Clayman

It's been about a few months since I last wrote a review, so I decided to write a review about a rather notorious band, both in a positive sense and negative sense. So I decided to review In Flames and their 5th album named "Clayman".

In Flames, to say the least, is one interesting band. They helped to pioneer melodic death metal, became one of the most popular metal bands, at least in extreme metal, suffered lots of criticism when becoming a sellout with albums like "Reroute to Remain" and "Soundtrack to Your Escape", which actually started with this album, and then also retained a fan base through all that. While I am not a particularly huge fan of the band, I can tell you with all my honesty, that this album is great, even if Anders sounds like a mutated frog when he yells. If you take your time or just ignore the vocals, then you might come to the realization that the music is actually great and the execution is spot on.

The songs follow your typical verse-chorus song formula, which is mostly to blame for the fame this album got, and even though every song follows this song formula, it doesn't bother me. The execution is very well spot on though, as I already said; the drums, the guitars, and even the vocals, along with keyboards go well together, and create nice, catchy and memorable songs. Song-wise this is basically borderline between IF's earlier late-90s material and their 2000s-era stuff. So, basically melodic groove metal, but not quite metalcore, although some songs like "...As the Future Repeats Today", "Satellites and Astronauts", "Swim", and "Suburban Me" might have some hints of the genre in them.

And now that I have said everything that has been said about this band before, let's get to the music itself.

OK, the drums are VERY spot on. Daniel Svensson might not be a groundbreaking drummer, but his playing here however is very well executed. He's ALWAYS in time with the rest of the band, his playing has great amounts of variation, and I can't deny that songs like the title-track and "Brush the Dust Away" would make one headbang, because if it weren't for Svennson, the songs would probably be a lot more sloppier and less in time with the rest of the band. Of course this album isn't very fast most of the time, that's why the mid-paced stuff like "Bullet Ride", "Pinball Map", and "Another Day in Quicksand" makes up for the majority of the record. As far as the sound of the drums go, they are thick and punchy, and that's an improvement, because on past albums the drums sounded thinner and not particularly very strong. And like I said, the drumming isn't very ground breaking, but I'll be damned if I don't admit that this makes the album much more catchier.

Okay, let's talk about the vocals. OK, say what you want about Anders Friden, he is tolerable when you're really honest with yourself. Obviously Anders is no Rob Halford or Steve Grimmet when he sings, his vocals are honestly tolerable when he yells. He mostly yells and/or sings through-out the album, but he also whispers, which might throw off a lot of people who can't tolerate Korn, such as in "Bullet Ride", the mega-hit "Only for the Weak", and "Suburban Me", of which the latter is awesome and probably my favorite song from this album. The lyrics, also provided by Anders, are not very deep either, although they are alright for what they we're written as, even though they sound a little silly. But Anders wasn't best with English around the time anyway. Here's an excerpt from "Square Nothing":

"For all the times you left me bleeding
Clouded, weakened by the haze
Cut of my pride, enough to forgive
Reconcile, back to square nothing

It seems I lost my direction
Don't have the strength to let it slip
Have no desire for the shore
Just let me play here for some time"

When judging the lyrics from this excerpt, the lyrics mostly focus on inner struggles and social issues. These were topics that Anders would continue to write about for the following releases by the band until pretty much the modern day. Even though Anders would write about astrology and dark fantasy in the past albums like "The Jester Race" or "Colony", the lyricism didn't take a really bad turn with this album.

And then we obviously still have Jesper Strömblad with Björn Gelotte on the axe duty. Soloing is still very great, and about almost every song has at least one solo. If you love solos, then you will surely like this album even more. But as far as riffs go, this album's got plenty of them, and although they are pretty catchy, they aren't the most clever riffs. The riffs are made up of chunky groove riffs, fast melodeath riffs, and some clean guitar riffs, which this time around got more inspired by alt rock than anything else. Then there's also the keyboards, which might piss off the metal purists. Although the keyboards play the most simplest of things on this album, they do tend to go very well together with some songs, that's why "Suburban Me" is so great. But if you prefer your metal without the keyboards, then you're in luck because the keyboards aren't present on all the songs, although they would start using them more frequently on later albums.

