As part of the first wave of the Gothenburg sound of Swedish Death Metal, In Flames helped to pioneer Melodic Death metal, alongside fellow countrymen At The Gates and Dark Tranquility. Over time they have evolved their sound, and as such comfortably rose as the most popular of the Swedish Death Metal bands. As with many bands that have been pumping out albums for almost 3 decades, your opinion on In Flames albums will vary depending on when they found their way on to your musical radar.
Starting off clearly routed in death metal, with a sharp melodic overlay, they made their way into the ears of the masses with a more accessible approach mid way through their career. Latterly, In Flames albums have largely lost almost all of their melodic death metal beginnings. Heavily leaning on their popularity and chart success, leaving a lot to be desired for the old faithful. Anyway enough of the drivel. Here are all In Flames albums ranked worst to best.
Disclaimer – The re-release of Clayman is being ignored. Not because it is a re-release, but because it’s just a shit version of a great album.
13. Siren Charms (2014)
After Sounds of a Playground Fading showcased that In Flames still have metal chops post Jesper Stromblad leaving, Siren Charms wipes out all that goodwill. If there was any doubting the direction of modern In Flames, then Siren Charms is a sharp reality check. Honestly this is just a decent mainstream alt-rock album, and for the abundance of generic chart-rock groups would be a sufficient offering. But for In Flames, it’s just not good enough. Best to just swiftly move on from this one.
12. Battles (2016)
With lead single The End, things were looking up after the rather lifeless Siren Charms. Then the reality check hits you straight in the delicates again. If that hinted that In Flames could still pump out any semblance of their past glory, that dissipates quickly on listening to the rest of the album. To add to the disappointment, the production quality ain’t great either – the guitar solo tone is particularly ear piercing. Battles only just avoids being in last place as at least you could (just about) call this a metal album.
11. I, the Mask (2019)
The conversion of In Flames into an arena pop-metal band was complete at this point. But wait, I, the Mask teases us with some Come Clarity-esq chunky melodic riffing mixing effortlessly with soaring choruses. Could they be finding a way to unite their fanbase somewhat? The first 5 songs certainly suggest so. But then (This Is Our) House hits, and even for an ‘edgy’ pop-rock group this would be considered a bad song. You will cringe so hard your face will physically implode. Unfortunately, after this it turns into an ultra generic pop-rock album. Such wasted potential.
10. Come Clarity (2006)
After Soundtrack to Your Escape took In Flames slightly back into heavier territory, Come Clarity went full modern metalcore on everyones ass. Straight from opening track Take The Life there is no messing around. In Flames are largely responsible for the birth of the metalcore sound, so they have every right to give it a go themselves. Older fans can claim a somewhat return to form, whilst later fans might lament the harder nosed edge. However, there is a distinct lack the sparkle that made their earlier work so unforgettable.
9. Sounds of a Playground Fading (2011)
Following the departure of guitarist Jesper Stromblad, who was the musical driving force since their inception, In Flames had to carve a new path. It was never going to be easy, but they made it work on Sounds of a Playground Fading. The dark, moody, almost gothic feel is a sharp contrast the the usual upbeat melodic riffing that In Flames are known for. It won’t go down as one of the best In Flames albums, but given what we have received since, we only wish In Flames could write an album as good as this anymore.
8. Soundtrack to your Escape (2004)
Following the sharp change to melodic, arena friendly metal on previous album Reroute to Remain, Soundtrack to your Escape rolled back in some of the heavy, but kept in much of the synth heavy previous offerings. Opener F(r)iend starts off in brutal fashion. Soundtrack to your Escape is a very good album, but mixing between the different styles of their work so far just loses a little of the focus of their previous efforts. A Quiet Place and My Sweet Shadow became long time live favourites, however this album seems to have largely become lost amongst their collection. Another lesson in not having a consistent vision.
7. Lunar Strain (1994)
Back in 1994, In Flames consited of only drummer Jesper Stromblad, bassist Johan Larsson and guitarist Glenn Ljungstrom. So they had to borrow vocalist Mikael Stanne from fellow Swedish Death Metal band Dark Tranquility for their debut album Lunar Strain. It is undeniably the odd one out in the In Flames catalogue, being full of black metal, folk and neoclassical elements. Reminds me of Something Wild by Children of Bodom (and obvious where they got their initial inspiration from). Don’t let that convince you this is a bad album through. The sheer chaos of Lunar Strain is infectious.
