Man... following you guys for nearly 5 years throughout your metal journey, hearing Ryan explain how the death growls purposefully and skillfully, both contrast and complement the melodic instrumentation brings a tear to my eye. You guys have come such a long way
This is a great choice for a first listen when it comes to older In Flames. But imo, I think Colony seems like a song that might fit your tastes better due to the catchier and groovier riffs. But that's just me.
I’m so thrilled y’all are finally checking out In Flames. They’re definitely more accessible Melodic Death Metal. While We Sleep by Insomnium is an excellent melodic death song with a good mix of clean and harsh vocals and truly beautiful melodies. Well worth checking out!
@@DM72513 what's their genre tho? the ugly metalcore they performed after Colony? True in Flames are till Colony ( Lunar Strain, The Jester Race, Whoracle, Colony and partially Clayman)
This is the FIRST time you guys have listened to IN FLAMES? Holy F*CK you guys got A TON to listen to now...Great Discography, especially the mid 90's to Mid 00's...You're going to LOVE Whoracle, it's a more polished version of Jester Race, and it get's more polished the newer albums you go
The Jester Race is one of the best albums ever made, it was a classic even when it was released. You should have combined this with the second track "Artifacts Of The Black Rain," that song is more straightforward and up tempo. It would have been interesting to hear your opinions on how those songs were similar and different.
Jasper was basically a child prodigy playing classical instruments as a kid, then became a fan of death metal as a kid then heard Iron maiden and mixed it all together to make in flames. He even wrote and played all the parts on the first album besides bass I believe
I've waited for 5 or 6 years for this moment, where you finally listen to the majesty of melodic death metal from the masterpiece Jester Race album by In Flames. What pure magic. And you both nailed why this genre and album are so universally appealing. It has been tough watching you both struggle with the likes of Death and Cannibal Corpse over the years when music like this was out there. A more natural way to expose oneself and get into the genre. More palatable and beautiful than raw and harsh. This was my gateway into extreme metal and even after 20 plus years it remains one of my favorite listens. There are certainly songs by this band (stick to their 90s output) and Dark Tranquility that I am sure you'll love. I am just glad we are finally here. Bravo, gents.
Echoing this! Melodic death metal like In Flames absolutely opened up a whole new world of music for me as a teenager. The juxtaposition between dark and light, harsh and smooth, melodic and dissonant holds tremendous appeal for me to this day.
Same! I think you guys should also go to either The Colony Album or Clayman or my own starting point which was Reroute to Remain with Cloud Connected. But it might be a too big of a change from this to jump into straight away, In Flames really is a journey!
Same for me, In Flames and Opeth were the gateway for me. Still love Opeth, outgrew In Flames (the progression in their sound helped that lol). I guess the accessibility drew me in, but the heavy visceral stuff is what ultimately captured my ears over the years.
Check out the album Colony by In Flames. Their peak of song writing imo. Embody the Invisible is very melodic and very upbeat. The track Colony is probably one of their grooviest.
So, a bit of pedigree for In Flames. Originally, the singer for their first album, Lunar Strain was the singer from Dark Tranquillity. Mikel did that one album as a request and called it a day. A man named Anders Friden stepped up to the plate for the album The Jester race and has been the main vocalist since. The tripping part was that Anders was the original singer for Dark Tranquillity and left , then Mikel came on board... crazy I know. As for Ryan's description of In Flames, my Digital Media teacher had the best description for bands like In Flames, Soilwork, At The Gates, Dark Tranquillity, etc, they are happy metal. They sound heavy yet melodic, and it conflicts with American metal due to the vocals and instruments providing different experiences that resonate and create a unique harmony not found in most western metal. Do yourselves a favour and check out their more recent work. "Take This Life" is a beast of a song with a modern twist in melodic metal. It's hard, fast, melodic, soaring and straight up fucking unreal.
Fast forward.... Most of the OG members left In Flames over the years. They have reformed in a band named The Halo Effect. And guess who's the singer - Mikael! Shadowminds will definitely get your head banging
everyone loves the early In Flames, the guitar work is just amazing. I will say their later work is vocally more accessible and could be a style you may enjoy more.
