History Music / InFlames

* NeoclassicalPunkZydecoRockabilly: Later works featured a fusion of MelodicDeathMetal, AlternativeMetal and NuMetal.

* MohsScaleOfRockAndMetalHardness: Older songs an 8-9, later songs a 7-8. "Take This Life", the opening track for ''Come Clarity'', is a very hard 9 bordering on 10 (same for "Morphing Into Primal" from ''Whoracle''), while "Scream", a song from the same album, is a ''solid'' 10.

* BadassBeard: Anders in his later years. And, of course, Bjorn Gelotte.

* TropeCodifier: For the more melodic and upbeat end of melodeath as performed by them and Music/{{Unearth}}, Music/SonicSyndicate, Music/ScarSymmetry, Music/ChildrenOfBodom, [=MyGrain=], Music/{{Gorod}}, {{Music/Soilwork}} and Music/BloodStainChild.

** TheSmartGuy: Bj&oulm;rn

* VocalEvolution: From traditional death growls on the first four albums to a more screamy style from ''Clayman'' onward. Not to mention the gradual implementation of clean singing starting with ''Colony'' and solidifying with ''Reroute to Remain''.

To date the band has released twelve studio albums; ''Lunar Strain'' in 1994, ''The Jester Race'' in 1996, ''Whoracle'' in 1997, ''Colony'' in 1999, ''Clayman'' in 2000, ''Reroute to Remain'' in 2002, ''Soundtrack to Your Escape'' in 2004, ''Come Clarity'' in 2006, ''A Sense of Purpose'' in 2008, ''Sounds of a Playground Fading'' in 2011, ''Siren Charms'' in 2014, and ''Battles'' in 2016. A thirteenth full-length record, titled ''I, the Mask'', is scheduled to come out March 1, 2019.

* AlternativeMetal: Their later albums contain this sound along with their usual melodeath, though ''Sounds of a Playground Fading'', ''Siren Charms'', and ''Battles'' are straight alt-metal.

* AutoTune: Utilized considerably on ''Battles''. Not a surprise bearing in mind that Howard Benson [[note]]A firm lover of the tool[[/note]] produced the material.

** In some artwork, Jesterhead is portrayed similarly, such as in the booklet artwork for ''A Sense of Purpose'' (2008).

* TruckDriversGearChange: "Only for the Weak", "Square Nothing", and "World of Promises", the latter a [[CoverVersion cover]] of a Treat song, which didn't have it originally. "The New Word" and arguably "Dead Eternity" and "Stand Ablaze" as inversions.

* Anders Fridén: lead singer, growler, and [[MetalScream screamer.]] He also writes the lyrics.

* Niclas Engelin: the other guitarist; replaced band founder Jesper Stromblad in 2010.

* AlternativeMetal: Their later albums contain this sound along with their usual melodeath, though ''Sounds of a Playground Fading'' and ''Siren Charms'' are straight alt-metal.

[[quoteright:310:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/8be03a08cb9d3d57c04ed6fabf23be73.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:310:In Flames We Trust.]]

** Firstly, regarding the cover artwork, In Flames shifted from traditional metal artwork as seen from ''Lunar Strain'' (1994) through ''Clayman'' (2000) to more abstract artwork on ''Reroute to Remain'' (2002) and ''Soundtrack to Your Escape'' (2004). The artwork on their albums since 2006, starting with ''Come Clarity'', has been "rougher," usually depicting sketches of dark and surreal imagery. These shifts in art style parallel their musical evolution as well.
** The font used to stylize "In Flames" on each album changed from a more traditional death-metal font on ''Lunar Strain'', ''Subterranean'', and ''The Jester Race'' to a streamlined but still metal-reminiscent logo between ''Whoracle'' and ''Clayman''. Starting with ''Reroute to Remain'', the band opted for a minimalist font that has appeared on all albums afterwards except for ''A Sense of Purpose'' and ''Sounds of a Playground Fading''. These albums used fonts that complemented the rough artwork on the albums[[superscript:[[http://www.metal-archives.com/images/1/1/11_logo.jpg?0333]]]], but ''Siren Charms'' heralded a return to the minimalist typesetting.
** Finally, the traditional Jesterhead logo used from 1996-2011 was replaced by a simpler logo designed by Andreas Werling[[superscript:[[http://inflames.com/wp-content/themes/webbster/images/favicons/1200x630.jpg]]]] on ''Siren Charms'' (2014).