If you're not a riff hunter then don't be afraid to check this album out. If you want a riff-fest, then don't be afraid to give this a listen either, because this album is the last one where riffs totally dominate IF's music. If you dislike In Flames' later material or prefer their earlier stuff then you will probably like this more, because this album is the borderline for In Flames' melodic death metal stuff and their more commerce melodic groove metal stuff, although this prefers to stick more the latter. However I don't think this would be a great introduction to melodic death metal, I suggest you check out some early Arch Enemy or even early In Flames out instead if you want to get into melodic death metal. But if you want to listen to something just to have fun then this works great! As for simply listening to, I wholeheartedly recommend this!

But before I end this review I will leave you with one terrible joke, based on a song from this album.

Ahem.

How long will In Flames borrow your lawnmower?

*clears throat*

ONLY FOR THE WEEK!

*laughter that slowly converts to mumbling to self in disappointment*

Two years ago I wrote a scathing review about how immensely pitiful the 2020 EP version of this record turned out. A hideous re-recording of one of the most infamous melodic death metal records ever, released by the perhaps most divisive metal band of the 90s and 2000s.

Today, there is nothing divisive about this formation anymore, since most of us generally agree upon the fact that In Flames took a turn for the worst later on but let's go back to one of their most discussed albums because Clayman depicts the proverbial landmine, where the general consent among listeners keeps falling apart in every single discussion since its original release.

Is this the record where Anders Fríden truly started experimenting with his awkward, oddly irritating high-pitched "harsh" vocals? Yes, indeed. Is this the record where In Flames threw themselves into the sewers of the scene to never return again? Not yet, not quite! Shoving nostalgia aside (which is not entirely possible, I gotta admit that), Clayman is still the crowning moment of their lengthy career. There have been genre-defining elements and tracks on all of their previous releases (and about zero on their post-2000 output), but this opus here is the melting pot of all their trademarks, showcased in a cohesive 45 minute package without any weak songs.

With the predecessor Colony already foreshadowing what was to come with Clayman (a beefier, brighter production job, some reluctant use of clean and spoken word vocals, keyboards, immensely more powerful drumming) there shouldn't have been so many surprise elements for the initiated. Expanding on the groundwork of their previous creation, the experimentation within the boundaries of the Gothenburg sound had reached a kind of climax, resulting in some of the catchiest hook-driven heavy music there is without compromise in the songwriting aspects. No, Clayman is not complex, proggy melodeath with sophisticated, intricate rhythm structuring and yadda-yadda-yadda...it's just a very unique form of metal that immediately plants its seeds deep into your skull like the most assertive of pop music, but without the shallowness of many fetid acts in said scene. Why that remains to be a point of concern to many or even a bad thing at all is beyond my understanding.

If you managed to avoid this album (why would you?) until the present day, "Satellites and Astronauts", "Pinball Map" and "Square Nothing" remain perfectly representative songs for the uniqueness of the band in this era. Despite the massive growth of melodic death metal and respective trend-following bands in the first half of the 00s, I'm still hard-pressed to find any material that sounds truly similar to the weird power ballad in space-like adventure of "Satellites...", which is perhaps the most original song these guys ever wrote and features one of Fríden's (few) finest "nu-style" shriek performances (+ a perfect chorus to boot) and one of their most beautiful guitar solos ever. "Pinball Map" has got the heaviest chugs and utmost thrashiness of their entire career with another perfect chorus and a bridge section that will turn your neck into apple sauce. "Square Nothing" compares the urgency of the latter with the spacey balladry of the former and wins through the impressive combination of the two extremes. If these songs don't grab you in any way...well, that's also beyond my understanding.

People who hated this when it came out more than two decades ago might remain hostile towards this album in 2022, but I'm still waiting for melodic death metal material to come out that's actually stronger, more creative and simply better entertainment than either Dark Tranquility's Projector or - yes, indeed - Clayman.

originally written for http://antichristmagazine.com

Along with "The Jester Race" and "Whoracle", "Clayman" is one of In Flames' most famous and respected cds. A year after the somewhat conservative but still nice "Colony", Jesper Strömblad's group decided to go further than ever and plunge into the mainstream completely, i.e. move away from melo-death sounds (although it would require large quotation marks) in favor of those tailored to radio standards. The mission, of course, succeeded and made quite an impression (after all, they got into a year with it), because despite so many radical changes, the Swedes from In Flames achieved even greater success than on their previous albums, and thus gained a much larger popularity.