@@AlmissaGamingthat was my first introduction to them! Was on a Headbanger's Ball mix CD and I fell in love with it. Were SOOO many tracks that were amazing on the 2 discs! Swinging the Dead by Devildriver was almost burned out I listened to it so much 🤣
2017 George and Ryan would think you guys are off the perc for digging this, hahaha. Nah but I'm glad you liked it, In Flames have changed their sound quite a bit over the years, but recently they released some songs that really hit the spot. I think you guys would like Foregone Pt. 2, lots of different dynamics and melodies in that with modern production
Love that you guys are getting into more melodeath bands and definitely agree that it's a more accessible sub-genre for people who aren't into extreme metal. There's a ton of great bands to check out but I'd recommend Insomnium or Soilwork next. Also think Amon Amarth definitely needs a redemption, you gotta go with Twilight of the Thunder God this time!
in flames is an interesting band because they've been around so long and their sound has changed quite a bit here are some recs from the era of in flames i prefer: lunar strain - behind space lord hypnos - the jester race clayman - clayman cloud connected - reroute to remain the quiet place - soundtrack to your escape
Clayman was the first song that I finally decided that I really liked the band. The earlier albums were too much in the middle for me. Not heavy enough, not interestng enough melodies, not fast enough, not slow enough, they just kinda slowly go from A to B. Then a friend made me a mix CD with Clayman on it. I was like, "WOW! What band is this?" He just smiled and said, a band that you don't like... In FLames". I was hooked ever since..... I did kinda like Episode 666, when it was new, too.
The Cover alone gives me chills. It was done by the german artist Andreas Marschall, who did lot of Stuff especially in the 90ies. Growing up with this type of music, this song remindes me of my teenage years, partys with my friends in my german small town village, growing our hair long , drinking beer and had fun. Good times, man..!
You should try At the Gates - Slaughter of the Soul. I used to recommend it under every video a few years ago, so I might as well recommend it again now that you guys are listening to more extreme stuff.
I have been waiting for the moment that you guys find melo-death metal! I've been saying it for years: It's the absolutely-perfect genre for you guys! I'm just glad you found a good song for your first entry into the genre. I will admit, though, that I'm surprised you meshed with these super-early-style vocals. Ironically enough, the later songs from this band have vocals that aren't nearly as "buried" as they are in this song, so you guys might not actually like their newer stuff. But, hey, a win is a win. Now just let the excellence flow. Scar Symmetry's "Holographic Universe" is the perfect song for your tastes. But Arch Enemy, Children of Bodom, Darkane, Callenish Circle, Be'Lakor, Kalmah, Allegaeon, and SO many more bands are all just waiting for you to fall in love with them.
After In Flames you might be ready for At the Gates - ”Slaughter of the soul” from 1995 🤘Another masterpiece recorded in the same studio as the In Flames albums. And another super amazing band I saw live back in 1996 😘 Only a few hundred people showed up at this show to. They did one more show before Breaking up and I thought: ”Is this it, after a masterpiece like Slaughter of the soul!?” But luckily the album got the attention it really deserved during the 12 years that the band was gone.
I would highly recommend Only For the Weak as another introduction to In Flames. It would hit that heavy groove you guys like and the screams are more palatable. It was the first song I heard when it all really clicked for me. Great work gentlemen thank you.
Love that you guys are getting to In Flames! More songs to consider Trigger (2002) My Sweet Shadow (2004) The entire Come Clarity Album (2006) Meet your maker (2023)
The beginning - "poet shirt" thing - it's very old swedish folk music kinda sound. In Flames had a lot of those in those first albums, and one of the few that actually implemented those kind of melodies.
Surprising pick but you liked it way more than I thought you would. Definitely recommend you get to Jotun next, that might be closer to what you need from In Flames! And after that Living Dead Beat or Bodom Beach Terror by Children Of Bodom!
Watched quite some vids now of these guys. The left guy has a real feel for music. He picks up all the nuances intuitively without being a musician. He's got a deep perception. I like him.
IMO, the perfect song for people that want to check out In Flames but they aren't as into the vocals is "Dialogue With the Stars" because it's an instrumental track. Same with "Acoustic Medley" which has some of my favourite In Flames riffs from their earlier catalog. I would think the songs on Colony, Whoracle, and Clayman would probably be the ones to focus on.
Respect for reacting to old In Flames. In Flames 1993 to 2006 are one of the greatest metal bands ever. No question. Gonna list a lot of songs with brief descriptions to you from choose from hoping to see more IF reactions. Band was just too damn good. Regarding vocals. Anders didn't really found his famous scream until after this album so these are worst vocals you'll hear from In Flames. So you are right. They are a bit too raw and unrefined. List of songs: - from same album as Moonshield - December Flower, Jester's Race, Goliaths Disarm their Davids - Worlds Within the Margin from album after that one (Anders has fantastic vocals in that song) - Colony and Clayman albums pretty much everything is amazing - My Sweet Shadow a must listen (my fav song still) - Come Clarity album (2006) was the last amazing one with great songs like Take This Life, Leeches, Vacuum, Vanishing Light... Honestly there are too many fantastic ones but listen to people in the comment section as old IF fans don't go wrong with suggestions.