* AutoTune: Utilized considerably on ''Battles''. Not surprising bearing in mind that Howard Benson [[note]]A firm lover of the tool[[/note]] produced the material.

* ContinuityNod: Whatever the term "Neo-wolf" means, it's a term that appears in both ''The Jester Race'' (1996) and ''Whoracle'' (1997) to describe scenarios heralding a fictional apocalypse.

** TheCoverChangesTheMeaning: Slightly, with "Everything Counts" on ''Whoracle'' (1997). The original song is about corporate greed in the music industry, but the In Flames cover in the context of ''Whoracle'' is about societal greed as a whole.

* {{Fanvid}}: The ''official'' music video for "Ropes"[[superscript:[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDexCGGuIs0]]]] is composed of these.

* ImportantHaircut: Anders recently cut off his dreadlocks, after growing them out for 9 years. His haircut pretty much coincides with the band abandoning the last traces of melodeath in their sound.

* MelodicDeathMetal: Their music primarily features this style.
** Unlike many metal bands who change their sound, nobody actually ''knows'' why they did. While they have not directly explained their melodic shift over the decades, Anders in one interview elaborated that the band takes a more laid-back approach to their songwriting, resulting in different sounds from album to album[[superscript:[[http://www.altpress.com/features/entry/i_dont_wanna_do_whoracle_or_jester_race_part_2anders_friden_on_in_flames_ev]]]].

* MetalScream: Anders can pull off rather epic Type 3's.

* PowerBallad: The title track of ''Come Clarity'' (2006), while not the first one written by In Flames, is one of their more recognized ballads.
* {{Rockumentary}}: ''Used & Abused: In Live We Trust'' (2005).

* StopAndGo: "Coerced Coexistence" on ''Colony'' (1999) is a very fast-paced song that does this early on after the first lyric, "I'll take you on a ride." This happens again in the last minute of the song.

To date the band has released twelve studio albums; ''Lunar Strain'' in 1994, ''The Jester Race'' in 1996, ''Whoracle'' in 1997, ''Colony'' in 1999, ''Clayman'' in 2000, ''Reroute to Remain'' in 2002, ''Soundtrack to Your Escape'' in 2004, ''Come Clarity'' in 2006, ''A Sense of Purpose'' in 2008, ''Sounds of a Playground Fading'' in 2011, ''Siren Charms'' in 2014, and most recently, ''Battles'' in 2016.

* Anders Friden: lead singer, growler, and [[MetalScream screamer.]] He also writes the lyrics.
* Bjorn Gelotte: one of the band's two guitarists (served as the drummer from 1995-1998).

* Peter Iwers: the bassist.
* Joe Rickard: the drummer. After Daniel Svensson left in mid-2016, Rickard, who'd previously worked with Red, joined as his permanent replacement for ''Battles.''

* AudienceParticipationSong: "Swim" is this on ''The Tokyo Showdown''. In recent performances, In Flames will call upon their audiences to participate in a variety of songs, such as callouts on "Resin" or "Only For The Weak" and clapping on "Where The Dead Ships Dwell."
* AutoTune: Utilized considerably on ''Battles''. Taking into account that Howard Benson produced the record, this should come as no surprise.

* CarefulWithThatAxe: Very frequently used in their later music. For example, "Evil In A Closet" and, to a lesser extent, "Cloud Connected."

** Also, the title of the 1997 EP ''Black-Ash Inheritance'' is derived from a lyric from "Dead God In Me" on ''The Jester Race''.

* EldritchAbomination: The lyrics of Lunar Strain seem to focus on one of these, particularly in Behind Space: "Call me by my astral name / Breeding fear through wordless tongue"

** One of the reasons for the change was because Anders vocals were badly damaged as a result of his guttural growling over the years, so he was forced to do more clean singing as otherwise he would blow out his vocal cords completely.

* MusicForCourage: On ''A Sense of Purpose'' and subsequent albums, this is a more common theme for listed tracks. Some examples are "Drenched In Fear," "Fear Is The Weakness," and "Dead Eyes."

