IN FLAMES Clayman Re-recorded 2020

[ThePhobiac]

I'd be more worried if you did understand it in all honesty not meaning to be offensive bro but there has been an overwhelmingly negative response to this, so if you don't understand it's probably more on you than other people.

lol, no offense taken. When those negative takes on Siren Charms started rolling in in 2014 I knew for sure I was out of touch, and that hasn’t changed since (although maybe thinking STYE was the shit in 2004 was the real tell). I don’t mind being the contrarian.

 

[galvanized]

The new song is definitely safe, but not bad. Could easily have come off Atoma or others. Since this is the first song, what I’m thinking is they are actually playing it safe with this single on purpose. Basically saying, “yeah, we lost a key member. But don’t worry, we have 100% maintained the spirit of the band.”

 

[DE4life]

lol, no offense taken. When those negative takes on Siren Charms started rolling in in 2014 I knew for sure I was out of touch, and that hasn’t changed since (although maybe thinking STYE was the shit in 2004 was the real tell). I don’t mind being the contrarian.

Since Krofius vacated the throne a few years ago you and Ciko have done an admirable job my man

The new song is definitely safe, but not bad. Could easily have come off Atoma or others. Since this is the first song, what I’m thinking is they are actually playing it safe with this single on purpose. Basically saying, “yeah, we lost a key member. But don’t worry, we have 100% maintained the spirit of the band.”

Standard DT is absolutely fine for me. Damage Done is as safe as it comes as an album, but I much prefer it to their more experimental stuff like Projector or Haven.



That'll do, DT, that'll do

 

[galvanized]

Since Krofius vacated the throne a few years ago you and Ciko have done an admirable job my man



Standard DT is absolutely fine for me. Damage Done is as safe as it comes as an album, but I much prefer it to their more experimental stuff like Projector or Haven.



That'll do, DT, that'll do

Damage Done, good stuff. Been a while since I listened. Listening to a couple songs now and it hits harder, more energy, than I remembered.I rocked it hard when it came out and also saw them live shortly after the release. They were total pros.

 

[DE4life]

Damage Done is definitely my favourite DT album, with The Gallery very close behind and Skydancer narrowly in third.

I saw DT live in 2007, it was a pretty small venue and Soilwork were touring with them as well. That was an amazing gig, although DT's set was sadly pretty short.



Seeing Punish my Heaven live was great, though. I saw them at Bloodstock 2007 as well, slightly bigger set but still not huge.



If this new album is good I may go and see them again as and when they return to the UK. I haven't seen them since those two times in 2007.

 

[eochaid]

Clayman EP is nice, imo. I guess I just don’t understand the hate aside from the weak production.

That new DT song is very meh. I listened to it last night and I’ve had “Faithless By Default” stuck in my head ever since.

I see... So your deafness is growing fast. I'm sad to have read that. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

 

[A88]

New DT song - solid but very safe. 7.5/10

The music is fine if a bit slow...but singing is very uninspired and flat.

I have to say I expected more with addition of two new (and very good) guitar players.

 

[drawntoblack]

If anything, I'm glad that they decided to go with a clear production after the past couple of albums. I'm pretty sure that first song wasn't even in the top 3 on the record, they often choose more mediocre songs for first singles.
New (second) Mors Principium Est song is pretty good, a classic fast melodeath single.

 

[ThePhobiac]

I see... So your deafness is growing fast. I'm sad to have read that. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

Thank you for your support in this difficult time. It’s not easy...

 

[DE4life]

Stanne hasn't had any kind of emotions in his growls since... Haven? Maybe even Projector. He's sounded like a robot for ages now, now that it bothers me much. His singing pretty much always has the same melancholic tone. He can sing well but he doesn't have the kind of range Speed does, for example.

 

[Sierota]

Since Krofius vacated the throne a few years ago you and Ciko have done an admirable job my man



Standard DT is absolutely fine for me. Damage Done is as safe as it comes as an album, but I much prefer it to their more experimental stuff like Projector or Haven.



That'll do, DT, that'll do

Projector is my favorite DT album after the The Gallery. I love the gothy, melancholic atmosphere. I wish they continued down that route.

