In my opinion, you have the sort of Big 4 of melodic Swedish metal those being Arch Enemy, The Haunted, Soilwork, and In Flames. Out of all 4 of these bands, this is the one that I have heard the least. And in case you’re wondering , I have now started ranking the albums. I went back and ranked the albums from all my other posts. So here we go……
Lunar Strain- so this is an interesting record because there wasn’t an actual official lineup. Guitarist Jesper Strömblad played drums and also recruited Mikael Stanne (Dark Tranquility vocalist) to sing. He also recruited Glenn Ljungström and Carl Näslund on guitars, and Johan Larsson on bass. This album is interesting because it incorporates violins and acoustic guitars giving it a folk feel to it. Anyway, a very interesting first release I give it a very strong 9/10
Standouts: Behind Space, In Flames, Upon an Oaken Throne
The Jester Race- this is the first album to feature new frontman Anders Fríden and drummer (soon to be guitarist) Bjorn Gelotte. This one definitely feels like a melodic death metal band and while the folk elements aren’t as strong on this one, they are still present. This is an absolute classic and I think it’s been compared to Slaughter of the Soul from At the Gates and The Gallery by Dark Tranquility however I think that’s a little generous because the songs just don’t grab my attention. I give this one 8/10
Standouts: Artifacts of the Black Rain, Dead God in Me, Acoustic Medley
Whoracle- gone are the elements of folk music and instead this is just a straight up melodic death metal record. This is another classic record by these guys and I actually prefer it to Jester Race. The songs to me are just better and to the point. In my opinion, this is what Jester Race should be and I think this album is slightly better. I give this one 9/10
Standouts- Jotun, Morphing into Primal, Clad in Shadows 99
Colony- the first to feature the classic In Flames lineup. Gone are Glenn Ljungström and Johan Larsson, Bjorn Gelotte has now switched from drums to guitar and the new drummer is Daniel Svensson and Peter Iwers is now on bass. This album is solid all the way through and this lineup nails it in terms of a great metal album. I give it a 8.5/10
Standouts: Embody the Invisible, Coerced Existence, Behind Space 99
Clayman- picking up right where the last album left off, we get more of the same melodic death metal. This one seems a bit more mature than the previous effort. The songs to me seem more cohesive and mature and Christopher Amott (Arch Enemy) even guests on Suburban Me. This is so far my favorite album by them. I give it a 9.5/10
Standouts: Pinball Map, Swim, Suburban Me
Reroute to Remain- so here we see them ditch their melodic death roots and into more of an accessible sound. I know that a lot of their fans are divided on this one but me personally I like it. It does have some filler but overall, it’s a fantastic album and one of my personal favorites. I give it a very solid 9.5/10
Standouts- Cloud Connected, Trigger, Reroute to Remain
Soundtrack to Your Escape- ok so the last album saw a change in sound and this one definitely continues it. I feel like you could listen to this one and the last album back. To me this record is very uneven it goes from fast to slow then fast again. I think they should’ve kept things fast it seems like they were trying to experiment a little here. I give it a 8/10
Standouts- F(r)iend, Dead Alone, In Search For I
Come Clarity- so this one sort of sees the band go back to their roots somewhat. There are more solos and twin guitar attacks and this one also has female vocals (vocals by someone named Lisa Miskovsky) on it. Overall this album is pretty good and I remember not liking it at first but after another listen it’s really not as bad as I remember. In fact it’s slightly better than Soundtrack. Overall, I give it an 8.5/10
Standouts: Scream, Dead End, Pacing Death’s Trail
A Sense of Purpose- ok now we’re getting into different territory here. Aside from this being Jesper Strömblad’s last album, this album is a huge step down from what they’ve done before. The hooks from past work seem to be far and few and the album starts off strong with the opening track but even that is not as good as what these guys have done. Not sure what was going on and hopefully the next album can deliver. I have no choice but to give this one a 3/10 and I’m being generous.
Standouts: The Mirror’s Truth (that’s it)
Sounds of a Playground Fading- oh boy now we’re into some new territory here. Well besides this being the first album without founding member Jesper Strömblad, Bjorn Gelotte is the only guitarist on the album. But that’s ok it’s fine if the songs are good right? Wrong. I’m not sure what was going on but the death metal growling from Anders is almost nonexistent and the songs seem slower and softer. Like what the hell happened? There’s even a spoken track. I give this one a 0/10
Standouts: none didn’t like any of the songs on this album hopefully they can do better
Siren Charms- what the hell is going on here with this band? I’m struggling to figure out the mindset here. Have they forgotten their roots? Is it because Jesper is not in the band anymore? And I’m not saying Bjorn Gelotte is a bad guitarist in fact it’s quite the opposite but seriously what is going on? The songs are not very good. The vocals are nothing to write home about because the seem to drag. This band seems to be going backwards and I have no choice but to give this another 0/10.
Standouts: again there weren’t any songs that really stood out to me
Battles- seriously what the hell is going on? They’ve clearly lost their way and to me now they sound like they could be a band that plays on a side stage at say a Warped Tour (Warped Tour now not back in the day). I just can’t this one was so hard to get through. I mean the riffs are ok but maybe that’s it I can’t hear anything redeeming about this one. Another 0/10
Standouts: there aren’t any
I, The Mask- well the opening riff starts off good but then the rest of the song just falls flat as does the album. I’m starting to wonder what kind of band these guys are trying to be? I no longer classify them as a death metal band they seem to have lost it and honestly I’m not sure if they can or know how go back. I’m really not a fan of the clean vocals and I miss the days when they were a death metal band. I don’t know at least bands like The Haunted came back to their roots. I award this album no points and give it another 0/10
Standouts: again none
Well what can I say this band started off so strong and then just fell. I’m not sure what’s going on with these guys but I don’t like the new direction they’ve been going in. I hope that someday they can return to form.
Final Grade: C+
Album Rankings:
- Reroute to Remain
- Clayman
- Lunar Strain
- Whoracle
- Colony
- Jester Race
- Come Clarity
- Soundtrack to Your Escape
- A Sense of Purpose
- I, the Mask
- Sounds of a Playground Fading
- Siren Charms
- Battles
Sinister Reviews 