In Flames Come Clarity

It's time once again for a new In Flames album. People are running for the hills, or to the record shop depending on how you felt after Soundtrack To Your Escape. I personally didn't hate STYE. It had moments: Touch Of Red, The Quiet Place, My Sweet Shadow, and Evil In A Closet.

So now it's 2006 and In Flames are done recording. So where do they stand? They've been making records for over a decade and a half. Anders had promised a "return of harmonies and a faster paced record" this time around. So once again, where do they stand?

I knew that this band would never write another Jester Race or Whoracle, or Colony or Clayman for that matter. Did I want them too? Sure, so does every fan. However, it just wouldn't be done. The band, for better or worse, have left their old stomping grounds behind. So what exactly is getting released then?

Since I received my pre-ordered copy, it has been spinning in my player ever since. Is it that good? Aye. This band are far from dead. They are one of my favourite bands, and anyone who knows me knows that, but I did think they were incapable of releasing another album that warranted attention.

This album is good, but to use a line from Anders' "Stay awhile and breathe me in." That is the credo for this release. It does take it some time to sink in. I was enamored by it the first time I listened to it, blown away by the fact that they released a heavier, faster, more shredding album than they have in the past 5 years. Of course that doesn't say much considering it's new millennium predecessors. This album gets better with every rotation, and if you follow In Flames then you will hear so much more with every listen as well. I think a track by track description works best with this album.

* = rating

Take This Life - The lead off track does much to follow Friend's frantic ideas, only it's better. The leads are tighter, the riffs are bonded like iron, and the drums don't sound bad except for that damn snare on every down beat. This is typical In Flames for the most part, growling snarling and ripping away at a beastly pace. Then the chorus hits. Oh god, here we go, clean vocals incoming everyone duck. Wait, what's that? They don't suck? No, it can't be! Yes it can. Ander's actually doesn't sound half bad. He sounds like Bjorn from Soilwork to an extent, but he actually gives his best and it DOES pay off. Strong harmony section, not really a "solo" in the common sense, but it does have a positive turn from what we've been hearing lately. Great bridge part back into the song as well. Strong start. *****

Leeches - The keyboards over laying everything could have been taken out, but they don't last too long, and the verse kicks in with an impressive PMed riff. A musical break with harmonies is nice as well, not too technical, but solid. The chorus really got me on this one. It still whines, but it has something that was missing, emotion. Ander's is really trying his best to have some heart with this record, and for two so far I'm impressed. Then the solo: wow, just wow. It's not flashy, but it is tight, and it flows in a way most metal heads don't know how to do. It's just wonderful. That section alone captures this song's essence. ****

Reflect The Storm - Okay here we go. The first "slow" song of the record. It starts out with a really thin guitar line that I didn't dig at first, but the atmosphere behind it fills the intro out nicely. Keyboards do it justice in the way Dark Tranquillity did with Haven or Projector. The dual lines of guitars in the verse are nice. The vocals are like the chorus from Pinball Map only for the entire song, except for two parts - the pre-chorus and the chorus. I swear in the PC that Bjorn from Soilwork (Natural Born Chaos era) is guesting. The likeness is uncanny, why couldn't Anders do this previously? Then the chorus hits. It is clean completely, and only near the end of the song does it sort of fall apart. The guitar lines are layered well, and the clean vocals once again, don't suck for the most part. There's a nice solo/harmony break and then PC and chorus repeats. Overall, this is one of my fave tracks on the album really. Extremely emotional and well constructed. ****

Dead End - Okay we're still going here, and this song kicks in like hell! A snarling bass line rips your head off, and then the double bass comes in and it crushes. Then the verse. Lines of fans are divided I guarantee it. Lisa Miskovsky's female vocals - rubbish? Not really. In Flames haven't had female vocals since Everlost Pt.II. They don't fit that, it's more Lullacry or Lacuna Coil, or Undo Control by Dark Tranquillity. Then the song ROARS back in for the second part of the verse, and then grooves into the pre-chorus/bridge. The chorus is a sort of duet, but it doesn't lose the intensity that this song needs to stay alive. The moment of truth is at 2:08 through the song. Bam! We are back to the days of Colony and Whoracle. This harmony/solo is beautiful. It is what In Flames has always stood for, and they crush it like they always have. PS - if you don't like the female vocals you only have to hear them for 24 bars out of the entire song. They do not take front and center, they're a color.

*****

Scream - The worst song on the album. It is heavy. It is full of triplets and double bass. It thrashes, speeds and growls. However, it fails to really "go" anywhere. It does have a nice "gang-vocal" chorus, but the lyrics are somewhat childish. References to ice cream aside; I do give the verses credit, they are fast as hell. It's just that the song lacks anything really grabbing, and the breakdown section just doesn't cut it. **