** Starting with ''Colony'', Anders has been mixing in clean vocals with his usual screams[[note]]Although a couple ''Whoracle'' and ''The Jester Race'' songs have him creepily mumbling[[/note]]. The ratio of clean to harsh vocals has steadily increased with each subsequent album, to the point where their latest albums feature several songs with no screaming.
** Some more straight examples of this trope are used occasionally on tracks such as "Dead End" on ''Come Clarity'' and "When The World Explodes" on ''Siren Charms'', where Anders alternates with a female vocalist.

* SopranoAndGravel: Starting with ''Colony'', Anders has been mixing in clean vocals with his usual screams[[note]]Although a couple ''Whoracle'' and ''The Jester Race'' songs have him creepily mumbling[[/note]]. The ratio of clean to harsh vocals has steadily increased with each subsequent album, to the point where their latest albums feature several songs with no screaming.

** The font used to stylize "In Flames" on each album changed from a more traditional death-metal font on ''Lunar Strain'' and ''The Jester Race'' to a streamlined but still metal-reminiscent logo between ''Whoracle'' and ''Clayman''. Starting with ''Reroute to Remain'', the band opted for a minimalist font that has appeared on all albums afterwards except for ''A Sense of Purpose'' and ''Sounds of a Playground Fading''. These albums used fonts that complemented the rough artwork on the albums[[superscript:[[http://www.metal-archives.com/images/1/1/11_logo.jpg?0333]]]], but ''Siren Charms'' heralded a return to the minimalist typesetting.

* TruckDriversGearChange: "Only for the Weak", "Square Nothing", and "World of Promises", the latter a [[CoverVersion cover]] of a Treat song, which didn't have it originally. Arguably "Dead Eternity" as an inversion.
* VocalEvolution: From traditional death growls on the first four albums to a more screamy style from ''Clayman'' onward. Not to mention the gradual implementation of clean singing starting with ''Colony'' and solidifying with ''Reroute To Remain''.

* SopranoAndGravel: Starting with ''Colony'', Anders has been mixing in clean vocals with his usual screams[[note]]Although a couple ''Whoracle'' and ''The Jester Race'' songs have him creepily mumbling[[/note]]. The ratio of clean to harsh vocals has steadily increased with each subsequent album, to the point where the latest album ''Siren Charms'' features several songs with no screaming.

To date the band has released eleven studio albums; ''Lunar Strain'' in 1994, ''The Jester Race'' in 1996, ''Whoracle'' in 1997, ''Colony'' in 1999, ''Clayman'' in 2000, ''Reroute to Remain'' in 2002, ''Soundtrack to Your Escape'' in 2004, ''Come Clarity'' in 2006, ''A Sense of Purpose'' in 2008, ''Sounds of a Playground Fading'' in 2011, and most recently, ''Siren Charms'' in 2014. Eventually the band had started work on their twelfth entry, ''Battles,'' which was released in November 2016. The band emerged with a very traditional MelodicDeathMetal sound, combining elements of FolkMetal into their songs, and focusing largely on melodic instrumentation. The sound was described as 'Gothenburg metal', and the band's sophomore album, ''The Jester Race'', is considered to be a classic album in the genre of melodeath, and one of the best metal albums of TheNineties.

To date the band has released eleven studio albums; ''Lunar Strain'' in 1994, ''The Jester Race'' in 1996, ''Whoracle'' in 1997, ''Colony'' in 1999, ''Clayman'' in 2000, ''Reroute to Remain'' in 2002, ''Soundtrack to Your Escape'' in 2004, ''Come Clarity'' in 2006, ''A Sense of Purpose'' in 2008, ''Sounds of a Playground Fading'' in 2011, and most recently, ''Siren Charms'' in 2014. Eventually the band had started work on their twelfth entry, ''Battles,'' which was released in November 2016. The band emerged with a very traditional MelodicDeathMetal sound, combining elements of FolkMetal into their songs, and focusing largely on melodic instrumentation. The sound was described as 'Gothenburg metal', and the band's sophomore album, ''The Jester Race'', is considered to be a classic album in the genre of melodeath, and by some to be one of the best metal albums in recent years.