 

[DE4life]

I don't dislike Projector, I just prefer DT's more straightforward MDM albums. We Are the Void is easily the worst DT album for me, followed by Haven. Two albums that are incredibly boring for me to listen to. I don't like everything on Projector but I appreciate the creativity even if it doesn't always work for me.

 

[drawntoblack]

Agreed, We Are The Void isn't bad music, it's just very boring. Love Haven though.

 

[DE4life]

The Mind's I is another DT album a lot of people like which I don't listen to much. Zodijackyl Light is decent. Insanity's Crescendo is incredible. The rest... meh. They don't do much for me. It feels like quite a significant step down from The Gallery. If I had to rank DT albums it'd probably be something like:

Damage Done
The Gallery
Skydancer
Character
Atoma
Fiction
Projector
The Mind's I
Construct
Haven
We Are The Void

I get the feeling, judging from the released single and the review posted on the last page, that Moment will fit somewhere around the Character/Atoma/Fiction section.

 

[A88]

I could never really get into The Gallery...

Damage Done is near perfect, WATV terrible.

 

[Man Made Bod]

Damage Done, Character, and Fiction will always be the DT trilogy of excellence in my eyes. They've had a pretty good discography over the years, with the exception of Haven and WATV. Projector is also a fantastic album and one of my favorites alongside the holy trilogy. The Mind's I is underrated, imo.

I've had the pleasure of meeting some of the guys in the band, especially Niklas Sundin. He designed the cover art for an EP one of my previous bands released, and it came out really great. When they came to Virginia in 2015 during their Construct tour cycle, I got to hang out with the guys in DT and Insomnium on their tour bus. I met Martin B., Mikael, and Anders - very nice blokes. Drank some beer with them, talked Niklas' ear off asking him questions about the Gothenburg scene, it was a great fuckin night.

 

[ThePhobiac]

Sounds like it was a great time. Always wanted to meet some of the DT guys — sad that so many of the classic lineup have left.

Not sure how I’d rank the DT albums, but Projector remains my favorite. The Gallery, DD, Character, and Fiction are all great. I like TMI, WATV, and Atoma, too (Atoma I loved when it came out, but I realized I had some problems with it as time went on). Skydancer I like mostly as a historical artifact, but there’s some good music on there. Haven and Construct don’t do it for me — half of DT’s worst work is on the latter.

If Phantom Days is indicative of Moment’s sound, the album will probably be among the Haven/Construct tier for yours truly.

 

[drawntoblack]

Haven't listened to Damage Done in its entirety in forever, goddamn I forgot how atmospheric this album is.

 

[DE4life]

The reason I place Damage Done slightly above The Gallery is because there isn't a single song on DD that I dislike. There are some I prefer to others but I could listen to every song on DD and enjoy it. As fantastic as many parts of The Gallery are, there are some songs on there that don't work for me. I'd say that's true for pretty much every DT album though, except Damage Done.



I remember hearing this song before Character came out and getting so hyped. It didn't sound the same as Damage Done but was still an incredible track. With that said I don't think the rest of the album is on the same level as The New Build. Still some very good stuff but there are some songs that sound very similar to me and don't really have an identity. Fiction suffers the same problem.

 

[galvanized]

Haven't listened to Damage Done in its entirety in forever, goddamn I forgot how atmospheric this album is.

Listened to about half the album in order while headed to work yesterday. I actually remembered it as being softer as it is. I forgot how aggressive and fast paced most of the songs are even though so many of the melodies are burned into my brain. Thrashy. Not to be a purist here, but this is a “real” metal album.

But yeah, on the atmosphere, surprised me as well. Especially if you crank it up loud. Good, tasteful use of electronics. Like when the keyboard part kicks in on White Noise / Black Silence 1:38.

Monochromatic Stains perfectly conjuring the image of a dystopian future you might find in a mid 1990s RPG like Chrono Trigger. Goosebumps all the way through.

Also @DE4lifebwhile Stanne’s voice isn’t that “emotional“ but he has a TON of vocal variation on DD. Enough for me.

I never listened much to Character or Fiction. Around that time I didn’t have a computer to listen to music and got a girlfriend. Adding them to my phone to enjoy them later in the week.