Tough and aggressive metal is what its all about for me peppered with a bit of melody. Keeping this in mind you would think In Flames would be my ideal band. They know how to write big soaring choruses and they certainly aren’t lightweights in the riff department. So, where does it all go wrong on their eighth studio album?
Word on the street is that In Flames are making a massive effort to break into the American market with this album and those dreaded two words, “sell-outs” have been muttered in the metal community since the release of 2004’s Soundtrack To Your Escape. These factors seem to play a large part in the sound and dynamic of Come Clarity.
The album kicks off with the first single, Take This Life. The tight, heavy riffing joined with an infectious chorus is enough to bring any jaded fan back on board. Sadly this injection of heaviness slowly loses it’s impact as Come Clarit’ slips into a downhill spiral of mediocre tunes, off time drum beats and dare I say it, whiny Korn-esque vocals coupled with some very nu-metal sounding riffs.
Leeches and Reflect The Storm pass without incident or any hook. But it’s the fourth track Dead End that takes Come Clarity to an all time low. Even though this is In Flames third song to feature female vocals (this time they are provided by Swedish pop star Lisa Miskovsky) this effort comes off sounding suspiciously like the angst-ridden Evanescence.
As if to compensate this, the band hit back with Scream and set a pattern, which seems to last for the remainder of the album… one good song, one crap song, etc. It’s as if the band have made a conscious effort to answer critics by producing a number of tracks that would not have been out of place on 2000’s Clayman and disguise them amongst a selection of second rate riffs and terribly whiny vocals. Long time fans will be well aware of the band’s reluctance to produce similar sounding albums but it seems that Come Clarity is an indication of the direction the band wish to take. However, rather than produce a radically different sounding album the band mix up their old school sound with a newer and more disappointing selection of songs.
There is enough on this album to keep older fans happy and also attract a newer (and younger) audience. There are some great Euro-metal moments and some riffs Dragonforce would be proud of, but overall this album is not for me. Even though it closes quite strongly I can’t help but feel I have seen into the future of In Flames’ endeavours… a future that does not lie in my album collection.
How much you enjoy this album really depends on when you were introduced to In Flames. If it was around the Reroute To Remain/Soundtrack To Your Escape era then get your sticky paws on Come Clarity. If you’re a fan of Jester Race’/’Whoracle and In Flames have been steadily declining since, then this album may just collect dust on your shelf.
Shigeru
said ages ago