Line #51 Music/InFlames


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/b50e0cc9_11cf_4596_b55c_344945fe8d05_926251_tablet_landscape_16_9_3.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:In Flames We Trust.]]
3	A MelodicDeathMetal / AlternativeMetal quintet formed in Gothenburg, Sweden.
4
5	To date the band has released thirteen 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, ''Battles'' in 2016, ''I, the Mask'' in 2019, and ''Foregone'' dropped in 2023.
6
7	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.
8
9	Despite this, the band felt like they were playing the same style too often 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.
10
11	To date, the band has sold over 3 million albums worldwide.
12
13	See also Music/TheHaloEffect, a {{supergroup}} formed by several of their former members in 2021.
14	----
15	!!Members:
16	* Anders Fridén: lead vocalist. He also writes the lyrics.
17	* Björn Gelotte: one of the band's two guitarists (served as the drummer from 1995-1998).
18	* Chris Broderick: the rhythm guitarist as of 2022. Previously a live-only contributor from 2019.
19	* Bryce Paul Newman: the bassist as of 2018. Previously a live-only contributor a year back.
20	* Tanner Wayne: the drummer as of 2018.
21
22	!!Discography:
23	* ''Lunar Strain'' (1994)
24	* ''Subterranean'' (1995; EP)
25	* ''The Jester Race'' (1996)
26	* ''Whoracle'' (1997)
27	* ''Colony'' (1999)
28	* ''Clayman'' (2000)
29	* ''Reroute to Remain'' (2002)
30	* ''Soundtrack to Your Escape'' (2004)
31	* ''Come Clarity'' (2006)
32	* ''A Sense of Purpose'' (2008)
33	* ''Sounds of a Playground Fading'' (2011)
34	* ''Siren Charms'' (2014)
35	* ''Battles'' (2016)
36	* ''I, the Mask'' (2019)
37	* ''Foregone'' (2023)
38	----
39	!!Tropes of a Playground Fading:
40
41	* AlternativeMetal: Their later albums contain this sound along with their usual melodeath, though ''Sounds of a Playground Fading'', ''Siren Charms'', ''Battles'', and ''I, the Mask'' are straight alt-metal.
42	* ArtEvolution: Generally speaking, from traditional death-metal imagery and stylization to minimalism in their album covers and logos:
43	** Firstly, regarding the cover artwork, In Flames shifted from traditional metal artwork as seen from ''Lunar Strain'' through ''Clayman'' to more abstract artwork on ''Reroute to Remain'' and ''Soundtrack to Your Escape''. 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.
44	** 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 with ''A Sense of Purpose'', ''Sounds of a Playground Fading'', ''Battles'', ''I, the Mask'', and ''Foregone''. These albums used [[http://www.metal-archives.com/images/1/1/11_logo.jpg?0333 fonts]] that complemented the rough artwork on the albums [[note]]See top-left logo[[/note]], and ''Siren Charms'' heralded a return to the minimalist typesetting.
45	** The traditional Jesterhead logo used from 1996-2011 was replaced by a simpler logo designed by Andreas Werling beginning on ''Siren Charms''.
46	** With the band's reintroduction of melodeath stylings comes the return of the classic Jesterhead on the cover of ''I, The Mask''.
47	* 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."
48	* AutoTune: Utilized considerably on ''Battles'' as well as ''I, the Mask''. Not a surprise bearing in mind that Howard Benson [[note]]A firm lover of the tool[[/note]] produced the material.
49	* CarefulWithThatAxe: Very frequently used in their later music. For example, "Evil in a Closet" and, to a lesser extent, "Cloud Connected."
50	* ConceptAlbum: ''Whoracle''
51	* ContinuityNod: Whatever the term "Neo-wolf" means, it's a term that appears in both ''The Jester Race'' and ''Whoracle'' to describe scenarios heralding a fictional apocalypse.
52	** Also, the title of the 1997 EP ''Black-Ash Inheritance'' is derived from a lyric from "Dead God in Me" on ''The Jester Race''.
53	* CoverVersion: In Flames covered several songs in their 1997-2002 period, including "Everything Counts" by Music/DepecheMode and "Land of Confusion" by Music/{{Genesis\|Band}}.
54	** TheCoverChangesTheMeaning: Slightly, with "Everything Counts" on ''Whoracle''. 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.
55	* {{Crossover}}: Anders Fridén did guest vocals on Music/WithinTemptation's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrMGGMNTKa8 "Raise Your Banner"]], and the band as a whole toured with them that year (though he didn't join the live performance of the song).
56	* DarkerAndEdgier: ''Whoracle'', which is easily the band's darkest and most brutal album.
57	* DeliberatelyMonochrome: Many of their music videos make use of this aesthetic, especially the music video releases for ''Siren Charms.''
58	* 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"
59	* EpicRocking: ''A Sense of Purpose'' contains "The Chosen Pessimist", which is track #8 off said album. Clocking in at a total of eight minutes, it currently stands as the band's longest song to date.
60	** ''Battles'' includes the band's second lengthiest track thus far in history, titled "Wallflower", which is seven minutes long.
61	* FanCommunityNickname: Jesterheads.
62	* {{Fanvid}}: The ''official'' music video for "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDexCGGuIs0 Ropes]]" is composed of these.
63	* GenreBusting: While their early albums were more straightforward in terms of sound, the later works feature a lot of elements from different rock subgenres.
64	* GenreMashup: Later works featured a fusion of MelodicDeathMetal, AlternativeMetal, NuMetal, and {{Metalcore}}.
65	* GrooveMetal: Around ''Soundtrack to Your Escape,'' this genre became another influence that added to In Flames' post-''Clayman'' sound.
