Swedish metal titans In Flames have always been considered one of the godfathers of melodic death metal, often cited as the flag bearers of the distinct “Gothenburg metal” sound which blazed a trail through the metal scene alongside At The Gates, Dark Tranquillity, and other bands of that ilk.
That sound not only infiltrated the mainstream, but had clear influences on the modern American metal scene, and with Sounds Of A Playground Fading, In Flames’ 10th studio record, it is clear to see that not a lot has changed for these big hitters over the years.
Still possessing a huge sound, with razor sharp riffs, and classic melodic death metal vocals, In Flames get right back to business on the opening title track, and first single Deliver Us. It is In Flames by numbers, but when the numbers are just this good, you can hardly fault its excellence. Big choruses, huge vocal growls, and some of the finest modern metal you will hear all year with massive guitars and drums, this is yet another cracking album from In Flames.
There are riffs, solos, and guitar leads that sound like no other, and the distinctive vocals show why In Flames are still waving that flag, two decades into a sterling career. They may have flirted with the mainstream more on their latest albums, but they have always stayed true to the sound they helped define. They can still mix it with the best of them, and they will no doubt be coming to throw down on the Defenders Of The Faith tour with Trivium et al later in the year.
Where The Dead Ships Dwell is a huge track, and although the album dips a little bit with the brooding The Attic, the latter half of the album is excellent, especially the melodic Ropes and the closing outro of A New Dawn (complete with NWOBHM sounding guitar duels, solo and instrumental interlude) and Liberation (showcasing one of the biggest hooks on the album).
A great record.
The album sleeve is pretty awesome too.
8.5/10
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