AFGM: HEAVY T.O. 2012: In Flames

I was fortunate enough to hit up the 2011 edition of HEAVY T.O. and even purchased the tickets before the band were announced. For some reason, I had a feeling it was going to be a good year :-)

Now, for these articles, I usually throw around some opinions and constructive criticisms. I'm going to keep all feelings aside and just report on some need to know facts about these bands to make your experience at the festival a little more enjoyable. If you know of someone going to the festival, pass the articles along and get them just as stoked as we are!

It's really entertaining and exciting when you get to write about bands you've been addicted to ever since they came into your life. These guys have been on my playlist for longer than most bands I care to listen to. After hearing "Cloud Connected" and finding out there are many albums before that, I was hooked! In Flames have been a very consistent live band and always have an energetic crowd to follow suit. They are at the forefront of Swedish death metal and are constantly changing their song dynamics with every album. For today, AFGM brings you IN FLAMES!

(Photo courtesy of IF Facebook)

In Flames was formed by Jesper Strömblad back in 1990. The band as it was at the time consisted of Jesper, Johan Larsson and Glenn Ljungström. A demo was recorded and soon after the band got a record deal and released “Lunar Strain” and it did not take long before the album was a classic in the fast growing Scandinavian death metal scene.

(Photo courtesy of IF Facebook)

In Flames consists of:

Anders Fridén – Vocals | Björn Gelotte – Guitar | Daniel Svensson – Drums | Peter Iwers – Bass Guitar | Niclas Engelin – Guitar

With a new line up consisting of Jesper, Johan & Glenn along with two new additions: Anders Fridén on vocals and Björn Gelotte on drums, In Flames signed a license deal with Nuclear Blast Records and soon started recording the follow up: 'The Jester Race'.

'The Jester Race' quickly became a big hit all across Europe and Japan. After the recording of 'Whoracle' in 1997 Johan and Glenn decided to leave the band and Peter Iwers (bass) joined. Niklas Engelin (Gardenian, Engel) was temporarily in the band filling in on guitars.

With a fresh line up the band set sails and headed out on tour. Short after a very successful European tour Niklas had to focus on his other projects, and Björn switched from drums to guitar and Daniel Svensson joined the band, and this is the In Flames as we know it today. With the completion of the line up 'Colony' was recorded and released in 1999.

(Photo courtesy of IF Facebook)

'Colony' took In Flames to a new level and the band sold out venues across Europe, USA and Japan and quickly became one of the biggest and most popular Melodic Death Metal acts around.

'Clayman' which was released in 2000 even topped its predecessor and the awards started pouring in and the band kept growing in popularity. In 2001 'The Tokyo Showdown', In Flames first live album was released, and gave the public and insight to the band’s live competence.

Modern and more mature 'Reroute To Remain' (2002) again confirmed the status of In Flames and marked another milestone in their career. Two years later and it was time to take In Flames to a new level. 'Soundtrack To Your Escape' did just that and was the logical continuation after 'Reroute To Remain'. In Flames continued to tour the world and documented these escapades, which resulted in the release of the phenomenal DVD/CD package 'Used And Abused – In Live We Trust' in 2005.

(Photo courtesy of IF Facebook)

With an incredibly successful world tour behind them, In Flames recorded the masterpiece 'Come Clarity' which was released in March 2006. 'Come Clarity' got an amazing reception in the media and has today sold over 400,000 copies worldwide. The song 'Take This Life' from the album is featured on the new 'Guitar Hero III' game. A game which has been deemed the bestselling video game of all times and has today sold six million copies.

In Flames have sold over 2 million albums worldwide to date!!!

In January 2010, Jesper Srömblad quit the band.

To be continued..

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In Flames will be touring in support of their tenth studio album, "Sounds of a Playground Fading" but will most likely play a huge selection of fan favourite songs (which is not uncommon for most bands that have 10+ albums). SOAPF was released on June 15th, 2011 via Century Media/Razzia. Make note, this was the first album recorded by In Flames without founding guitarist Jesper Strömblad, who left the band in February, 2010.

1. Sounds of a Playground Fading

2. Deliver Us

3. All for Me

4. The Puzzle

5. Fear Is the Weakness

6. Where the Dead Ships Dwell

7. The Attic

8. Darker Times

9. Ropes

10. Enter Tragedy

11. Jester's Door

12. A New Dawn

13. Liberation

Japanese Edition

14. Deliver Us (Instrumental version)

iTunes Deluxe Edition

1. Deliver Us (Music Video)

14. Darker Times (Eagleclaw Remix)

Deluxe edition DVD

1. Sounds of a Playground Fading" (Studio report)

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Now keep in mind for the reviews, this was the first time that Bjorn did not have Jesper co-writing the material for the album and thus, sat kind of flat with some critics. Now regardless of a few lame reviews from their 10th studio album, it's safe to say that these guys have been rather consistent in their album progression and have always been pioneer in Swedish death metal. Even though SOAPF was not a strong album in the critic's mind, lets not forget that these guys have composed some of modern metal's greatest albums, such as Whoracle, Colony and/or Reroute To Remain.

