Review: In Flames - Siren Charms
By Eric Perzanowski, Programming Director
[Epic Records; 2014]
Rating: 4.5/10
Key Tracks: “Through Oblivion,” “When The World Explodes”
The Gothenburg metal scene of the early-mid '90s greatly influenced many of the contemporary bands in today’s landscape. Bands like Dark Tranquility and At The Gates brought the movement back to relevancy. But of all of the metal bands to come from the Swedish city, In Flames is certainly the most commercially successful.
Ever since the release of 2002’s Reroute to Remain, In Flames have received backlash from members of the metal community for deviating from the melodic death metal roots that brought the band success. Instead, In Flames have moved into a more mainstream, albeit still melodic, sound.
Many of the songs on this album could be described as “poppy.” This by no means indicates a similarity to Katy Perry but much of the material is easy to digest, very chorus-driven and tries to be catchy. A more cynical critic would pose that In Flames has essentially become a pop group with down-tuned, electric guitars.
Vocalist Anders Friden shows both growth and decline with his vocal work. In regards to cleanly delivered vocals, there is notable improvement upon his work on 2011’s Sounds of a Playground Fading. However his more harshly delivered vocals, which appear very infrequently on this album, appear to have suffered a decline in quality.
“Through Oblivion” is one of the few songs that sticks with me beyond the completion of the album. It highlights Friden’s cleaner vocal capabilities, has an anthemic chorus and contains an intriguing electronic sample. Even if it was a modified guitar riff, In Flames is modernizing their sound.
“When The World Explodes” is one of the more fascinating parts Siren Charms has to offer. It starts off as a standard In Flames track, but throughout the song there are slower parts sung by opera singer Emilia Feldt. Feldt’s presence creates a distinct sound and makes it one of the few songs that truly stand out. It may not be the best this album has to offer, but it is certainly one memorable moment.
While there is some worthwhile material on Siren Charms, there is a hefty amount of product that is bland and not memorable. In this case, it works to the album’s advantage for the content to be inoffensive and forgettable, rather than memorably terrible.
One of the problems is that many of the songs are formulaic and follow very similar structures. While fixed, repetitive structures may yield success for some, this material is simply not exciting enough. It almost becomes a chore trying to get through the last couple of songs and the album is only 44 minutes long.
Fans of the old In Flames will likely be disappointed simply because it sounds nothing like the In Flames they know and love. But if one takes this album for what it is, Siren Charms still isn’t up to par with the rest of the band's newer material. Siren Charms is by no means a musical atrocity, but it’s also no gold star on In Flames’ storied discography.