You guys should SoilWork Next! They are eerily sound familiar to this band. They are another Swedish Death Metal Band as well. Rejection Role sounds amazing, Along with Stalfagel, Distortion Sleep are these guys number 1 hits! You should listen to them sometime!
After the song ended I was waiting for the guitar riff of "Jester's Dance" to kick in you guys would gone nuts!!! Such a smooth instrumental song. THis whole album is a masterpiece
In Flames so good across their entire career. If you like screams much more like Joe from Gojira, you'll probably enjoy a vast majority of their newest stuff. I would say "Meet Your Maker" being a great choice from the newest album of theirs to showcase some of the best aspects of the band. A little farther back, and a great choice could be "I Am Above". Even though that album, "I, the Mask" is probably one of their more controversial due to the changes in tone for the band, in my opinion it's one of their best for newcomers to Melodeath and especially In Flames. Anders is at the top of his game on this album (and their newest) imo, and you can VERY clearly hear and understand nearly every word said, and some of the songs are so catchy it's hard not to sing along with them.
Hey guys! Big fan here of yalls channel. Id love to see you react to Welcome Home by Coheed and Cambria if you havent already. If you want a powerful and emotional groove with great melodies, that song will serve that purpose for sure.
In Flames is a band that has progressed and changed a lot over the years, these days their music is barely recognisable from what it used to be. You're listening to classic, early-era In Flames here. The crux of their shift in style came around the albums Reroute to Remain, Soundtrack to Your Escape and Come Clarity. I'd recommend you take a look at some songs from Reroute to Remain, there are a bunch of incredible tracks that strike a real nice sweet spot of listenability that I think you'd really enjoy: Trigger, Reroute to Remain, Cloud Connected... actually there are more, it's a pretty long list; they did good work on that album. Look forward to it.
Reroute to remain was one of my gateways to metal. I don’t listen to it anymore as I outgrew it, but I remember it fondly. The albums following that soured me on them (the two you mentioned, soundtrack and come clarity)
Great reaction! This is a band you can take a journey with. While they are more "accessible" than Dark Tranquillity (also love), in general, this song Moonshield is probably on the lesser accessible side of In Flames catalog. It's one of their earlier works and definitely more death metal with the sounds and vocals. Their current stuff is basically radio friendly with predominantly clean vocals. I am a fan of mostly all of their stuff. It would be interesting to see you do a couple more reactions to them to see how they've evolved. Random Trivia: they had a song on guitar hero. Anyway love your reactions. 👍
It's interesting that your Patreons (sp?) referred you to 'accessible' In Flames, then suggested music off of The Jester Race. This album is arguably In Flames *least* accessible album in my opinion (I love it, but I also recognize it's not for everyone). Being introduced to In Flames for you guys should have come from their Clayman, Reroute to Remain, or maybe Come Clarity albums...I really think you two would both enjoy that music a lot more. Food for thought.
Probably should have done something off of the Clayman album to start with In Flames. But this is a solid first choice off of Jester. Hope y'all dig it! Also, you gotta do Byzantine! Justinian Code. Day #53 requesting
In Flames have quite a range in the aggression of the vocals album to album. Based on the things you folks like I think "Clayman" "The Quiet Place" and "Only for the Weak" might be more in your area.
I've been waiting for this reaction for YEARS guys. In Flames is my favorite band since I'm 16, so I'm very very happy that you finally gave them a listen. And what a song to start this journey! The whole The Jester Race album is a masterpiece. I suggest you to continue logically with a song from Whoracle. "Jotun" would be a great choice. Oh, and by the way, you should try some Soilwork some time.
I might be in the minority, but I would argue Whoracle was the pinnacle for 90s IF. I say this as a massive fan of The Jester Race. Jotun, Dialogue With The Stars, The Hive... The motherfucking Jester Script Transfigured. I can say without any equivocation those were transformative listens for me back in the 90s. But Moonshield is a great choice too. Always brightens my day when old-school IF gets exposure with new listeners. They're a special band.
I love Moonshield, but wish the pick had been December Flower. That guitar solo was one of the defining moments that made me really get into the guitar as an instrument as a teenager. All the same, glad to see you react to classic In Flames. I'm not very into their newer stuff, but their older catalog is jam packed with absolute bangers.
I really enjoy In Flames, but I tend to pass over their pre-2000s stuff. I know that might be a bad take to some, but I think their songwriting got much better after then. I saw them as they were touring in support for the "Soundtrack to your Escape" album and that was peak In Flames for me.
