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REROUTE TO REMAIN
(NUCLEAR BLAST)
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In recent years, Göteborg death-metal pioneers In Flames have finally translated their long-time European popularity to the US market. On their sixth and latest album, they continue to integrate melody and softer textures into their music without compromising its aggression. Less progressive than fellow Swedes Opeth, the band are living proof that the timeless formula of three-minute songs and big choruses can work in any genre — even death metal.
On the title track, the group frame one of the sharpest hooks they’ve ever written with a jarring assortment of tempo shifts and guitar noodling. They go unplugged on "Dawn of a New Day," an upbeat waltz that finds frontman Anders Friden maintaining a positive outlook in an ugly world. "Against the grain, against the odds/I’ll rise and I won’t trip again," he sings, momentarily abandoning his high-pitched scream in favor of an elegant goth croon. The adventurous arrangements don’t stop there: "Trigger" — also available as a single on which the band cover Genesis’s "Land of Confusion" — is a merciless thrasher with a haunting electronic interlude. The faux country chorus on "Metaphor" is further proof that death metal can get colorful without losing its grit.
