in flames sounds of a playground fading

Released: 20 June 2011 Label: Century Media

This is an interesting review to have to write. See, yours truly has never been a huge fan of In Flames. Of course, there’s a certain respect for their longevity and an acknowledgment of their influence, but the Swedish band has never made too many ‘most played’ lists in this neck of the woods. Then came Sounds of a Playground Fading.

And from out of nowhere, it’s spectacular. Somehow, all the component parts of In Flames that never quite worked before have clicked superbly into place on a record that is not just a career highlight for the band, but one set to take them to the next level. It’s as if the hit and miss experiments that started with 2002’s Reroute to Remain have been leading the band to this one point in time where everything has come together quite brilliantly.

This is a heavy album; not blast beating, double kicking heavy, but dark, twisting and melancholic. The hard riffs are nicely embellished with tasteful lead work which often recalls the melodic harmonies of the band’s early career, while all manner of well-used synths and sound effects underpin the songs and provide real sonic density.

Vocalist Anders Friders gives the performance of his life, rising to the challenge of the best songs the band has ever written and carrying some massive hooks. Fear is the Weakness stands out as a soon-to-be live anthem and sets the tone for the startling Where the Dead Ships Dwell which finds the band taking Linkin Park’s Hybrid Theory blueprint and giving it a massive modern metal makeover with quite incredible results.

Liberation closes the album in fine fashion, its downbeat introspection contrasting with a magnificent chorus, as the band takes a bold step into the world of classic rock and discovers a new commercial edge that well and truly establishes them as masters of the craft.

This is a perfectly realised record with endless potential. The sound of the playground might be fading, but this is the sound of In Flames taking their place among the elite.

by Marcus Jervis