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Track Listings
| 1. Sounds of a Playground Fading |
| 2. Deliver Us |
| 3. All for Me |
| 4. The Puzzle |
| 5. Fear Is the Weakness |
| 6. Where the Dead Ships Dwell |
| 7. The Attic |
| 8. Darker Times |
| 9. Ropes |
| 10. Enter Tragedy |
| 11. Jester's Door |
| 12. A New Dawn |
| 13. Liberation |
Product Description
Review
You'll find very, very little in the way of melodic death coming from the Gothenburg quintet on this set. Instead this comes on as a mix of alternative and melodic rock-oriented approaches which are, of course, continually peppered by Anders Fridén's gruff, melancholic snarls.
With its thunderous percussion and synths (which actually manage to fit in with the soaring rock), lead single Deliver Us is wholly indicative of the progress In Flames have made. The electronic vibes appear again alongside the classic In Flames guitar sound in Ropes, and after collaborating with Australian drum'n'bass powerhouses Pendulum in 2010 it's clear where the heavy dance influence has come from. As they gain pace on Darker Times, the band reminds you what they're capable of, as Fridén's growls come to the fore again while frantic riffs try to race away from the chaos.
The Attic is the ballad that the Swedes have always threatened to make. With guitars that wail and cry before the riffs fold in around Fridén's surprisingly gentle vocals, there is no sense that this is simply a good song that's been slowed down to give the effect of a ballad - this is the real deal. The frontman has often struggled with his style, but settling for melodic grittiness has worked well. In the intermittently crushing Where the Dead Ships Dwell, he really comes into his own amidst glitchy keyboards.
Such is the freshness on Sounds of a Playground Fading - both in terms of the music and the attitude that's inspired it - that the album doesn't sound like the work of a band that's been going for two decades at all. In fact, with the constant variation found on the record - and what is probably Fridén's most comfortable vocal performance of his career - they sound like a brand-new outfit, and you wouldn't bet against the Swedes gaining a whole new lease of life as a result.
--Raziq Rauf
Find more music at the BBC This link will take you off Amazon in a new window
Product Description
Customer Reviews
People expecting a return to their Death Metal roots will be disappointed, however I urge you to open your mind and give this album a try. For me it rivals Come Clarity as the best In Flames album since Clayman. I wont give a track by track analysis as I believe you have to actually listen to the music, but what I will say are the standout tracks (for me) are 'Fear is the Weakness', Where the Dead Ships Dwell', 'Ropes', and 'A New Dawn', (Ropes + WTDSD being my favourites). I also really like the title track, 'Deliver Us', and 'Darker Times'. One thing this album has in spades are amazing guitar riffs, melodies and solos. Bjorn's songwriting ability really amazes me, I would love to meet him just so I could shake his hand and tell him how much I love what he did with this album writing wise.
What I should also talk about is the production quality, which is excellent. The mix is near perfect, you can hear every instrument very clearly and the tone of each sounds perfect. I feel each album post Clayman has suffered in production quality (Reroute to Remain = muddy, Soundtrack to your Escape = scratchy thin sounding guitars, Come Clarity = very trebly, A Sense of Purpose = bland and dull sound) but here In Flames finally managed to get everything right and the album really benefits from it. I would say this album in a nutshell is 'A Sense of Purpose' with better riffs, better production, and better lyrics, because although the style of music is similar its done here in a much better way than on that album.
Is this album perfect? No of course not, it has filler songs (The Attic, Jesters Door) average songs (All for Me, The Puzzle, Enter Tragedy) but even the average songs are good, and the album has a whole works well. If you are a fan of In Flames or indeed a fan of Heavy music in general I suggest you give this CD a listen, I warn you it is a grower but I feel once it has grown on you you'll be happy you gave it a chance.
I have not listened to this band since there first album came out last millennia. Read more
This is clearly in the more modern vein of the past 3 albums and it does have a lot... Read more
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