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In Flames - Subterranean Audio CD

A fair review of the In Flames "Subterranean" 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.

In Flames Band: In Flames
Title: Subterranean
Rating:
Release Date: 2009-02-24
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Stand Ablaze 2: Everdying 3: Subterranean 4: Timeless 5: Biosphere 6: Dead Eternity [*] 7: Inborn Lifeless [*] 8: Eye of the Beholder [*] 9: Murders in the Rue Morgue [*]

music speaks

the only negative thing is that the booklet has no lyrics. very good music from the masters of swedish death metal, excellent disk.


Swedish melodic death metal in its early creative stage.
Gone are all the little transitional instrumentation (violin, cello, female vocals) and overkill of experimentation. The Swedes clearly figured out what worked well on their first album and decided to work with their strengths. What we're left with is melodic death metal, filled with hooks and leads along with a more fine tuned aggression. They still run with acoustic interludes and an almost folk influence on occasions, yet the transitions are far better than on their debut album.

The band hadn't yet settled on a line-up, with vocalist Anders Friden yet to join the fray. In fact, only Jesper Stromblad is still with the band today (2006) and he didn't play on the debut. So it's not completely surprising that Subterranean period In Flames is nothing like the albums released since the year 2000. Vocalist Henrik is great (also in Dawn) and Daniel's drumming is awesome, but it's once again the dual guitars of Jesper and Glenn that make this EP so good. Check out "Stand Ablaze" or "Subterranean" for exhibitions of brilliant melodic musicianship.

In Flames are reaching their peak with Subterranean, both as musicians and as songwriters. With only 5 tracks and a running time of just over 20 minutes, it was an excellent teaser for the bands next couple of full length albums that would be the pinnacle of their career. Regain's re-mastered edition of this album released in 2004 has a far superior sound and is well worth purchasing, even for the fans that own the Wrong Again Records CD from the mid nineties, particularly for the bonus tracks and covers that come included.

Overall, a step up in class for In Flames and a fine example of the Gothenburg sound that has been completely bombarded with clones for years since its release.


4 stars for the album, 2 stars for the packaging
The bonus tracks (2 alternate versions of later In Flames songs with Marduk/Dimension Zero's Jocke Gothborg on vocals and 2 lackluster covers of Metallica and Iron Maiden songs) are a nice addition, but aren't really noteworthy. Am I alone in being a bit disappointed by the Lunar Strain and Subterranean reissues? They're both great albums, and the remastering is a welcome improvement, but I expected a bit more from the reissued versions.

My major complaint is the packaging. Each album's booklet is basically worthless. There's a black and white band photo and nothing else. No lyrics, no liner notes, nothing that even tells you who was in the band at the time, who wrote the songs, or the history of the bonus tracks. Did the band have any involvement with these reissues at all? Dark Tranquillity's reissues of The Gallery and The Mind's I really put these to shame. Perhaps it is the label's fault. Nuclear Blast's reissues of Whoracle, Colony, and Clayman were definitely done right.

I know the music is what really matters, but I expected a better overall package from a band like In Flames.
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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.

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