Author: Sandi Sadar Šoba
Artist: In Flames
Label: Century Media
Release: 2011
Runtime: 53:58
Rating: 3.5/5
This far-from-relaxing intro to the new studio effort from In Flames, once a conceptually juicy and genuinely good band, comes from a group that, let’s be honest, has spent the last few years tilting at windmills and wrestling with aesthetic guidelines that they themselves, along with a whole army of more or less famous and good-sounding names from the Swedish and pan-European metal cream, have been actively shaping for the last twenty years. There are plenty of brilliantly produced records, sure, but they lack balls and originality, which is why the brilliant outbursts on records like Come Clarity, the rare flashes of inspiration on records like Reroute To Remain, and the even more outstanding Whoracle and Jester Race are the exception rather than the rule. After the disappointment of the demented A Sense Of Purpose, which feels like it exists only for its own sake and leaves every metal fan cold and indifferent, the announcement of a new studio effort minus a founding member was even less exciting, but you listen to whatever you have to, and so Sounds Of Playground Fading ended up in the player and on the dissecting table.
Considering that the last debacle was a couple of years ago, there’s something redeeming in the fact that every change is also a chance for a fresh new start. When Strömblad threw in the towel last February and went off to treat his demons outside the embrace of a suffocating musical collective and endless, exhausting tours, Björn Gelotte took the writing of the whole record into his own hands. From what I’ve heard, he went about it meticulously and thoughtfully, weaving in all the guitar solos with a feel fitting for In Flames’ new knight of the round table, guitarist Niclas Engelin. The somewhat worn and battered beast got a shiny new prosthesis and a set of fresh, undamaged teeth. Make no mistake: In Flames have kept their status as pioneers of Gothenburg melodic death metal throughout their entire career, but a pile of identical clones has stolen some of the shine, which made the last few albums, and even more so the live shows and the In Flames concert experience, feel closer to tedious flailing than to something meaningful and full of heart. Their commitment to constantly tailoring their own heart-matter pulled them further and further from the purist form and excellence of their early records, and the next step on their path was a complete unknown. This tenth studio step is digestible and effortless, but behind the rich layers of superb studio production there are a few things that still irritate and torment. One of them is the rather monotonous and boring vocal of the main lyricist and orator, Mr. Anders Fridén. Over the last few years Mr. Fridén has said a definitive goodbye to guttural growls and reshaped his vocal cords into a sweetly shrieking, throaty and cleaner droning. The irritating duality of insincere brutality and clean-toned whininess has been killing any sense of manliness for at least the last decade, and the sonic melodrama comes out so worn-out and whiny-mournful that only the unsatisfied hordes of virgins (male and female) devoted to fashion metal, zombies fed up with imagination and genuine sharpness, and the idealess owners of big corporations hunting for a new source of easy money can get misty-eyed over it. This kind of musical wanking is simply the easiest way to blind the masses, who after a good ad campaign will buy even the most obscure crap — nice T-shirts matter more than the music, and behind the shine there’s usually misery and Potemkin villages of neon-lit scenery.
Sounds Of Playground Fading is a set of thirteen nice-sounding songs that are, in a way, just like cardboard sets, behind which hides and glitters a world of total emptiness and wretched repetition of patterns we’ve already heard. Still, Fridén outdoes his earlier ramblings and serves up quite a few decent songs, mainly because he sounds more confident and sure of his vocal register. There’s no shortage of playing with recipes from their outstanding past, so Anders indulges, among other things, in recitals and classic death metal growling, conjured up by the song Jester’s Door. The reminiscence of the past also hints at a postmodern transformation and a farewell to the old days. In Flames have (again) turned the page to a new chapter. In fact, there are plenty of bright moments across the whole record, which on a casual listen let you give in to the swaying rhythm of waves and the waterproof melodics that have made the crowds succumb to the flames of this Gothenburg quintet since the turn of the millennium and the record Colony. The modern sound carries a hint of classic metal sharpness, but it’s carefully watered down and aimed at new generations of whiny crybabies, not so much at those whose hearts bleed for the caustic bitterness of At The Gates‘ sound. Even the opening acoustics of the song Sounds Of Playground Fading make it clear that Björn has decided to cover up any cracks with truly brilliant guitar work, while the glaze over the rough edges is made of synthetic squeals, pops, and the crackle of sound synthesizers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qL1p5dr3aRk
In Flames have proven themselves skilled craftsmen in every respect, but the listener can hardly shake the feeling that behind the masterful production and atmospheric haze lurks anything very new to enjoy or revolutionarily inspiring. Yes, the songs are written far more cohesively and don’t lack for details and outstanding guitar work, and Anders is less whiny than usual, but there’s too much electronic facelifting on the record and not enough total unpredictability of unbridled ideas. That’s exactly why even the most polished production-wise monotony is nothing more than that: monotony and boredom with a slightly glossier shine. Despite it all, Sounds Of Playground Fading isn’t an album to write off at first glance, and In Flames have managed to take at least a bit of the edge off the bitterness that’s been building up in my mouth, at least, over the last few years.
Lineup
Anders Fridén – vocals
Björn Gelotte – guitar
Niclas Engelin – guitar
Peter Iwers – bass
Daniel Svensson – drums, percussion
Guest musicians:
– Johannes Bergion – cello on A New Dawn
– Ellen Hjalmarson – violin on A New Dawn
– Erika Risinger – violin on A New Dawn
– Emilia Wareborn – viola on A New Dawn
– David Werthen – double bass
– Örjan Örnkloo – keyboards and samples
Production
Roberto Laghi
Tracklist
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
