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In Flames - the Band

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In Flames are a heavy metal band from Sweden, whose playing style resembles that of a metal group like Iron Maiden or Carcass, but with a healthy grain of traditional Swedish folk music tossed into the pot.

History

In Flames were formed in 1990 when Jesper Strömblad and Anders Fridén - having left the band Ceremonial Oath - got a group of friends together and set about recording a short demo. Wrong Again Records heard it and instantly took the band on. The band realised this meant they needed more material, so they wrote their first album, Lunar Strain, the very next day.

In Flames were an instant hit in the underground scene. Oddly enough, there were no real permanent members at this point, so temporary ones had to be got from fellow bands. The 'group' recorded Subterranean, a mini CD, which put them in the sights of the German record label Nuclear Blast. Shortly thereafter, In Flames became a real band, with a stable line-up of Jesper Strömblad, Anders Fridén, Johan Larsson, Glenn Ljunström and Bjorn Gelötte.

In Flames' first album as a real band was called The Jester Race. And because Johan and Glenn left after the following album, this turned out to be the penultimate album of this particular line-up as well. Peter Iwes and Niklas Engelin took the places of those two men, though Niklas left after the Whoracle tour to devote more time to his own band, Gerdenian. As a result, Daniel Svensson - the final piece of the In Flames puzzle - clicked into place. The band has since become hugely successful worldwide.

Albums and More

Lunar Strain

This, the first of In Flames' albums, is quite complicated at first. The dark, depressing and violent nature of its death metal is continually counteracted by the acoustic bits, which are mostly classical-style guitar. In fact, there is one almost totally acoustic song on the album, which contains subtle female vocals. And yet, even when the faster songs kick in, the album continues to offer a hopelessly bleak reading. That is, until the end of the album, when, after a classical break, you're launched into an all-out assault by the bells and whistles of In Flames. This eclectic design makes Lunar Strain an important album with which the band took quite a lot of risks. And in the process, they defined their style.

Subterranean

The second release from In Flames is this mini CD, and it's slightly different than Lunar Strain. Sure, it's still got the aggression and power of the first release, but the acoustic elements which defined it are absent. In short, a very straightforward effort from the band, which, though quite good in its own right, is also quite simple.

The Jester Race

In Flames' first release for a major label sees the band return to something closer to their first album. The acoustic parts return on The Jester Race, adding that reflective element to the usual aggressive and powerful songs. The music evokes an underlying feeling of dread, which matches the lyrics nicely. Not quite as brave as the first album but more evolved than the second, this album is where to start listening.

Whoracle

Whoracle is a fairly straightforward continuation of The Jester Race, as all the elements from the previous album are present. This is, it turns out, both good and bad. Good in the sense that it gives In Flames a recognisable style and identity, but bad in that it's so similar to the last album. While slightly lacking in the originality department, Whoracle is still - like its predecessor - a very well-rounded album.

Colony

In Flames tweak their style a bit this time round, bringing in keyboards for a couple of songs and cleaning up the vocals. This brings the album much closer in flavour to Lunar Strain - they even perform that album's opening track - and yet Colony maintains all the familiar elements that made up their previous efforts. This release shows In Flames continuing to redefine their limits and putting themselves back in the realm of risk-taking, which makes the album sound incredibly fresh. Neatly polished and finely crafted, Colony is an album which should prove accessible even to first-time listeners.

Clayman

In Flames' latest release (as of this writing, anyway) further explores the elements of Colony, which means cleaner vocals and a larger emphasis on keyboards. In addition, the acoustic elements are not background noise anymore. Instead, they are fully integrated into the songs. Though the electronic bits are perhaps a shade too thick, Clayman is an incredibly advanced and - better yet - a highly enjoyable album.

Additional Material

In Flames have released a number of odds and ends, including a video tape of a concert they did with the band Evereve (also containing interviews with both bands) and a limited-edition mini CD called Black Ash Inheritance.

Finally, the band can also be found on a number of compilations. These include:

  • Beauty in Darkness
  • A Call to Irons: A Tribute to Iron Maiden
  • Death... Is Just the Beginning, volumes 4 and 5
  • The Official In Flames Website

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