Commercial success is one thing, and a compositional success is another. And interestingly, both of these things...occur to some extent on "Clayman"! Well, the fifth album of In Flames is an album - as time has shown - quite influential on followers of smoothed melo-death (which is a bit of an oxymoron) or - later - metalcore and, ironically, an album composed without excessive pump and loading of melodies without thinking. Well, "Clayman" is simply a professionally prepared product for the masses in a metal genre. However, listening to this product is not too bad, as exemplified by "Satellites And Astronauts", "Square Nothing", "Bullet Ride", "...As The Future Repeats Today" or "Suburban Me", in which the melodies are quite sublime, the gentleness is within the limits of decency and the band serves various themes that give the songs a separate character. Okay, in some songs it also happens that Swedes bend over and put too much emphasis on melodiousness; fortunately, it does not break up the consistency of the whole disc and this dose of sugar is degistable without bigger problems. In spite of a very clear tendency to the most polite varieties of metal, the fifth album of In Flames is not one of those that only target radio choruses or want to satisfy the irregular listeners.

So, with the release of "Clayman", there was a whole new times for In Flames. After years of gradual softening of sounds, Jesper Strömblad's group decided to dive into much lighter and very mainstream metal all over, i.e. with a residual amount of melo-death elements. On the "Clayman" times, yes, it made sense, on the next albums, not necessarily.

Originally on: https://subiektywnymetal.blogspot.com/2020/10/in-flames-clayman-2000.html

So far in my review series on In Flames, I’ve mostly focused on the later era of the band because there is simply a lot more to say about their later albums. Controversy often gives me more to go off of when writing reviews for albums because it provides room for a somewhat unique take on whatever it is that is being discussed. With that being said, I made it a personal goal to review every full-length in this band’s extensive career, so I thought that I might as well start the band’s classic period off with one of my all time favorite metal albums, Clayman.

Initially released in the year 2000, Clayman is the final album of In Flames’ classic era and the last to feature a heavy emphasis on melodic death metal riffing and heavy/power metal inspired guitar leads. As some reviewers have pointed out on here already, the album also contains some groovier riffing, clean vocals, and keyboard usage that foreshadowed the style that the band would later play on Reroute To Remain. With that being said, “power melodeath”, as another reviewer on here put it, is probably the best way to sum up the style of the album as a whole.

The album starts off with “Bullet Ride” which is a perfect example of what one can come to expect from Clayman as a whole. The opening riff is excellent and the pounding drums and punchy production is bound to get the listeners blood flowing. After this introduction, the song heads into an acoustic verse with a sort of whispered singing before finally entering an extremely catchy chorus in which the metal returns with a melodic guitar lead that complements the chorus perfectly. Most of the songs on the album in general have a decent amount of similarities to this track and put a lot of emphasis on having the aforementioned catchy choruses and guitar leads, which is something that also appeared on the album’s predecessor, Colony. Songs like “Swim”, “Suburban Me”, “...as the Future Repeats Today”, and the title track are all great examples of this band truly firing on all cylinders and cranking out hard hitting, catchy metal tracks that have truly stood the test of time.

Other noteworthy tracks include “Another Day in Quicksand” and “Only for the Weak”, the former of which is actually the most “oldschool In Flames” sounding track on the album. This particular song is mostly driven by tremolo picked melodic death metal riffs that wouldn’t sound out of place on an album like Whoracle or even The Jester Race. “Only for the Weak”, on the other hand, is the most “modern” sounding song on the album and this is by no means a bad thing. This song is probably the most well known In Flames song in general and for good reason. It is extremely catchy in every possible respect. Both of these tracks are great additions to the album that add variety to an already excellent release.

