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inflames clayman anniversary
Artist: In Flames
Title: Clayman (20th Anniversary)
Genre: Melodic Death Metal
Release Date: 28th August 2020
Label: Nuclear Blast


Album Review

Good news for 2020: IN FLAMES will be back in the spotlight on August 28th on Nuclear Blast, with a re-release of their flagship album ‘Clayman’, remastered by Ted Jensen (PANTERA, DEFTONES, GOJIRA…). Not a novelty in itself, but a birthday that is celebrated with dignity, because the band offers its fans five5 bonus tracks and newly recorded titles for the 20th anniversary of this work: ‘Bullet Ride’, ‘Pinball Map’, ‘Only for the weak’, ‘Clayman’, produced by Howard Benson (MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, MOTÖRHEAD) and mixed by Chris Lord-Alge (GREEN DAY, ROB ZOMBIE). This album, which has been described as more thoughtful and calibrated in terms of extreme efficiency, will therefore be presented again in 2020 to remind us of the first part of the band's career. But first to the main package: ‘Clayman’ is for many the best album in the history of the Gothenburgers. Will the re-released edition with the darkened cover and the remastered songs be equally inspiring?

We start with ‘Bullet Ride’ and especially ‘Pinball Map’, both of course are absolute classics. ‘Only For The Weak’ is also not unknown - Melodic Death Metal as it should be and an absolute neck breaker at every gig. ‘...As The Future Repeats Today’ is certainly not as well-known as its predecessors, but the track comes along with an intense and melodic guitar work and the screams by Anders. ‘Square Nothing’ comes out of the speakers much more calmly at first, only to explode after about 90 seconds, a song structure that reminds a bit of Metalcore or Nu Metal, thus connecting Melodic Death with the Nu Metal of that time. The title track should be well known, Anders growls and screams and the clear vocals can be heard clearly in the background. ‘With Satellites And Astronauts’ there is pure Melodic Death, similar to what you could hear from DARK TRANQUILLITY. ‘Brush The Dust Away’ is a number with the usual trademarks of IN FLAMES at that time. ‘Swim’ continues exactly there and ‘Suburban Me’ is from the beginning on very cool. The last song of the actual ‘Clayman’ is ‘Another Day In Quicksand’, which follows seamlessly on from its two predecessors.

The comparison between the new recordings of ‘Bullet Ride’, ‘Pinball Map’, ‘Only For The Weak’ and ‘Clayman’ and the originals is different. Those who have followed IN FLAMES a bit should not have missed a certain change in the sound of the Swedes. This is not reprehensible, after all, bands often move with the time and reinvent themselves. However, the sound here has been polished a bit, but at least you can still recognize the songs. If you compare them with the 2000 versions, most of the time, for die-hard hard-core fans, the 2000 versions win by far. All in all, the new version of ‘Clayman’ is right on time. Those who doesn’t like it are only those who are generally against any form of change. Anyone who likes ‘Clayman’ from 2000 will be happy to hear the 20th Anniversary Edition.


Tracklist

01. Bullet Ride
02. Pinball Map
03. Only For The Weak
04. …As The Future Repeats Today
05. Square Nothing
06. Clayman
07. Satellites and Astronauts
08. Brush The Dust Away
09. Swim
10. Suburban Me
11. Another Day In Quicksand
12. Themes and Variations in D-Minor (instrumental)
13. Only For The Weak (Re-recorded)
14. Bullet Ride (Re-recorded)
15. Pinball Map (Re-recorded)
16. Clayman (Re-recorded)


Line-up

Anders Fridén – Vocals
Björn Gelotte – Guitars
Chris Broderich – Guitars
Bryce Paul Newman – Bass
Tanner Wayne – Drums


Website

https://www.inflames.com/


Cover Picture

inflames clayman anniversary


Rating

Music: 7
Sound: 5
Total: 6 / 10




Elena

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