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Soundtrack to Your Escape

In Flames - Soundtrack to Your Escape Audio CD

A fair review of the In Flames "Soundtrack to Your Escape" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all In Flames reviews here, or go back to the In Flames tabs.

Band: In Flames
Title: Soundtrack to Your Escape
Rating:

Release Date: 2004-04-06
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: F(r)iend 2: Quiet Place 3: Dead Alone 4: Touch of Red 5: Like You Better Dead 6: My Sweet Shadow 7: Evil in a Closet 8: In Search for 1 9: Borders and Shading 10: Superhero of the Computer Rage 11: Dial 595-Escape 12: Bottled

First In Flames I bought.
I bought this cd on a whim back in '04 and loved it. I'm glad that I discovered In Flames when I did. At that time I was making the transition from mainstream hard rock to metal and hardcore and unlike the long-term fans I didn't have any basis to be disappointed. From that point I went back in their catalogue and found out they had so much more to offer. Since then I've purchased all of their albums minus The Tokyo Showdown, the dvd, been to three shows and yes, bought a t-shirt. As far as I'm concerned if this is the bands low point than they're a pretty incredible band. .

Excellent Album
Sure, its differant from In Flames' previous releases (of which i am a huge fan aswell) but that doesnt mean its bad. Firstly, let me say that i am so sick of people bashing this album. Of my 3 favourite In Flames albums, this album sits along Clayman and Whoracle, again, sure its differant but simply because the band are experimenting with new style, it doesnt mean its bad. This is not a bad progression, it may not apeal to others that have a heavier taste, and though i understand that, the band should not be bashed simply because they wanted to expand their musical styles.

Now onto the actual review.
This album is an excellent release from start to finish, one of In Flames' best albums. The opening track F(r)iend starts off with a fast paced and and enthraling riff, with anders' signature vocals. The second track The Quiet Place goes hand in hand with Borders and Shading, both tracks adopt a new approach, with clean vocals progressing into death growls, in my opinion these are the best tracks on the album. The song My Sweet Shadow, though similare to The Quiet Place and Borders and Shading, is a slightly more aggresive and offers another new approach to In Flames' music. Other songs such as Superhero of the Computer Rage, Dead Alone and In Search for I give us a more classic In Flames, similare to F(r)iend though differant, these songs all have this atmospheric sense to them that resonates throughout the album. Finally i would say this is the best of the Post-Clayman In Flames albums, and a great buy for any fan that isnt so closed minded that they wont accept a bands musical progression.

In Flames? Melodic Death Metal to this?
Sometimes it can work, such as Hypocrisy has proven, that even though the newer material isn't as strong as their first two albums, they still have a unique sound, even though its not really on the verge of death metal anymore. OK, for one, its fine by me when a band wants to experiment in different sounds. Then comes to In Flames. Come on, what in the hell is this? Korn, Limp Biskits? WTF?? Dude, how many times do you want to change your vocal style. The album as a whole is pretty much a wash, except for four songs that save it from being a complete joke, and that is what In Flames has become, a joke. I understand there is pretty divided fanbase, and some of the newer fans might dig the old-stuff, but there is very little of older fan base that finds this rubbish acceptable. This isnt even good Nu-Metal. My god, Mudvayne and Devil Driver blow these guys out of the water when they are trying to create this weak, nu metal, rapola, what ever it is supposed to be. Yes, I am biased, I like Death Metal bands to stay on the wagon, or at least to try to create something that is along the lines of good metal. This isnt good metal, sure its got its teen-age mall rats in heaven, but any true fan of good metal, probely wont like this. Ughh, In Flames, give it up already, or at least give us the pinch of promise that you show up with "Dead Alone", "In Search for I", Super-hero of the Computer Age" and "Dial 595-escape" which are actually pretty good songs. The rest is throw away garbage, and the band seems confused, because they shouldnt be playing this crap anyway.

Soundtrack to Your Boredom
In flames really got lossed in themselves with this one and it isn't because they "sold out" and I'm just plain sick of such accusation. Out of all the in flames albums, this by far the weakest even to the point of being unlistenable. Most in flames songs are build a melody to then explode into a chorus from Pinball Map to Sleepless Again. However soundtrack is just confused and really the songwriting is not conscious insanity just insanity.

Problem is anders just belts words and dosn't string them together to create melody in most songs. Almost all follow this except nu-metalish songs like The Quiet Place or Touch or Red which sound alright for other bands but not what I expect from In Flames.

The only gothenburgish sounding songs are Dial 595- Escape and Dead Alone but that's still a strech. Evil In The Closet is a good experimental song in much vein as The Choosen Pessimist. The key songs have to be My Sweet Shadow and In Search For I, paint what they were trying with this album. Even so this album just seems to fall flat on it's face and it dosn't help "f(r)iend" is such a boring weak first song with no chorus to really speak of. Especially when most in flames albums have great 1st songs like "Jotun", "Embody The Invisible" and even "Reroute To Remain". It really is sad, it's strange but if they arranged the songs differently it honestly might have been slightly better? Here look:
1. My Sweet Shadow
2. The Quiet Place
3. Like You Better Dead
4. Bottled
5. Evil In A Closet
6. Dead Alone
7. Borders and Shading
8. F(r)iend
9. Superhero Of The Computer Rage
10. Touch Of Red
11. Dial 595 Escape
12. In Search For I

Still it's one of those things that because they are In Flames, they did create something as amazing as the jester race, they set the bar to a new high. That every album they've been changing their sound but have still been melodic death metal. Even if Reroute to Remain really jumped in changing their song writing and sound that was primarily astrology to inner struggles. That they got bored and tried to break from genre (dark tranquillity, mors prinicipium est) into their own style an In-flames style if you will and nothing with trends that they just wanted something new and different. It did pay off with RtR and the next after this.

However STYE is just painfully almost unlistenable gibberish that should be erased from In Flames track record and from this in flames fan's mind. .

In Flames has ran out of fuel with this one
Other than that, I can only say that this album and the one before it do not belong in the In Flames catalogue. I only give this album 2 stars because it is In Flames and they will always be the band who introduced me to the Melodic Death genre way back in the early 90's and here were like 2-3 songs I liked. Most of the reviewers here must be the tweens and teens they have beguin to pick up ever since their success after Clayman, because anyone I know who has listened to metal as long as I have will attest, this is NOT GREAT METAL! Even the art concept and lyric's are trendy. . . for god sakes.

You can see a complete list of all In Flames discography, or go back to the In Flames tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.