Band:	In Flames
Album:	Reroute To Remain
Style:	Alternative metal, Gothenburg metal
Release date:	September 2002

01. Reroute To Remain
02. System
03. Drifter
04. Trigger
05. Cloud Connected
06. Transparent
07. Dawn Of A New Day
08. Egonomic
09. Minus
10. Dismiss The Cynics
11. Free Fall
12. Dark Signs
13. Metaphor
14. Black & White

This is it. The infamous album. The album where In Flames definitely left the underground and joined the mainstream. The sound could be heard on the "Cloud Connected" single released prior to this album (which is strange because this is one of the least interesting tracks on the album) and caused quite a stir in the metal press. Some hailed the new sound, some hated it, but the fact (as seen from this time distance) is that the whole thing was exaggerated and the change isn't THAT drastic. It is just the next step in the speeding evolution of their music. Listen to any track from "Clayman" before these ones to see what I'm talking about.

The album sets sail with "Reroute To Remain," one of the best tracks, with some nice keyboard work lifting you up and throwing you right into the middle of the atmosphere which is found throughout the entire album. And it just keeps flowing. "System," "Trigger," "Drifter," "Egonomic," similar in style, but very diverse, so that there is no chance of repetitiveness. "Trigger," specifically, is a killer track with a fantastic chorus and is rightfully claimed to be one of the best In Flames songs ever! After a few tracks comes another great (often underrated) track, "Dismiss The Cynics," grooving all over the place. Then the album starts to settle down slowly coming to the last track, "Black & White," a more accessible (or mainstream-oriented, if you wish) track. It would also be fair to mention 2 acoustic pieces, "Dawn Of A New Day" and "Metaphor," nice compositions contributing to the previously mentioned atmosphere.

So, what taste does this one leave? Well, when I first heard it I thought "this is a fine piece of metal, what's all the fuss about?" and to be honest I'm not too clear about this even nowadays. This is no radical sellout, no revolutionary genre-change. In fact, I consider this album to be better than "Clayman." This is what In Flames wanted to do - these songs don't sound as if the band members sat down and said "OK, now we will compose a mainstream song!"... The only major change is that the band became much more present in the media with this release, mostly because they made videos for the most popular songs, which then acquired more plays on the radio, etc., but this has probably got more to do with the label than the band members. I cannot say that they don't sound more accessible, but if they made 5 copies of "The Jester Race" everyone would be complaining in the same way they do with Obituary, Deicide and Suffocation today. Don't be affected by the metal scene's narrow-mindedness. This album has sold really well and it isn't without reason. I'm not saying that it is the best In Flames album, the early works remain classic works, but this one merits your attention as well.