66	* HumanoidAbomination:
67	** The entity described in "Gyroscope" from ''Whoracle'', which may be the titular "Whoracle" herself, qualifies.
68	--->"Breasts ripe with smog filled rebellion
69	--->Apathy dressed in violence
70	--->White insectoid legs
71	--->Curse her lips and her mouth"
72	** In some artwork, Jesterhead is portrayed similarly, such as in the booklet artwork for ''A Sense of Purpose''.
73	* ImportantHaircut: Anders recently cut off his dreadlocks, after growing them out for nine years. His haircut pretty much coincides with the band abandoning the last traces of melodeath in their sound.
74	* {{Instrumentals}}: They have several instrumental songs, including "Wayfaerer" from ''The Jester Race'', "Starforsaken" from ''Lunar Strain'', "Whoracle" from its respective album, and "Man Made God," a bonus track from ''Colony'' only included on the Japanese release and remaster of the album.
75	* IntercourseWithYou: "Morphing Into Primal" on ''Whoracle'', using astronomy innuendos.
76	* LighterAndSofter: The song "Metaphor" on ''Reroute to Remain'' and the title track off ''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, whilst ''Battles'' meanwhile is by far the group's most pop-sounding yet.
77	** The shift also applies to their lyrical content. While Anders' modern lyrics tend to primarily discuss internal, individual struggles, the lyrical content of albums from ''Lunar Strain'' to ''Colony'' more often discussed apocalyptic scenarios, [[EldritchAbomination Eldritch Abominations]] or malevolent supernatural entities, and the decaying state of human society.
78	* LongRunnerCastTurnover: The band was founded in 1990 and has continuously toured and produced ever since, but the last original member, keyboardist Jesper Strömblad, left in 2010.
79	* MelodicDeathMetal: Their music primarily featured this style until Jesper departed.
80	** 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 [[http://www.altpress.com/features/entry/i_dont_wanna_do_whoracle_or_jester_race_part_2anders_friden_on_in_flames_ev the band takes a more laid-back approach to their songwriting, resulting in different sounds from album to album]].
81	** 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.
82	** The band would reintroduce and revisit elements of the melodeath genre with ''I, The Mask'', the UpdatedRerelease of ''Clayman'', and ''Foregone''.
83	* MetalBandMascot: Jesterhead.
84	* MetalScream: Anders predominantly used Type 2's in the early days of the band, but as the group evolved its sound - coupled with vocal chord deterioration - he switched to Type 3's from ''Reroute to Remain'' onwards.
85	* 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."
86	* NewSoundAlbum: ''Reroute to Remain'' is the album that arguably solidified their "new" sound. However, ''Colony'' and ''Clayman'' showed the band gradually developing it.
87	* NonAppearingTitle: These are relatively common for In Flames and appear regularly on each release. "Colony," "System," "Trigger," "Siren Charms," and "Disconnected" are some examples.
88	* NuMetal: Has flirted with this on their later material, with "Leeches", "Trigger" and "The Quiet Place" being particularly good examples.
89	* PowerBallad: The title track of ''Come Clarity'', while not the first one written by In Flames, is one of their more recognized ballads.
90	* RevolvingDoorBand: There aren't any original members left since Jesper departed.
91	* {{Rockumentary}}: ''Used & Abused: In Live We Trust''.
92	* SelfBackingVocalist: Because In Flames only has one regular vocalist, to record studio albums Anders will often employ this method when the band doesn't collaborate with a guest vocalist.
93	* SignatureStyle: Early on, harmonized guitar shredding a la Music/IronMaiden combined with ferocious chainsaw riffs typical of DeathMetal. Nowadays the band has incorporated ElectronicMusic elements into their songwriting, along with Music/LinkinPark[=-=]style power riffs, while keeping the dual guitar noodling that made them famous. Also, Anders Friden has one of the most easily recognizable screaming voices in modern metal. Of the three big melodeath bands, they were the most melodic and accessible.
94	* SingerNamedrop: On "December Flower":
95	-->"We are In Flames
96	-->towards the dead archaic heavens
97	-->We Are The Mantle And The Texture
98	-->the alters the mantle of the earth"
99	%% Please note that these lyrics are not a typo when editing; they are a direct transcription from the album booklet for The Jester Race. This includes both the syntax, grammar, and capitalization.
100	* SopranoAndGravel:
101	** Starting with ''Colony'', Anders has been mixing in clean vocals with his usual screams[[note]]Although a couple ''Whoracle'' and even ''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.
102	** 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.
103	* ShoutOut: "We Will Remember" from ''I, the Mask'' is littered with references to both past IF track titles and certain lyrical passages lifted from older material. For instance, the opening line "'''We have come so far, crawled through knives and artifacts'''" namechecks the songs "Crawl Through Knives" and "Artifacts of the Black Rain" respectively.
104	* StopAndGo: "Coerced Coexistence" on ''Colony'' 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.
105	* TitleTrack: Except for ''A Sense of Purpose'' and ''Soundtrack to Your Escape'', every album is named for a song contained within the album.
106	* 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}}, Music/BloodStainChild, Nightrage, and Nekrogoblikon.
107	* 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 World" and arguably "Dead Eternity" and "Stand Ablaze" as inversions.
108	* VocalEvolution: From traditional death growls on the first four albums to a more fry scream-laden style from ''Clayman'' onward. Not to mention the gradual implementation of clean singing starting with ''Colony'' and solidifying with ''Reroute to Remain''. Post-''Siren Charms'' material shows a much more varied singing style with the return of strident death growls and the occasional {{yarling}}.
109	** In general, Anders' performances have slowly taken on a much more higher-pitched range since ''Reroute to Remain'', whether this be due to age, studio manipulation, or improved techniques to avert vocal decay.

Context Music / InFlames