In Flames - Soundtrack To Your Escape review
| Band: | In Flames |
| Album: | Soundtrack To Your Escape |
| Style: | Alternative metal, Gothenburg metal |
| Release date: | March 29, 2004 |
| Guest review by: | Spyroid |
Disc I
01. F(r)iend
02. The Quiet Place
03. Dead Alone
04. Touch Of Red
05. Like You Better Dead
06. My Sweet Shadow
07. Evil In A Closet
08. In Search For I
09. Borders And Shading
10. Superhero Of The Computer Rage
11. Dial 595-Escape
12. Bottled
13. Discover Me Like Emptiness [Digipak bonus]
Disc II [Ozzfest special edition bonus DVD]
01. The Quiet Place [video]
02. Touch Of Red [video]
03. Watch Them Feed [Live in wacken open air 2003]
04. Only For The Weak [Live in wacken open air 2003]
+ The Making Of "Soundtrack To Your Escape" [feat. producer Daniel Bergstrand]
If you just see my rating and believe that I am some kind of strange trend follower or metal kid I would like to tell you that my relation to and opinion of this album is completely healthy. As it should be, by no means objective - my opinion is totally based upon when I first heard it at the age of 13. As such a young and untainted kid, I more or less only listened to NWOBHM bands, but I also liked to listen to a Swedish radio show that played rock and metal music. One evening they happened to have an In Flames special with interviews, and most of Soundtrack To Your Escape - their latest release - was played. I was completely stunned - I had never before liked any music with growl/shrieks but this was amazing! I could not believe that you could blend melody with extreme elements in such an awesome way. The day after I went to a store and used my savings to buy it, and I listened to it way too much.
Today I'm not that over excited about it, but I still think it's underrated and very good. The atmosphere that lies over the album is very cool and original. Keyboards, production and also the lyrics (and even the awesome booklet) contribute to a very unique feeling that makes me think of big cities, suburbs and darkness. That might be the best thing, but there are also a lot of good songs and great melodies and riffs. There are too many songs that I don't like to give a higher overall rating but the good songs are really something special.
As mentioned I still like it even though I'm no In Flames fan at all. I don't think it sounds like any other release by any band and it is probably my favourite In Flames album. I am very grateful to this album because it made my taste in music very much broader. If you think they sold out, try to listen to it without thinking of their older works.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 8 |
| Songwriting: | 7 |
| Originality: | 10 |
| Production: | 9 |
Written by Spyroid | 23.10.2008
Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
Rating:
8.5
8.5
|
Rating: 8.5 |
After the surprise of "Reroute to Remain", In Flames show that they want to solidify their new musical approach. The intention of creating a modern and refreshing new sound is transmitted perfectly in this album. The alternative influences from Industrial Metal are clearer and the reality of the sound and style is also more perceptible. Read more ›› |
Comments
Comments: 14
Visited by: 97 users
| Shadowcross The Summoner Posts: 481  |
I understand what you are coming from, some of the music I liked when I was younger still sounds good to me, just for nostalgia and memory's sake. When you first hear a band play one style, the other stuff seems alien in comparison and thats how I feel about In Flames. Some of the songs on this album are okay, but by the 5th or 6th track it gets really stale. I actually can't stomach it, Reroute is similar for me. My first In Flames album was The Jester Race and that has stayed my favourite, followed by Lunar Strain (very close 2nd), then Whoracle. I just found that stuff so much more mature and the lyrics were poetic, thematic and so well written.
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| Spyroid Rosetta Stoned Posts: 1023  |
Written by Shadowcross on 23.10.2008 at 18:02 I think one reason that I liked this album was my mind was totally clean from ideas of what was sell-out, mainstream, true or whatever. I hadn't heard anything else by In Flames at all either. I'm not sure I would've liked it today, even if I like some tracks from their two latest albums, but my opinion sticks since I've heard the album so many times and it's hard to just turn away from that.
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| iaberis Advice Troll Posts: 1698  |
Kinda same here, my first was Calyman and still remains my fav.
