In Flames - Come Clarity

Born2Lose · Feb 9, 2006 at 1:46 PM

Being pioneers of the Gothenburg Melodic Death Metal sound has got to count for something right? Ten years ago, In Flames were being hailed in some circles as the new Iron Maiden, with albums like "Whoracle" and "Colony" proving that they knew their way around a harmonised riff or six. The future seemed bright... So what if 2000's "Clayman" and its follow up "Reroute To Remain" were a little less well-received? There's always a certain few who will profess to hate their favourite band as soon as they start to get a bit of mainstream success, right?

Then it happened... "Soundtrack To Your Escape." Gone (for the most part) were the magically intertwining guitars we all loved; in their place, "atmospheric" synth sounds. Even Anders himself had adopted a nasty vocal habit, reminiscent of a certain bagpipe-toting nu-metal moaner who shall not be named... It was supposedly the end of In Flames' reign as kings of melodic death...

...Ah ye of little faith!!! "Come Clarity" makes up for all that and more! It may be cliched to say it, but this is the best record of their career, with a more melodic feel than their recent albums, and a much heavier edge than their older material.

In truth, the only real problems with "STYE" were the simplistic guitarwork, and the way the band would build up a promising intro and verse, only for chorus to completely fall short... in almost every song. Well, one listen to "Take This Life" will cast away any doubts you may have had about IF's ability to make face-shatteringly amazing metal. The harmonised guitars are back (yay!) and the chorus is ***ing immense; its obvious that Anders has vastly increased his vocal capability.

These two traits are hammered home even further by "Leeches," which is host to a soaring chorus and a pant-soilingly brilliant lead section, yet also manages to incorporate the odd synth effect, albeit much more subtly (and to greater effect) than the overbearing synth presence on "Soundtrack..." "Reflect The Storm" showcases the guitar harmonies yet further, while slowing things down a little for another amazing chorus, and some more great solo work.

As always, In Flames have experimented heavily (it's fair to say they've never made the same album twice). Some good examples are the vocal trade off on "Dead End" between Anders and female guest vocalist Lisa Miskovsky (whose vocal style is reminiscent of Sharon from Within Temptation), the gang vocals and almost metalcore style of "Scream", particularly in the chorus (I know metalcore seems to be a dirty word these days, but make no mistake, these guys pull it off better than most, by integrating it into their own sound).

The largest departure would be the title track; it truly is an epic masterpiece. Beginning with some acoustic guitars, gentle basswork and slightly echoey drums (overall, quite reminiscent of some of the acoustic parts from the "Whoracle" days, but more atmospheric), Anders then joins in with almost pained-sounding vocals. Suddenly with a scream, the chorus erupts with a wall-of-sound of powerchords, driving drums, soaring synth line, and some of Anders' best vocal work yet. Then it happens... Jesper and Bjorn set the guitars on fire and churn out a long, slow, emotional, and truly ***ing epic dual guitar solo that is guarunteed to raise the hairs on you neck and make your spine tingle. Put simply, this song is a power ballad with huge balls, and quite simply what speakers were made for!

The six tracks that follow bring back the speed element into play, and all feature yet more amazing guitar and vocal work (I'm not trying to take anything away from the equally amazing drum, bass, and occasional synth parts, it's just that its the guitar and vocals which seem to define the songs, and are even more striking, considering the vast improvement in both since the last album). For example, "Crawl Through Knives" features some great vocal harmonies (and brutal screams too, I might add), and "Vanishing Light" is also notable for yet more amazing guitar work, particularly the frantic, jumpy lead section in the middle.

Closer "Your Bedtime Story Is Scaring Everyone" is more of an outro than a full song, beginning as it does, with a few minutes of synthy noise and piano tinkling, with the faintest hint of some muffled drums, before breaking into a short, but not unimpressive main section of melodic vocals and crashing guitars. Hell, there's even an Iron Maiden reference in there, as Anders whispers "you make me understand the evil that men do."

Its hard to pick highlights from "Come Clarity." For one thing, every track is amazing without exception, and all are very memorable, thanks to some very distinctive melodies carrying each one. The lyrics are a vast improvement on what's come before, and the whole album seems propelled forward by some vast invisible rocket (even the slower parts pack a hell of a punch).

In conclusion, this is a storming return to form for In Flames, it's all we could have hoped for and more. I would do a pros and cons section, but it would be entirely pointless, as there are simply no cons to "Come Clarity."

If you don't like it, you are in my opinion, a cloth-eared fool.

5 outta 5
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Source Link To The Original Review

I found this to be a really good review, but one thing i must say, long time fans of this band like myself, sometimes don't like the newer style/sound of In Flames on this cd.

But this album Come Clarity, has definately gotta be my 2nd favorite album of theirs, nothing can compare to Whoracle as of yet, but this one is getting there. The songs aren't as melodic as they used to be, but they have such good quality and flow. Anders Frid's voice has definately become better, in this new cd the vocal quality is absolutely amazing.

My rating would definately be a 4.5/5 for this album, it's amazing.

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In Flames - Come Clarity

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