Album Review

I may as well try my hand at this music review thing. I have been told I am hyper-critical of anything music related, so we'll see what reactions I get from my three readers of this album.

As you may or may not know, I am a lover of all things metal. It is only appropriate that I should start off reviewing a metal album. The band is In Flames. The album is "Colony." I chose this album, because it is relatively "benign" as metal goes and is quite melodic -- characteristic of Scandinavian metal.

The band is from Sweden, and has been around since 1990. "Colony" was released in 1999, and is the sixth of the band's eleven albums. The overall sound is low, heavy, fast, yet melancholy. Each song is written for three guitars. One on rhythm, and the other two playing harmonized lead riffs, taking turns soloing.

The vocals can be difficult to understand at times due to the singer's growling. They are also difficult to decipher in the album's liner notes as well, due to a combination of bad grammar and spelling errors. Lyrics and vocals are clearly not this band's strong point.

"Colony" is the middle of the In Flames' melodic albums, sandwiched between "Whoracle" in '97, and "Clayman" in '99. This album is one In Flames' superior pieces of work. After "Colony" the band's overall sound began to degenerate to a more heavy, dark, chunking, sound, with the lead singer, Anders Fridén, lowering his voice to an even more incomprehensible growl.

I have linked two songs from "Colony" to one of my other websites so you may have a listen. The first, Zombie Inc., starts off a little slow for a reason, building up to a bridge bridge that is capable of making even the biggest metal haters perk their ears up (in enjoyment, not pain). The second, Pallar Anders Visa (sorry, couldn't find a translation), demonstrates the musicians' versatility. Acoustic guitars only, and no "singing" in this one.

I hope you enjoy, and perhaps will consider metal as an alternate source of musical enjoyment in the near future.