(Taken from "Reroute To Remain")

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"On Sounds of a Playground Fading, the band’s tenth studio album, In Flames officially complete their transition from Swedish melodic death metal pioneers to unpredictable Swedish progressive pop/rock/neo-classical metal innovators. Their first outing without founding member and chief songwriter Jesper Strömblad (the 13 tracks rely solely on the music of Björn Gelotte and the lyrics of Anders Fridén), Playground Fading's technical acumen and slick infusion of modern rock dazzles for the most part, especially on stand-out tracks like “A New Dawn,” “Fear Is the Weakness,” and the soaring title cut, all of which, in true In Flames fashion, aim for the bleachers and end up exploding into the night sky, but for all of the bells and whistles, there’s not a whole lot of variety to be had here. Bombastic and synth-heavy, Sounds of a Playground Fading is filled with more radio-ready moments than any of the group’s previous outings, which may divide some longtime fans, but it’s as epic as Scandinavia is cold, which is after all, the band’s trademark." -All Music

(Photo courtesy of IF Facebook)

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"Anders has never really been a standout addition to the band. He was a capable vocalist back when the only thing he had to do was growl, but he has struggled as the band have continued to diversify. His gritty vocal delivery often drifts into a nasally rasp that is neither powerful nor enjoyable. This is often compounded by the fact that his vocal melodies end up sounding awkward, flat and generally a little monotone. It just seems that he can’t deliver a truly compelling harsh vocal style anymore, and it has a tendency to diminish a song’s power. While this problem is a near-constant issue, it is most noticeable during slower sections such as the backend of 'All For Me' which is easily one of his most tone-deaf deliveries to date. In his defense he has improved in other areas, though. When Anders first started experimenting with clean vocals they were mostly passable due to their novelty and infrequent use, but as they have become more prominent they have often totally ruined songs with their atonal squeal. On this album, however, it’s the choruses that generally feature some of Anders’ best work. This can be attributed, in part, to studio effects as they often layer and harmonize his voice during the choruses, but it is also obvious that he has become much more comfortable with his singing.

(Photo courtesy of IF Facebook)

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Sounds of a Playground Fading shares absolutely nothing with the band’s earliest material, but it may surprise some that the band haven’t stumbled due to the loss of Jesper Strömblad. With Björn Gelotte’s guidance, In Flames have picked up right where they left off and have delivered an excellent and diverse collection of songs that mark the band’s most effective use of electronics yet. This is coupled with a resurgence in guitar harmonies and solos that provide an outstanding contrast to the band’s riffier style. The fatal flaw that plagues this album is the questionable vocals of Anders Fridén. Fortunately, about eighty-five percent of his vocal performance is passable but the terrific music deserves more than an average vocal accompaniment and it ultimately suffers from it. Basically, fans of In Flames’ last four albums are sure to find plenty to enjoy on Sounds of Playground Fading as it is easily better than a lot of what they’ve done recently, but it could have been so much more if the vocals could be anything more than adequate." -Spunik Music

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"The album title does little for confidence, but album number ten actually isn't as bad as the title would imply. This is the same In Flames as the last albums, but the quality of songs is a level higher. The album has some nice songs on it, especially at the front and back ends with 'Deliver Us' and the lively 'The Puzzle' from the beginning, and 'A New Dawn' near the end. There are some nice hooks and melodies here, last track 'Liberation' could easily be a metal cover of a pop song. For the most part of the album, In Flames do what they have been doing quite successfully recently, which is churning out incredibly modern-sounding metal for the masses.

(Photo courtesy of IF Facebook)

Although the band have still not come close to topping their Reroute To Remain and Soundtrack To Your Escape albums in this style, the sounds coming from this apparent fading playground actually do have the potential to grow and perhaps become that adored album by some teenager discovering the world of metal. Now without founding member Jesper, Sounds Of A Playground Fading further solidifies the band's musical direction, with only the odd small throw back to times of past. This might be a better album than A Sense Of Purpose, but In Flames continue to push the envelope in the same direction that ultimately just isn't very interesting." -Metal Storm

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For more information on In Flames, be sure to check them out at any of the following official links: