In Flames "Soundtrack to Your Escape" (Nuclear Blast)
By Eric Chon
Saturday. Apr 24, 1:41 AM
Genre-defining band returns to form.

By all accounts, Soundtrack to Your Escape should be a pretty good album. Upon initial hearing, there’s a lot to like - lush, melodic guitars, passionate vocals, and great production. After awhile, it should fade back into the rest of your CD collection, noted that it was a pretty good In Flames album. But that’s not the case.

It immediately begins to grow on you. There’s something about Soundtrack... that you can’t quite grasp; it just demands to played over and over again. All of sudden, it’s always in your discman and always playing at full volume. But the question remains, why?

Soundtrack... sounds like the amalgamation of 2000’s Clayman and 2002’s Reroute to Remain, taking the best parts of each and discarding the fat. It’s lean and to the point – there are no wasted melodies, no superfluous beats. What remains is an extremely aggressive and efficient album filled with hooks and chops that sear themselves into your brain.

This certainly doesn’t mean the album is mechanical in its precision. Far from it, some of Anders Friden’s best, most emotional work is here with the rest of the band in top shape. But it seems like In Flames is occupying comfortable territory here. Nothing is too bold or too experimental. Say what you will about Reroute to Remain, but it certainly was a departure from a tried-and-true recipe for success.

In the end, however, that doesn’t matter. Soundtrack... is a powerful and engaging album by one of the best in the business. In Flames just has that certain something to turn something good into something great.
www.inflames.com
www.nuclearblastusa.com

Eric Chon

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