Description

Swedish press on Razzia records in super jewel case

Any fan of In Flames will admit that there have been moments in the recent past of the band that didn’t click. Some are probably nervous what In Flames should sound like without founding member Jesper. Don’t be neverous as ‘Sounds Of A Playground Fading’ will knock your socks off. There are riffs here that are among the best ever written by the band. Fear is the Weakness is one of the more demanding songs drum-wise that they’ve written in a while as well. For those familiar with the song Nerve from Soilwork, imagine a mixture of that with some Black Ash Inheritance – era riffage. On a further note, the guitar leads on this album are the best since Colony. I honestly didn’t know they still had this in them. They are melodic and memorable — no “noodling” here. The songwriting is patient and very mature on this album. The vocals are less “screamy” than most of their earlier work, but never in a ‘wussy’ way. There is a lot hear that hearkens back to their early days in ways that we haven’t heard since Colony. It seems like there was an intent to meld what old IF fans loved with the more mature aspects of their new evolution. Somehow, they pulled it off. This is the best melodic metal album in a few years and has a good shot at making my top 3 In Flames albums. For potential new listeners, I can’t recommend this enough. But don’t stop here. In Flames is one of the very few bands with such a large catalog that has never repeated themselves while remaining true to their own sound. Get Colony and Reroute to Remain as soon as you can.

Track listing:
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