In Flames - Colony

Nuclear Blast. 2004. Album Description

Metal In Flames

Wow, let me just start by saying that I listen to a very broad spectrum of Metal/Hardcore. Anything from Heaven Shall burn to All Shall Perish To Killswitch Engage to As I Lay Dying. But when one says the words Melodic Metal core, there is only one band that deserves to be in the same sentence- In Flames. I started with Come Clarity and Soundtrack To Your Escape, and tonight i just purchased Colony and am absolutely blown away by the guitar work. This is one of the most respectable pieces of work that I or anyone else for that matter has probably ever laid their ears into. If you are looking for a truly epic metal album, pick yourself up a copy of Colony by In flames and prepare yourself for an epidemic of melodic metal. August 29, 2008

The Best In Flames Album

This is the best in Flames album hands down. A pleasure to listen to from beginning to end; Man Made God is a great conclusion to this beautiful album. August 13, 2008

A Little Akward. Best? No.

I started getting into death metal again about a year and a half ago and have been picking up IF releases whenever I see them on discount. Clayman was my introduction to the band, and it was an extremely enjoyable album that easily earns a 5 star rating.

This one (and LS) were the only two that I had left to grab, and one of my friends kept insisting that this one was by far the best of all their work. Now, saying something like this has a tendency to make me push back, as I hold even the opinions of my friends up to great scrutiny. Best? No. There's a definite shift in style on this album. It's heavier than Whoracle and TJR. Not a bad thing, but there's a little less technicality on this album compared to all previous. There's still plenty of melody, but it feels like an akward middle between Whoracle and Clayman. Which makes sense because there was a line-up change during this phase of their career. Anders' more midrange growl makes its first appearance, much to my pleasure. Typical death-metal growls are what pushed me out of liking the genre for 10 years. (Cannibal Corpse and the like have done NOTHING good for the genre, in my opinion.)
Gone from the band was the thing I liked most... there was a very excellent atmosphere that Jester's and Whoracle had (Haven't listened to LS for comparison) that is gone. It's not as inspiring as either of those two nor as Clayman. There's great music to be had here, but I think they recorded this as they were just beginning to experiment with their sound, the style they perfected on Clayman, but before the radical shift afterwards.

If you're a casual metal listener, and only care to pick up the highest points of the band, it's Jester's, Clayman, and Come Clarity--and before you old-school fans flame me for saying that last one, I'm not saying its on the same level musically, but Anders' lyrics on that album are among the best he's written, (minus "scream") and deserve merit on their own. After Clayman the band launched on a quest to find a new sound, and haven't really landed on one yet.

April 14, 2008

A melodic metal masterpiece

This is one of my all-time favorite metal albums. Everything about it is so masterfully executed, with a certain sensibility that will make it a classic for a long time to come. Each song holds its own, and are extremely accessible. The guitar work is solid, with many memorable hooks and melodies. A must have for fans of melodic death and power metal. February 15, 2008

Winding Plotline

Several generations of families are thrown into various tragedies as the plot twists and turns to offer many surprises. April 5, 2007

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