6. A Sense of Purpose (2008)
After Come Clarity took In Flames full bore into modern metal, A Sense of Purpose dials back towards the Clayman/Reroute more accessible style. Honestly, it’s all the more better for it. The melody is one again turned up to the max, their songwriting back to their best and is a considerably more memorable album as a result. Alias is a stone cold classic – whether you like it not. I’m the Highway is the standout track. There is an endless plethora of guitar riffs on display, and every chorus was destined to be a live favourite. As the last album to feature founding member Jesper Stromblad, this also marked the last time In Flames wrote a truly top quality album.
5. The Jester Race (1996)
A significantly more focussed sound compared to their rather chaotic debut, The Jester Race kicked off arguably the greatest 3 album stretch in melodic death metal history. For me, the title goes to Hatebreeder/Follow the Reaper/Hate Crew Deathroll – but not by much. There is no doubt that The Jester Race is jointly responsible for an evolution in heavy metal back in the mid 90s, along with At the Gates‘ Slaughter of the Soul and Dark Tranquility‘s The Gallery.
At a time when heavy metal was largely out of the spotlight, with death metal and groove metal taking form, the ‘Gothenburg sound’ of death metal injected a sharp dose of melody usually reserved for power metal. Their second album saw the introduction of Anders Fridén as their permanent vocalist and Björn Gelotte on drums (who long ago now transitioned to lead guitar – did you remember he used to be their drummer?). The Jester Race remains an undisputed classic.
4. Reroute to Remain (2002)
Is it controversial to put Reroute to Remain so high? In Flames are one of those bands that depending on when you were introduced to them greatly influences your opinion on their albums. For me, Reroute to Remain was my first taste, and as a result I lack any ‘sell-out’ prejudice and can just appreciate this as a great album. The first 5 songs are all straight up fire, and clearly define the new path In Flames had taken.
Melodic death metal really takes a back seat throughout the album. The chugging and melody is considerably more modern, much in the vein of how metal had evolved by 2002. The use of synth lines was turned up considerably past previous album Clayman. There is no denying however the catchy chorus off Trigger and the brutal riffing of System. I always say, if you are going to change your style don’t go half assed. You’re going to piss some existing fans off anyway, so just go full bore into it. In Flames did with Reroute to Remain, and delivered.
3. Clayman (2000)
Clayman was a significant turning point for In Flames. This marked the start of In Flames albums moving away from death metal, and towards the mainstream with catchy hooks and tamer vocals. Clayman was the first step on this new journey, and produced a terrific album in the process. It still maintains as their most popular album to date, which attests to the enduring quality of Clayman.
This is still at heart a melodic death metal album, but the plethora of catchy melodies launched In Flames from the underground into major tour and festival slots. Only For The Weak has become their most notable track, but the 1-2 punch of Bullet Ride and Pinball Map to start the album is the highlight. Satellites and Astronauts showcased what In Flames are able to do they they get their anthem boots on.
2. Colony (1999)
Missing out on top spot by the narrowest of margins. Whilst this may not be In Flames very best album, there is no doubting Colony as their greatest melodeath album. Straight up, Colony is one of the THE greatest albums in all of melodeath, and serves as a template for how top quality melodeath used to be written. Opening with Embody the Invisible, the tone is notably tighter, and finalised the evolution of the Gothenburg Swedish Death Metal sound.
None of that energy is lost though, and the sheer quantity of melodic hooks throughout is staggering. The title track, with its mid tempo, bouncier feel offered a teaser of where their sound would evolve on the following albums. Colony would mark the end of In Flames as a pure melodeath band, but what a ride it was.
1. Whoracle (1997)
Way back in the mid 90s, when melodic death metal was gathering momentum, In Flames released their greatest album. Whoracle is heavier than Colony, and veers closer to death metal as a result. As such there is a relentless energy to the whole album, and the melody is absolutely top notch. Jotun is simply one of the greatest opening album tracks of all time, with some incredible melodic riffing.
The buzzy classic Swedish Death Metal tone just adds to the delightfully raw feel to Whoracle. Morphing into Primal set the template for 90% of metalcore tracks that followed. One of the downsides of writing this article is reminiscing on how incredible In Flames albums used to be. At least we can ignore the latest drivel and just revel in their glorious early work!
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