In Flames are a Swedish group who were formed back in 1990. Their sound started off as metal, but the group was one of a few who pioneered and developed melodic death metal as a genre in its own right. Over the years the band have released twelve full length studio albums, the first five of which came under the banner of melodic death metal. However their sixth record, Reroute To Remain released in 2002, marks the band’s shift towards more alternative metal. Its clear listening to the band’s latest album, Battles, that the band has stuck to that more alternative sound, and gained more mainstream success in the process. You can hear the first single from their latest record, titled The End, below:
Battles opens with Drained, a great track with awesome riffs throughout and a really catchy chorus. I had no idea what to expect listening to this record, as I’ve never followed In Flames as a band, so this was a great initiation for a newcomer to the band’s sound. This is followed by above single The End, which features a cracking guitar solo and female choir-style backing vocals which give the track a real atmosphere.
Lyrically the tracks switch between more introspective lyrics surrounding the songwriter’s personal life and his place in the universe. In the same vein, I like how some tracks are very melodic with great clean vocals and electronic elements, and others, like Through My Eyes, have chugging riffs and harsh vocals which hark back to In Flames’ melodic death metal past. Each track has a catchy chorus which helps to tie the album together.
For me, the highlight of the record is the epic seven-minute long Wallflower, a complex track with prog metal influences and lyrics discussing the challenges which come with growing older and reflecting on past mistakes. This song is absolutely massive and it honestly ended too soon for me.
Battles is a 14 track record, which is a pretty hefty offering that demonstrates that the band still has a lot to offer, even after multiple line-up changes and a massive change of sound. After listening to some of In Flames’ older music, I can understand why their fanbase is so conflicted: their sound is very different now to how it was back in the ’90s and early 2000s.
Overall, considering I went into reviewing this album completely blind, I’ve really enjoyed listening to Battles. I’m much less into more classic metal than I used to be in my younger teenage years, so that explains why I liked this record more than I liked what I heard of In Flames’ older music. I’ve always been a sucker for a monster chorus with catchy repetitive lyrics, and this album has those in droves. There are also plenty of electronic elements, interesting backing vocals, creative drum fills and guitar solos to keep me interested and listening intently.
So if you’re into In Flames’ older, pre-2002 music, this album probably won’t be for you. However if you liked the band’s newer releases, Battles is the logical follow-up to their 2014 record Siren Charms. Now that I’ve been introduced to In Flames, I’ll be following them much more closely in future.
Highlights: Drained, The Truth, Here Until Forever, Wallflower, Greatest Greed
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