The Band:
Anders Friden - Vocals
Bjorn Gelotte - Guitar
Jesper Stromblad - Guitar
Peter Iwers - Bass
Daniel Svensson - Drums
Orjan Ornkloo - Keyboards/Programming (he may not actually be in the band, but was listed in the back. Since there is alot of keyboard work, I have included him)
Overall View of the Album:
It's loud, it's heavy, it's headbangable. It's obvious there was some experimentation that went on here, but most of it's not bad. Anders is a great death metal singer, IMO, because he knows how to be violent without totally compromising the lyrics, or one's ability to understand them.
Likes:
Insane guitar riffage
Intense rhythm section
Anders' singing style
The softer songs
Dislikes:
Shorter songs
A lot of chorus repetition
Rating: 4/5
You'd have to absolutley hate all forms of death metal to not get into this I think. Hell, I used to hate it all too...but these guys I can dig, alot. They know how to be loud, violent, heavy, and can do it without making me want to strangle their singer. Great album for anyone new to death metal, or anyone wanting to add to their death metal collection...
The Tracks:
Reroute to Remain (3:53)
Opens with some ominious keyboard work, followed by what I assume are trademark machine-gun riffs from the guitars, drums. There is a nice, almost soloish lead into the verse. I love In Flames partly because of Anders singing style, he has the ability to be incredibly heavy, but he does not sing in incredibly low and undecipherable tones. The chorus of the song returns, in part, to the soloish lead riff, and Anders has some sort of vocal harmony going on behind him. The bass in this song is actually quite noticable, as far as death metal goes. He's not sitting back there constantly on the root note (usually a dropped C in their case). Another strong chorus, a bridge section, then we get a guitar solo from I assume Bjorn...chorus, and the song ends on machine gun riffage
System (3:39)
Opens immediatly with the heavy riffage, and Anders singing pretty fast, and kinda low. The structure of this song is a bit weird, at least to me. After all this insanity, the intensity drops off, and Anders sings slower, but quite nicely, as the keyboards, guitar back him up, with a hearable bass harmony. The chorus of the song is heavier, but still retains that slightly slower feel to it. Return to machine-gun riffage, like the beginning of the song, then another chorus. A bridge section that is quite heavy, followed by what sounds almost like a keyboard solo of sorts. It doesn't sound like guitar. Another slower section, another chorus, but it's slightly modified this time. End on a note from Anders
Drifter (3:10)
Opens very in-your-face, machine-gun, whatever you want to call it. The main riff is quite fast, slightly faster than the opening. Anders is louder in this song, more in-your-face as well. The chorus has a less-than-machine gun riff, with some vocal harmonizing behind Anders, sounds really cool. Back to the opening riff, then another verse, another chorus. A bridge section, with guitar solo, but it's pretty short..chorus..ends on machine-gunning
Trigger (4:58)
Opens with heavy riff (duh) and a lead guitar line over it. Guitars in the verse aren't constant, but come in and are still heavy. The chorus, if you can call it that, has Anders singing low and throaty, but still not too low. Well, maybe that wasn't the chorus, cause another part that sounds like a chorus comes in. Add some vocal harmonies behind Anders again for the chorus...nother verse, chorus, then bridge with guitar solo...it's kinda short here too...sorta...the bridge section continues after the solo. We get another weird section, some vocal distortion over Anders, then another chorus, then a chorus with the vocal distortion. This song fades out over a chorus
Cloud Connected (3:40)
The single, and one of my favorite songs. Opens with a synth line, then guitars come roaring in, with a keyboard melody behind it. Main melody comes in, it's loud, it's fast. Yeah. :cool: Anyway...guitars drop out at first for the verse, but they come back. Tiny interlude, more verse. Lots of screaming. Chorus has more vocal harmonies, and has some killer drum fills. Right back into the verse, pretty much the same way as before. Another chorus, then a bridge section with guitar solo. I've been told that Bjorn does the first one, and Jesper gets the second one, but it could easily be one solo. I don't know, I like it anyway. End with another chorus or so, and fade out with synths
Transparent (4:03)
Opens with a very heavy slide riff from the guitar, then the second guitar joins. This riff carries the band into the verse, which is accented by a modification of this verse after the lyrics stop. In what I think is a continuation of the verse, the riff changes slightly, then the chorus comes in. Some vocal distortion over Anders again, the riff here, heavy, but slightly slower. There is a bar or so break with some distorted bass before leading back into a verse. Another chorus, bridge section, guitar solo. It's not too long, but it's not as short as some of the previous ones. Lead into another chorus, followed by a pseudo-chorus, and some intense riffage to end.