To date the band has released eleven studio albums; ''Lunar Strain'' in 1994, ''The Jester Race'' in 1996, ''Whoracle'' in 1997, ''Colony'' in 1999, ''Clayman'' in 2000, ''Reroute to Remain'' in 2002, ''Soundtrack to Your Escape'' in 2004, ''Come Clarity'' in 2006, ''A Sense of Purpose'' in 2008, ''Sounds of a Playground Fading'' in 2011, and most recently, ''Siren Charms'' in 2014. As of 2016, the band is currently working on their twelfth entry, ''Battles,'' to be released in November 2016. The band emerged with a very traditional MelodicDeathMetal sound, combining elements of FolkMetal into their songs, and focusing largely on melodic instrumentation. The sound was described as 'Gothenburg metal', and the band's sophomore album, ''The Jester Race'', is considered to be a classic album in the genre of melodeath, and by some to be one of the best metal albums in recent years.

* LighterAndSofter: The song 'Metaphor' on ''Reroute to Remain'' and the title track on ''Come Clarity'' are softer than most of their usual work. The same could be said for all releases after ''Reroute to Remain'' in comparison to their previous work, although some songs, such as "Take This Life", "Scream" and "Trigger" are just as heavy as their older material. The album ''Siren Charms'' in particular is rather sedate compared to even their most recent material.

* Joe Rickard: the drummer. After Daniel Svensson left in mid-2016, Rickard, who'd previously worked with [[RED]], joined as his permanent replacement for ''Battles.''

* Joe Rickard: the drummer. After Daniel Svensson left in mid-2016, Rickard joined as his permanent replacement for ''Battles.''

* Daniel Svensson: the drummer.

To date the band has released eleven studio albums; ''Lunar Strain'' in 1994, ''The Jester Race'' in 1996, ''Whoracle'' in 1997, ''Colony'' in 1999, ''Clayman'' in 2000, ''Reroute to Remain'' in 2002, ''Soundtrack to Your Escape'' in 2004, ''Come Clarity'' in 2006, ''A Sense of Purpose'' in 2008, ''Sounds of a Playground Fading'' in 2011, and most recently, ''Siren Charms'' in 2014. As of 2016, the band is currently working on their twelfth entry. The band emerged with a very traditional MelodicDeathMetal sound, combining elements of FolkMetal into their songs, and focusing largely on melodic instrumentation. The sound was described as 'Gothenburg metal', and the band's sophomore album, ''The Jester Race'', is considered to be a classic album in the genre of melodeath, and by some to be one of the best metal albums in recent years.

* SopranoAndGravel: Starting with ''Colony'', Anders has been mixing in clean vocals with his usual screams[[note]]Although a couple ''Whoracle'' and ''The Jester Race'' songs have him creepily mumbling[[/note]]. The ratio of clean to harsh vocals has steadily increased with each subsequent album, to the point where the latest album ''Siren Charms'' features very little screaming.

* ImportantHaircut: Anders recently cut off his dreadlocks, after growing them out for 9 years.

* SopranoAndGravel: Starting with ''Colony'', Anders has been mixing in clean vocals with his usual screams[[note]]Although a couple ''Whoracle'' and ''The Jester Race'' songs have him creepily mumbling[[/note]].

To date the band has released 11 studio albums; ''Lunar Strain'' in 1994, ''The Jester Race'' in 1996, ''Whoracle'' in 1997, ''Colony'' in 1999, ''Clayman'' in 2000, ''Reroute to Remain'' in 2002, ''Soundtrack to Your Escape'' in 2004, ''Come Clarity'' in 2006, ''A Sense of Purpose'' in 2008, ''Sounds of a Playground Fading'' in 2011, and most recently, ''Siren Charms'' in 2014. The band emerged with a very traditional MelodicDeathMetal sound, combining elements of FolkMetal into their songs, and focusing largely on melodic instrumentation. The sound was described as 'Gothenburg metal', and the band's sophomore album, ''The Jester Race'', is considered to be a classic album in the genre of melodeath, and by some to be one of the best metal albums in recent years.

Despite this, the band felt like they were playing the same style too often around halfway through their career, and changed their style starting with their 2002 release ''Reroute to Remain'', which [[BrokenBase caused dispute between many fans.]] The new sound departed from much of their old sound, which involved high-pitched screams in replacement of the low death growls, the addition of melodic vocals, less raw production, and a more commercially acceptable tone among other elements. Some fans, however, liked the change in sound, citing it to be 'a step in a new direction', and some even like the old and the new sound.