The Gothenburg Project 11.20.08: In Flames, Part 2
Posted by Matt Shoemaker on 11.20.2008
The middle ground of In Flames' work is showcased this week, as I take a look at the C albums, Colony and Clayman.
Sorry for not posting anything last week. I had a personal emergency that came up last minute, and was unable to finish the column. I'm sure all like, 3 people who read this are devastated.
Let's get right down to business, as I've been sick all week, and need some sleep.
Last week, I took a look at the first third of In Flames' discography, Lunar Strain, The Jester's Race and Whoracle. To jump back into the history part of things, after the release of Whoracle, Niklas Engelin quit the band. Bjorn Gelotte then moved from drums to guitar,a nd the band recruited Daniel Svensson to hit the skins. The band quickly went back to the studio, and put out Colony.
Album Info
Recorded: 1998-1999, Studio Fredman Released: June 22, 1999 Produced By: Fredrik Nordstrom, In Flames
Track Listing
1. "Embody the Invisible" 3:37
2. "Ordinary Story" 4:16
3. "Scorn" 3:37
4. "Colony" 4:39
5. "Zombie Inc." 5:05
6. "Pallar Anders Visa" (In English: "Thief Anders Song") 1:41
7. "Coerced Coexistence" 4:14
8. "Resin" 3:21
9. "Behind Space '99" 3:58
10. "Insipid 2000" 3:45
11. "The New Word" 3:18
I wish I was more in touch with this album. Much like Jester's Race and Lunar Strain, I don't listen to this album that much, aside from a few tracks. This album did, however, give me my first exposure to In Flames, through the Tony Hawk's Underground video game soundtrack, which featured "Embody The Invisible", which is one of the highlights of the album.
"Colony" is a very odd track, blending aggression and a more mellow pace to create an odd fusion of sounds that have grown on me a lot in the past year or so. I hated the song when I first heard it, but between the interesting lyrics and one of the best openings the band has ever done, I can't help but love the song now.
The album also features a couple of re-done songs from the Lunar Strain days, "Behind Space 99" and "Clad in Shadows 99", which appears only on the Japanese bonus edition. Both songs sound far better than they did back in the early 90's, and it helps to cement the fact that Anders was probably born to sing for this band, as everything just sounds right on the two remasters.
Rating: 7.5/10
"Colony" Live Video
After the release of Colony, the band toured for about a year, then went back into the studio and put out one of their best albums to date, Clayman.
Album Info
Recorded: Studio Fredman (no year given) Released: July 25, 2000 Produced by: Fredrik Nordstrom, In Flames
Track Listing
1. "Bullet Ride" 4:42
2. "Pinball Map" 4:08
3. "Only for the Weak" 4:55
4. "...As the Future Repeats Today" 3:27
5. "Square Nothing" 3:57
6. "Clayman" 3:28
7. "Satellites and Astronauts" 5:00
8. "Brush the Dust Away" 3:17
9. "Swim" 3:14
10. "Suburban Me" 3:35
11. "Another Day in Quicksand" 3:56
12. "Strong and Smart" (Bonus Track, No Fun at All cover) - 2:22
13. "World of Promises" (Bonus Track, Treat cover) - 3:49
As previously mentioned, this is one of the band's best albums. Everything clicks perfectly from start to finish.
And it seems that everyone brought their A-game for this album as well. The guitars are amazing, especially on "Only For The Weak", "Clayman", and "Swim", which has a seriously catchy riff that (I think) uses a wah wah pedal. "Bullet Ride" and "Satellites and Astronauts" are also amazing, with the latter opening with a fantastic acoustic intro that leads perfectly into a heavy riff, before switching back to the first riff's tempo, keeping it at a slow, but brooding pace that allows the song to fall back into a heavier tone whenever it wants.
"Clayman" is one of the best examples to use in identifying a track where everything comes together to a point to create a small piece of perfection. The riff used for the intro/chorus, as well as the drums that go along with it, is powerful, catchy, and explosive, while the lyrics are perfectly tailored to match. Anders' screams fade into a kind of tortured singing that matches the lyrics to a T.
The covers included on the bonus version of the album are fucking amazing. I've never heard the originals, but the fact that the covers are so powerful give me some kind of weird faith that songs from the 80's that I've never heard of could be . Good. Ew. I feel kind of dirty saying that. I'm not big on 80's music.
To this point, this is the band's best album. There is one more coming up that is damn near perfect in my eyes, but this is still an amazing album. Huge recommendation to check this out.
Rating: 9/10
"World Of Promises"
"Clayman" Live
So that's all I got for this week. I'm taking is in pairs for the time being, since writing about three albums a week doesn't always comply with my schedule. So next week, I'm putting Reroute To Remain and Soundtrack To Your Escape on display. Take care.
