hand, there's Soilwork, with a longer album, which got criticized because reviewers though it's too long (similarly with recent Machine Head), so that might be one reason to play it safe.
As for Insomnium, that again was example of one track that stood-out, as per the latest case with Pale Morning Star, though they did that on previous albums as well.
PMS is one minute longer than Karelia that is yet 8 minutes long. I don't see how that makes it an exception. Especially for an album where there are two other 7 minutes long songs.
In an album with 4 songs above 7 minutes, they made one that it's almost 9. If that's not taking risks then I don't know what it is.
Then, Amon Amarth's formula usually consists in finishing an album with a longer song. As they did in their latest album. So risky.
Soil work are an exception. They experiment a lot with their sound and keep on constantly adding new elements into their music.
AE might do one longer song from time to time but it will still have the AE formula. It's not like when IF did TCP. That is experimenting and moving out of your zone of comfort, not releasing a 5 minutes long power ballad.
Anyway, you're right. If there's something that melodeath bands like to do is taking risks and moving out of their zone of comfort.
In an album with 4 songs above 7 minutes, they made one that it's almost 9. If that's not taking risks then I don't know what it is.
Then, Amon Amarth's formula usually consists in finishing an album with a longer song. As they did in their latest album. So risky.
Soil work are an exception. They experiment a lot with their sound and keep on constantly adding new elements into their music.
AE might do one longer song from time to time but it will still have the AE formula. It's not like when IF did TCP. That is experimenting and moving out of your zone of comfort, not releasing a 5 minutes long power ballad.
Anyway, you're right. If there's something that melodeath bands like to do is taking risks and moving out of their zone of comfort.
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I love how you derail conversations.
So yeah, if you want to involve that, where does AtG stand, with song based on a saxophone? Why won't you mention Insomnium's 45 minute track?
What about Arch Enemy, using clean vocals for the first time ever? Where's honorable mention of AE's "Time is Black", using strings? IF constantly changing their sound? Where do you put the always evolving Avatar band?
Oh, and also, if you mention Karelia, how does that go with the Insomnium's usual "let's do an 8 minute length instrumental"? Playing it safe and all.
And how do you even risk with tracks length, when 6+ minutes is not a risk, because you've done it previously? You go 15+ (like Insomnium did, but still, you forgot to mention that), or do it under 1 minute?
And yet now you bring the sound of AE's track to tell me how wrong I am. Brilliant.
So yeah, if you want to involve that, where does AtG stand, with song based on a saxophone? Why won't you mention Insomnium's 45 minute track?
What about Arch Enemy, using clean vocals for the first time ever? Where's honorable mention of AE's "Time is Black", using strings? IF constantly changing their sound? Where do you put the always evolving Avatar band?
Oh, and also, if you mention Karelia, how does that go with the Insomnium's usual "let's do an 8 minute length instrumental"? Playing it safe and all.
And how do you even risk with tracks length, when 6+ minutes is not a risk, because you've done it previously? You go 15+ (like Insomnium did, but still, you forgot to mention that), or do it under 1 minute?
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ThePhobiac
be at ease
I was thinking that the album art looks okay, but the whole Heavy Metal Band Mascot thing is a bit lame with the giant jester dude, and the concept of humanity running out of time (with the literal clocks on the cover) is really overdone and kinda lame. But then I realized
Though, lately, he seems to have more presence in their artworks.I was thinking that the album art looks okay, but the whole Heavy Metal Band Mascot thing is a bit lame with the giant jester dude, and the concept of humanity running out of time (with the literal clocks on the cover) is really overdone and kinda lame. But then I realized
ThePhobiac
be at ease
For sure. It was mostly the hourglass dead in the center that caught my eye. And here I was criticizing the clocks as overdone, lol.
Doesn't our Spaniard friend do that to all of the IF songs?
People in glass houses bro, albeit on the opposite end of the scale
I think the best thing I can say about Foregone I, and actually also about State of Slow Decay and The Great Deceiver, is that on the day that each of them has come out, I've listened to them on repeat, out of genuine enjoyment. The first two have settled comfortably into my regular In Flames listening, and I'm pretty confident that Foregone I will as well.
This is night and day in comparison to how I felt about Siren Charms and Battles. With those records, after one or two listens I'd already concluded that the songs weren't for me, or weren't giving me any of the things that made IF my favourite band. My big fear at that point was that they'd permanently moved on and decided not to be a melodic death metal band anymore, that was something that was frequently said on here as well.
I, the Mask was a bit confusing because half of it was melodic death metal, probably the heaviest they'd been since Come Clarity, and half of it felt like a continuation of Siren Charms/Battles.
As I said when I was talking about The Great Deceiver, maybe my standards are too low
, but so far, this new material this does give me a similar feeling and level of enjoyment to the old stuff - not my absolute favourites, but it could certainly stand in my top 50, among tracks from TJR, Whoracle Colony, Clayman, Reroute, CC and SOAPF. If the new album is of a similar standard to the three singles, it might rank among their best, which, given how I felt about this band a few years ago, is an awesome surprise.
This is night and day in comparison to how I felt about Siren Charms and Battles. With those records, after one or two listens I'd already concluded that the songs weren't for me, or weren't giving me any of the things that made IF my favourite band. My big fear at that point was that they'd permanently moved on and decided not to be a melodic death metal band anymore, that was something that was frequently said on here as well.
I, the Mask was a bit confusing because half of it was melodic death metal, probably the heaviest they'd been since Come Clarity, and half of it felt like a continuation of Siren Charms/Battles.
As I said when I was talking about The Great Deceiver, maybe my standards are too low
, but so far, this new material this does give me a similar feeling and level of enjoyment to the old stuff - not my absolute favourites, but it could certainly stand in my top 50, among tracks from TJR, Whoracle Colony, Clayman, Reroute, CC and SOAPF. If the new album is of a similar standard to the three singles, it might rank among their best, which, given how I felt about this band a few years ago, is an awesome surprise.Compared to your comments, their songs are the epitome of enjoyment.Doesn't our Spaniard friend do that to all of the IF songs?
ThePhobiac
be at ease
Broderick's IG account seems to imply that he played the first half of the solo on Foregone Pt. 1, while Bjorn played the second half.
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