Come Clarity - The title track. Originally named, "Crawl Through Knives," this song was replaced as the title track so they could get into universal charts. This song however has something I haven't heard since Whoracle. Acoustic guitars and acoustic leads. It feels very "Jester Script Transfigured" like. Then Anders enters. The first verse SUCKS the big one in terms of vocals. The second verse is much better and reminds me of Ordinary Story from Colony; honestly it sounds like Jesper slapped Anders and said, "Do it like this". The chorus however is a work of art. It PULLS at your heart and features vocals that finally, for once, work clean. Anders has grown as a singer, he's no Bruce Dickinson, but these finally fit the bill. A solo section comes in as the song changes gear for the middle. It's really quite admirable, the lines are very thought out and not a note is wasted. A more mature Jesper and Bjorn trading melodies that haven't been seen since JST. This song really is a centerpiece and will move you. ****

Vacuum - Well, I'm not sure where to start with this song. It pours out of the speakers in a torrent of Slayer-esque riffs and notes. It just feels out of place following after Come Clarity. It's like getting punched in the face after taking a really deep relaxing breath. Anyway you put it though, it's another fast paced In Flames assault. I do feel rather forced writing about this track. It's well written, but doesn't really break the mold in any new way. It's kind of a launching pad for what you will hear on the second half of the album: fast, melodic roaring metal. It does have a couple of moments of truth to it that shine. At 2:13 it launches into a harmony section that reminds me of Arch Enemy, and then into a solo section that has two distinct parts; the flow here is wonderful. The ending at 3:21 is great, and it sounds like something from Graveland off Jester race. It's a shame it's only a few seconds long. ***

Pacing Death's Trail - This song is a masterpiece. It is brutal, crushing, melodeath the way In Flames has been writing it. The harmony guitars in the beginning are nice, and then the verse kicks in screaming. It's a start/stop riff with harmonies overlaid that reminds me of Jotun/As The Future Repeats Today. It's pure greatness. The Pre-Chorus returns Anders to a Colony type vocal quality, which is awesome. Then the chorus hits and it's like something we've heard, but not for a while. Twin guitar shredding through the pummeling drums, and Anders screaming like he hasn't in a long long time. Then the solo break is yet another return to form with a continuation of the chorus, with Jesper and Bjorn blowing through their trademark trills. It finishes off strong and drops out with only 3 minutes on the clock. Whew, catch your breath. *****

Crawl Through Knives - The original title track for this album. Wish they had kept it. The title track features a riff that captures Clayman, but with the open chords of Artifacts Of The Black Rain. A short guitar lead comes in and sets us up for the verse. A typical affair here; reminds me of Colony a bit. The chorus here is amazing. Anders once again showing he has made progress as a singer. It's big, it's powerful, it's arena ready. Maybe a little cheesy in the lyrics department, but still nicely executed. The solo is nice with Jesper and Bjorn joining together at the end - very Iron Maiden like. The ending is rather weak, but it's a good song overall. ****

Versus Terminus - This one starts off with a kick, very thrashy. The pace seems to be set on "overdrive" for this side of the album. The verse is great with some nice staccato guitar harmonies, and pushing into a full chorus with a mix of clean and gruff vocals. The musical arrangement is nice, but the vocals could have been done a little better. There's a lack of a solo here, and in place is a breakdown that thunders, but really doesn't add anything to the mix. This one is a filler track at best; it's here really to keep the heads pumping. ***

Our Infinite Struggle - OK, I'm not liking the title of this track. It's rather bland and a little self-righteous. However, the song is nice and seems to be a kind of companion piece to Zombie Inc from Colony. The intro has a great speed feel. A nice wah guitar line comes in and ends with a nice harmony. The verse chugs in a very Clayman way. The pre-chorus riff is a mini-breakdown that is much better written. After the chorus, which is another combo of clean and growl, the coolest thing to happen in an In Flames record since Zombie Inc comes in at 1:45. A clean acoustic guitar rolls in and a short solo follows in the same vein. The heavy re-enters with a harmony/melody line coming out and then back into the chorus, and the song is done from there. The acoustic part is well executed and really makes a welcome appearance. ****

Vanishing Light - What a way to end an album (track 13 doesn't count). This is a closing track that races to the finish line with all guns blazing. It kicks in with guitar's soloing, and then breaks into pre-verse which sets up the feel for the song. A chugging riff and snarling bass line cause heads to bang and fists to pump. The pre-verse is the moment of truth here. Jepser throws down the rhythm, and Bjorn slices through with a guitar lead; all the while Anders is growling his head off. The chorus is all In Flames, and it makes the metal horns go flying to the winds. A solo rips in and harmonies fly through the air. It's a little too short for me, but it's lightening execution is perfect for the frantic pace of the song. It breaks your neck and then ends at 3:14; closing the album the right way. *****

Your Bedtime Story Is Scaring Everyone - This isn't really a song, but an environmental sound-scape, and it doesn't really bear hearing. Just skip it back to Take This Life and go for another round!

This is the album that In Flames NEEDED to release. It is everything that they promised, no more and no less. This is NOT a return to the mid-late nineties. Nor is it a continuation into commercial obscurity. This is an album that sits in the player and gets better with each spin. It does roll and tumble, thrash and speed and pound, but it has a few moments that are pure emotion. This time around fans who left due to the last of couple releases need to give In Flames another chance. Just go in expecting to hear something new and NOT something old.

Come Clarity isn't perfect, but it does have links to the classics and more of the In Flames character that the previous two albums seemed to lack.