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In Flames was the band that opened the gateway to the metal dimension for me, 15 years ago. I've recently rediscovered them, giving even their newer albums serious consideration, after being separated for about 10 years, and as such, I think they deserve a list of their own, best to worst, with some comments. I included the two EPs "The Mirror's Truth" and "Subterranean", as they contain more than one new original song. Unfortunately this excludes two of my favourite IF songs, Goliaths Disarm Their Davids and Watch Them Feed. Compiling this list, I realise I very much look forward to IF's next release!
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1.
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In Flames - Colony
1999 - The definitive IF album, to be sure. Perfect melodies balanced with aggression, awesome production, great vocals. Not much more to say: it's perfect. Best songs: Coerced Coexistence, Scorn, Colony, The New Word, Zombie, Inc. |
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2.
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In Flames - The Jester Race
1996 - By many considered the best IF album of all time, and perhaps the best melodic death metal album of all time (competing with Slaughter of the Soul and The Gallery?). I used to think so too, but now I feel some songs (The Jester's Dance, The Jester Race, Wayfaerer) ruin the flow of the album. Still, a 10, hands down, with many classic melodies. Best songs: Artifacts of the Black Rain, Moonshield, Lord Hypnos, Dead God in Me, December Flower. |
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3.
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In Flames - Subterranean
1994 - I've long searched for a band that plays in this raw melodic death metal style with these exquisite dual guitar lines, but alas, I only have this EP. My dream is to see IF perform this EP live, but that won't happen, unfortunately. This would be my favourite IF album if it was more of an album, and less a collection of awesome songs. Best songs: All, but Everdying deserves special mention. |
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4.
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In Flames - Reroute To Remain
2002 - Controversy #1. What, Reroute to Remain as #4? Incredible. While RtR suffers from a grainy production and some fillers à la Transparent and Dismiss the Cynics, it features some of IF's catchiest choruses ever. Even though many fans see this as a watershed moment into mediocrity, I love it. Best songs: Reroute to Remain, Dark Signs, Metaphor, Egonomic, Free Fall, Cloud Connected. |
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5.
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In Flames - Battles
2016 - Ultra-big controversy #2. Their newest offering, and a great one at that. This album saw IF dropping most tendencies of aggression to a more pop-metal oriented sound, and I hated it so much at first. This is not melodic death in any way. But I just keep coming back to it; the melodies are just exquisite, and Anders newly found emo-voice really works on this album. Every day I have a different favourite track, it feels like. I would enjoy some more up-tempo and growl of course, but still stellar. The bonus tracks too are just too good. Save Me's opening always destroys the mood though. Best songs: Greatest Greed, Through My Eyes, The End, In My Room, Battles. |
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6.
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In Flames - Soundtrack To Your Escape
2004 - IF goes nu metal. Another one for the black list according to many fans, but if this is nu metal, IF simply shows here that nu metal is not necessarily garbage. The biggest flaws of this album are the simplistic drumming (especially the noticeable lack of double pedalling) and the mostly uninspired soli. Still, it contains Touch of Red, one of IF's best songs, and The Quiet Place gets a mention since it got me through difficult times in high school. :) Best songs: Touch of Red, Bottled, F(r)iend, Dial 595-Escape, The Quiet Place. |
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7.
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In Flames - Clayman
2000 - The gateway into metal for a 15-year-old David, I absolutely loved it back in the days. Although, as of late, I find myself revisiting it extremely rarely. Loved for its melodies and catchiness, it lacks from poor song-writing. Many songs are filler-esque, but there are many gems as well, and the melodies are just classic. Contains the crowd jump-favourite Only for the Weak, which is a plus. Best songs: Pinball Map, Satellites and Astronauts, Another Day in Quicksand, Square Nothing. |
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8.
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In Flames - A Sense Of Purpose
2008 - The album that made me drop IF for almost 10 years. Revisiting it now, I realise it is a great piece of work. Also dubbed "A Lack of Purpose" by some butthurt fans, A Sense of Purpose features tons of nice melodies and choruses. Sure, the vocals continued Come Clarity's more emotional emotional tendency (I like them to be honest), some cringe worthy lyrics ("I feel like shit, but at least I feel something" - Disconnected), and, the biggest sin, the album suffers from a lack of high-pace songs. Melody-wise and chorus-wise though, the album is on par with Colony in my book, but the lack of variation brings it down. Best songs: I'm the Highway, March to the Shore, Drenched in Fear, The Chosen Pessimist. |
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9.
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In Flames - Whoracle
1997 - Considered by many one of IF's hallmark albums, I do not share that sentiment. The album from their four Gothenburg album streak that doesn't manage to entice me in the way that the other albums of this era does. Sure, it contains some classics like Jotun and Episode 666, but all in all the sweet melodies take a backseat to more complex drumming and darker riffing. To the detriment of this album unfortunately, as IF shines when it comes to melodies. Had Goliaths Disarm Their Davids - IF's best song ever - been included on this album, the ranking would be much higher. Best songs: Whoracle, Worlds Within the Margin, Jotun, Episode 666. |
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10.
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In Flames - Sounds Of A Playground Fading
2011 - The post-Rtr IF album that most resembles earlier In Flames, barring the lack of pace changes. Melodic as hell, although with slightly grating vocals somewhere in between growling and screaming. I enjoy this album as a whole very much, but unfortunately it lacks standout tracks. Deliver Us is incredible though. Best songs: Deliver Us, The Attic, The Puzzle, Sounds of a Playground Fading. |
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11.
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In Flames - Siren Charms
2014 - Fans see this album as when IF went from mediocre to shit. By all means, it is not their best album to date, nowhere near in fact. But it's also not the pile of shit that people make it out to be. No more death metal for sure, no "real" growls, of course. But what drags this album down is rather the persistence in churning out slow-paced songs, one after the other, even though many are quite good (not excellent). However, whenever the pace picks up, it's as enjoyable as ever, and you understand how the low pace is damaging the album. You can feel that it is a deeply personal album though. It's a shame that the bonus song is the best on the album. Best songs: Become the Sky, In Plain View, Everything's Gone, When the World Explodes. |
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12.
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In Flames - Lunar Strain
1994 - The only LP featuring another singer than Fridén: his old pal Stanne. A rawer and more brutal IF than what was to come, experimenting with folk-inspired melodies. My younger I always had difficulty appreciating the approach IF took here, but now I can see it for what it is: a solid melodic death metal album. I can never shake of the feeling, however, that the production kept this album from reaching its full potential. Best songs: Starforsaken, In Flames, Lunar Strain. |
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13.
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In Flames - The Mirror's Truth
2008 - The add-on to A Sense of Purpose. Three new OK songs, but not much more, unfortunately. The lack of super-moments puts this one way down there. Best songs: None unfortunately. |
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14.
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In Flames - Come Clarity
2006 - When this album was released, I loved it; it broke the direction of the previous two, and went for a more dynamic sound akin to the pre-RtR era. Is what I thought at the time at least. In hindsight it gives the impression of being too long for its own good, with too many fillers not leading anywhere. And some plain bad. The production also, totally different from its predecessor and successor, is clamorous. Some songs are still worthy of attention though. Best songs: Leeches, Crawl Through Knives, Pacing Death's Trail, Reflect the Storm. |
Disclaimer: All top lists are unofficial and do not represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
[ More lists by Kuroboshi ]
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