What? Did you guys react to Dark Tranquillity? Where's that video? I wanna see it, they are one of my favourite bands. Give The Wonders at your feets a try. Or try The Halo Effect, a new take on old In Flames and Dark Tranquillity. It's the original members of In Flames going back to the music they started playing and enjoyed.
Man I think your patrons did you guys dirty. Out of the older stuff Jotunn, Worlds Within the Margin, and Only for the Weak are much better songs that are closer to what you guys like. Slower, groovy, melodic, can bop to it. Also, you might like their song Cloud Connected, it’s when they started changing their style to incorporate more singing
I think what Ryan said, is what makes the Gothenburg scene unique. The instruments play these beautiful melodies and the vocals kinda counterpoint it. For, me that's the genius of Gothenburg. Man, I love and miss this sound a lot. The soundtrack of my early twenties.
To be honest this was an incredibly random pic from this band but still I did it this band was one that needs to be reacted to in the metal scene. They've gone through a lot of changes over the years and still they manage to be great because their core is just so Carved into stone and talented
How is it random? Moonshield is one of their most popular songs from the early era. Granted, I do think something from the ensuing 2-3 albums would be even more preferable for Ryan and George. The vocals and production both improve a lot. See: Gyroscope, Jotun, Zombie Inc., Embody the Invisible
You all summarized it perfectly, you get it. Guys you've been exposed to so much progressive and technical stuff, it's been harrowing to watch it from this side of the screen. It's such a small part of the metal world, yet people throw it your way cause I guess it's the most "impressive" stuff I guess. But as a 40 year old metalhead, I still can't listen to progressive bar a few exceptions. Nineties melodic death, doom, this is a world you have seen so little of yet it's for many people from my generation what we think of when we think of metal. It's the natural progression of the 80s thrash scene. So much heartfelt, high quality, easy to get into music from this time.
Forgot how good this band are. When will you get around to more Machine Head? I think Aesthetics of Hate would be staylist for you both. Also Ryan, that comment wasn't a regression at all! It's great to hear you are starting to 'get' why so many of us love these kind of vocals!
Ofcourse it's not first take reaction,and I like they not pretend it is. Kinda ;) You need to mold some future metalheads, that's true. I started with Linkin Park and stuff like this to introduce my daughter😂
Jester Race, Whoracle, Colony and Clayman are such legendary melodic death albuns. In Flame's got so many 10/10 songs it's impossible to nome one for you guys to react.
Glad you finally featured Inflames..one of the most influential modern metal band..there won't be a genre metalcore with out the likes of Inflames, At the Gates etc
Yes!! Glad y’all finally got to In Flames. Good to be exposed to the earlier era but I think you guys will really be more drawn to anything on Reroute to Remain and records after that. More accessible sound and great production. Cloud Connected, Dark Signs, Black & White, Trigger… Anything really but you guys will dig it I think
I love In Flames. Especially early In Flames. Been listening to them since 2002. I saw the video for Cloud Connected and bought the CD and was impressed and loved every song. Then went backwards and bought the previous album, Colony. And I absolutely loved it. And been a fan since. They have so much great music. I think "Cloud Connected" and "Morphing Into Primal" are the 2 songs I'd share to get people started on them. "Minus" is a personal favorite.
On their release tour for their "Come Clarity" album 2006 InFlames toured together with Gojira which is where i got to know Gojira. That was one great concert.
If you want to serve Ryan and George with some melodic death metal, then Insomnium should be the absolute go to artist. Their epicness should be a straight homerun for them :>
In Flames was one of the first transitional bands I listened to in order to go from hard radio rock to metal. That palatability does make it great for those looking to ease into the harder stuff and I still love this earlier stuff.
I’ve always loved the epic folk influence of the instrumental composition in this song. There is a duo (man and woman) who do a beautiful live rendition on guitars of this song. I can’t remember who they are though.
In Flames and Children of Bodom were the gateway for a lot of us! They've got some really incredible stuff between them. For my part, Jester Race, Whoracle and Colony are albums you just leave on to completion. And Bodom's "Follow the Reaper" is another one that's just banger after banger.
In Flames was one of the best of the early era of melodic death metal bands in the 90s. For good or ill, they softened their sound even further about halfway through their career and became much more radio friendly, which might actually work in your favor (starting with albums like Reroute To Remain). That said, those of us who are old school melo-death fans have a soft spot for the first several albums by In Flames (Lunar Strain, The Jester Race, Whoracle, Colony, and Clayman). I highly recommend the track Coerced Coexistence from their Colony album. :)
When I first heard songs from this album, the harmonies and solos really drew me in. I felt the same way about the vocals at first, but this is the album that really made me a fan of death metal vocals. I also felt that same spookiness when listening to the album, and still do!