---- Bitch! Please
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| Katatronik Angel of Lust Posts: 1018  |
Still for me with Reroute to Remain, with Clayman close 2nd... Good album anyway, though a bit boring in the last songs...
---- "The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown." Howard Phillips Lovecraft
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| Spyroid Rosetta Stoned Posts: 1023 |
Written by Katatronik on 24.10.2008 at 14:33 I like B&S, and Superhero was the first song I heard from the album so I really like that one aswell. But otherwise I agree, the last two are the worst tracks on the album.
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| Deadmeat Necrobutcher Posts: 2437  |
Sorry but imo the: originallity 10 is much wrong...
---- Υou've sold your human essence to the cold world of dead and empty things... You're SOLD!
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| Spyroid Rosetta Stoned Posts: 1023 |
Written by Deadmeat on 17.05.2009 at 13:29 Maybe to you, but I've never heard an album with a similar atmosphere.
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| Deadmeat Necrobutcher Posts: 2437 |
Written by Spyroid on 18.05.2009 at 18:44 the "originality" rating doesn't have to do with the atmosphere. or it has just a litle to do with the atmosphere. atmosphere is a trick of production. and ok, nice atmosphere i like it to but you can't say that the music of this album is played for the first time...
---- Υou've sold your human essence to the cold world of dead and empty things... You're SOLD!
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| Spyroid Rosetta Stoned Posts: 1023 |
Written by Deadmeat on 18.05.2009 at 18:47 Who decided that? Too me, originality is all about the sound of the music AND production combined - the total sound that the album creates. If you think that you can simply create any atmosphere just with production, you should listen to more atmospheric genres and bands  I'm sure they wouldn't agree with you...Of course there's similar music, but no other album in this genre griped me as much as this album (talking atmosphere) - thus the rating.
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| Deadmeat Necrobutcher Posts: 2437 |
Written by Spyroid on 18.05.2009 at 18:52 originality here in metalstorm is about the music writen by the bands. not howthey sound. that's why under the originality rating is the production rating. you can say that you love it's atmosphere. i find t ok and i like it too a lot. but originality is about the music writen...
---- Υou've sold your human essence to the cold world of dead and empty things... You're SOLD!
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| Spyroid Rosetta Stoned Posts: 1023 |
Written by Deadmeat on 18.05.2009 at 18:54 I guess you tell some staff member to delete my review then? Since it didn't get rejected I suppose the proofreaders don't share your opinion. What exactly are you meaning? That the music hasn't got anything to do with the sound? There's a rating for the production, but not for the originality of it, so I evaluated that together with the music in the originality rating - that's my explanation!
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| Deadmeat Necrobutcher Posts: 2437 |
Written by Spyroid on 18.05.2009 at 19:00 firt of all the proofreaders are not going to criticize your review when checking it unless it expresses extreme opinions. the readers of the review "critisize" it. yes i got your point. but did you get mine? if you like the atmosphere of the music and the sound you can say: i give extra points to production cause it sounds nice and to songwriting cause what i hear in the album is nice. but not in the originality section cause this has to do with: if the band "copies" their past, other bands, if they are innovative or not etc. did you get what i mean?
---- Υou've sold your human essence to the cold world of dead and empty things... You're SOLD!
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| Spyroid Rosetta Stoned Posts: 1023 |
Written by Deadmeat on 18.05.2009 at 19:07 My point is that if I've misunderstood the point system the reivew wouldn't be accepted by the proofreader. I totally get you! And I'd say; no, the band doesn't copy their past or any other band because the atmosphere - the TOTAL COMBINATION of production, songwriting and performance - can not be found on any other album by In Flames or another band, that I've heard. They might not be totally innovative genre-wise nowadays but the sound they created on this album is totally original to me.
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| Deadmeat Necrobutcher Posts: 2437 |
Written by Spyroid on 19.05.2009 at 19:52 ok then... it's just that our opinions differ on that...
---- Υou've sold your human essence to the cold world of dead and empty things... You're SOLD!
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