Dawn of a New Day (3:40)
This song is a step or three down from every other song. Slower, with acoustic guitars, it's a bit more melodic. This is as close to a ballad as you can get here I think, Anders singing is hypnotizing here. Good melodies in the guitars, I think there might be some electric in the back doing not quite a solo, but some sort of melody...it's not overdriven though...at least I don't think it is. Break about 1:50 or so when this melody turns into a solo and is clearly evident. It's effected somehow, but not with distortion. Another chorus, with Anders' beautiful melody accented with a sample of him screaming behind him. They keep repeating the chorus, and fade out..
Egonomic (2:36)
Shortest song on here, gets right back to being in-your-face. Anders actually gets partially lost under the barrage of guitars and drums, I can't really understand what he's saying here, at least in the verse. The chorus comes in...I dunno...it sounds too happy in my opinion, if such a thing can exist...I like the guitar riffages occurring, but..I don't know...there's a bridge, a semi-solo at about 1:40 or so..it's not too long, and not even a true solo...some heavyness interjects before the happy chorus...they redeem themselves by ending with a harsh scream and intense riffs...
Minus (3:45)
Starts out..heavy...but...eh...sounds too happy as well. At least the beginning of the riff did, which is weird. The singing reaffirms it as being harsh, at least a little bit...Anders does some weird singing in the chorus, or a section of the chorus...he sings higher, and, I dunno..it reminds me of something that isn't quite death metal. Back to the verse...another chorus section...this song disturbs me at times, and not in a good way...we do get a section that has a guitar solo, but it's semi overshadowed...until it breaks free..I like it, but again, it feels almost too happy too me...back to a chorus-ish section...they go to an instrumental ending, with a riff that sounds like the solo...
Dismiss the Cynics (3:38)
Opens with machine-gunning, and some bending/pinch harmonics that sound almost like something out of Zakk Wylde's playbook...guitars do that drop-out-but-come-back-every-few-seconds thing, in the verse, leaving bass and drums to keep it going. The section before the chorus, does weird sh*t with Anders' voice, and gets softer before breaking it open again with the chorus, his voice being effected again somehow. Back to the machine-gunning, but that doesn't last long before breaking into the chorus again. A bridge section, with..some work on the keys it sounds like...very interesting...has almost an orchestral feel to it. A guitar solo, but no overdrive...but yet they give the bass some distortion...:confused:...oh well, they all come back together for for another chorus...ah, now he screams in the chorus...he should've been doing that all along. Ends with the opening riff.
Free Fall (3:58)
Opening melody is...interesting...sounds like a music box or something almost. I love it. Guitars come in, and mimic that melody. Sounds great. They drop out for a second, then the verse starts. It's mainly bass/drums again, until the guitars come back in. They keyboard keeps a weird melody going on behind the guitars, but drops out a few seconds later. This one is slower paced than most of their songs, but not to the extent of Dawn of a New Day..it's still heavy...the chorus is based off that opening melody, it's very large sounding with the keyboards behind guitars. Lather, rinse, repeat. Move into bridge with guitar solo...again it's not insanely long, but cool. Go back to the opening melody, and some strings behind it. Another chorus, fade out.
Dark Signs (3:20)
Opens immediatly with a lead line, goes right into the verse, based on bass/drums. Back to opening line. This might be the only song where the double bass drum is constant in the verse. Move onto a chorus, with some vocal harmonizing behind Anders...sounds interesting...some sort of additional harmonizing with the keyboards behind the band on the chorus...back to the opening line, verse, chorus...a bridge section that's fast, and has screaming...modified riff...more bridge...guitar solo...it's not bad, but it reminds me of the entrance riff...repeat chorus, go back to the bridge sort of riff...end it
Metaphor (3:39)
This track is remenscient of Dawn of a New day...a solid bassline, and almost dueling clean electric guitar melodies. Anders' singing is robust here, not alot of screaming, with some harmonies...this song has a violin player in it..I love the feeling that is provided here...it's a really different sound, but it's...calming...another verse, another chorus section with violin...a bridge section, with a violin solo...drums get very tribal like here, I like the beat they provide...guitars are barely audible, and God knows what happened to the bass...Anders sings a little to lead back into a chorus...or two...then we get more of the guitars...and a mini solo of sorts with one of them...fade out on this melody...
Black and White (3:33)
Right back to in-your-face heavyness...drums are pronounced on this one, providing the 'melody' under the singing...bass is distorted at times...Anders kinda gets lost in this one too, at times, but the guitars are heavy...break into a chorus..oh, there's Anders...riff is slightly less than heavy for chorus, but goes right back to heavy...back to verse...another lead in to, followed by, the chorus...back to heavy, back to screaming...chug chug chug...then a guitar solo comes in...it's short...back to heavy...this section is almost like a verse, but with constant guitars..and some sort of guitar melody under it as well...back to the chug...and they hold and fade out, with some ambience from the keys under them...things get wacky, and then they end.
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