Well it’s finally happened; after years of flirting with nu-metal and more mainstream material In Flames has now strayed completely away from the melodic death metal they help create with unique and monstrous albums like “Whoracle”, Colony” and the career defining “Clayman”. The band fell under the microscope of their fans and the media with their more experimental albums “Reroute to Remain” and “Soundtrack to Your Escape”; both of which weren’t great but laid the blue print for the phenomenal “Come Clarity” which not only received rave reviews from fans and critics, but also became the best In Flames album in a long time, with sounds harkening back to the early days of their career and lots of fresh new elements that only helped perfect the band’s ethos.

Indeed the future was very bright for these Swedes, but alas, the pressures of the music business and what seems to be a lack of integrity have made In Flames release not only their worst album, but one of the most disappointing albums since Metallica’s “Load” followed the Black Album. In Flames have disgracefully fallen from metal gods to Hot Topic whores. The album is melodic as you would expect, but at times it’s a little too melodic, and therefore Anders Friden’s screams fail to lift up the band from wallowing in screamo hell; also it’s hard to notice that his normal harmonizing isn’t as soulful as it used to be. If the earlier release of the single “The Mirror’s Truth” didn’t disappoint you, the album will take care of that. “Alias”, “Disconnected”, “I’m The Highway”, “Sleepless Again” are songs that lack any passion or aggression, thanks to the rehashed riffs that seem to go with no clear direction as to what the band hopes to achieve. The once inhuman melodies that made In Flames such an exhilarating band are long gone, replaced by more simple minded material that is clearly made to appeal to a more mainstream audience. The albums’ second half is a little redeeming, but still disappointing. Songs like “Move Through Me”, “Sober and Irrelevant” and “March to the Shore” all start in classic In Flames fashion, but midway through the bridges and choruses you realize theirs is no turning back from this train wreck.

The band that not to long ago was loved by everyone has slowly alienated their fan base by presenting albums that aren’t part of the band’s evolution, mainly because they feel contrived, forced and are a clear sign of band that doesn’t stay true to themselves.