As with all In Flames material, the performances on Clayman are excellent across the board. Starting off, Anders Frieden’s vocal changed on this album to a high pitched shrieking style that is pretty different from the growling that he did on the previous three albums. While different, these vocals are energetic and their unusual nature adds a charm to the album that makes it sound unique. In addition to the shift in harsh vocal delivery, Anders started doing a lot more singing on this album than he ever had on previous releases. His “clean” vocals here are mostly those whispered vocals that appeared a few times on albums like Colony and Whoracle, but there are just a lot more parts containing them in general. These vocals add variation to the album and while they aren’t really a highlight, they are decent enough for what they are. The guitars on this album are handled by Jesper Stromblad and Bjorn Gelotte (because of course they are) and these guys knew how to write some straight up killer riffs and guitar leads when they were in their prime. The guitar work on this album absolutely shreds and you would be hard pressed to find a riff or guitar lead that didn’t rule. Even the simple groovy/chuggy riffs that show up occasionally don’t feel out of place in the music. The drumming on the album is handled by Daniel Svensson and it is also excellent stuff. The drumming is fast and there is a lot of double bass work throughout the album. The bass on the other hand is basically lost in the flurry of other instruments, so, like most other In Flames releases, Peter Iwers’ bass work goes unnoticed.

One last thing to make note of is the production on this album. Friedrik Nordstrom mixed this album and he must have used up the production that was meant for the following two albums in the process, because this album sounds fantastic and is lightyears ahead of the shitty production jobs that would plague both Reroute To Remain and Soundtrack to Your Escape. The production is some of the hardest hitting I’ve ever heard and every instrument, aside from the bass, can be clearly heard throughout the album's entire duration. I’ve heard people say online that the production on this album is famous for being so well executed and I can definitely see that being the case.

After reading my other reviews for this band, one might think that I prefer their later material or even dislike their older stuff, considering how much I have talked about it, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. I started with old In Flames and old In Flames will always be the best In Flames. While it may not be as “elite” or “true” as something like “The Jester Race” or “Subterranean”, Clayman stands as an excellent example of this band before they watered down their sound to follow trends and make money. In the end, I would highly recommend that anyone who likes power or melodic death metal check this album out. I can’t guarantee you’ll like it, but it is definitely worth a shot.

Recommended tracks (aside from the whole album of course):
"Clayman"
"Swim"
"Suburban Me"
"Bullet Ride"

I can't make sense of the fact that this millennium release from legendary melodic groovers In Flames is considered to be their last "good" album by one faction of their divided fan base: the side that views their alternative and nu-metal wanderings as "selling out" and other negative adjectives. Actually, the downfall of In Flames started right here (not that they were really in a high place to begin with). With this album, there is a noticable shift in style from the melodic groove/power metal hybrid frequently mislabeled as some kind of death metal that they played on Colony, Whoracle, and The Jester Race. As with other classic In Flames releases, there's objectively not much death metal to be found here, mostly because of the lack of speed and atonality. However, there is a lot of nu-metal and alternative rock, perhaps more than some would like to admit. The experiment more or less fails.

The layered guitar ear candy from previous releases has pretty much been thrown out the window here, to be replaced with things that would be easier to recreate live with just two guitars. In other words, one-note chugging, alternative rock power chords, and hard rock stomping. Rarely does genuine beefy riffing creep in. Just like the untouchable trio of In Flames albums, there are moments that show tons of potential and therefore are really frustrating when they get buried by mush. Case in point: the clean guitars in "Square Nothing". Classic In Flames melodies, instantly memorable, and unfortunately offset massively by whispery-whiny singing. Also, the opening of "Clayman", which brings a burst of much-needed speed and power metal-styled guitar leads, only to be replaced by chugging in the verses, is a fantastic opening and would make a great album if only they could come up with 10 songs filled with riffs like that. "Swim" could have easily been on Colony, and is one of the more riff-driven selections from the album.

Much of everything else is forgettable. It's not outright shitty, but it sounds lazy and is lacking in energy severely. The intros of "Bullet Ride" and "Pinball Map" and the verse chugging in "Only for the Weak" are some of the laziest riffs in the entire In Flames discography. The first is a hard rock chord progression with phrasing that's predictable beyond measure, the second is one of those "harmonize it and it'll sound cooler" riffs, and the third evokes a "jumpdafuckup" atmosphere like you've never heard (live performances of it are laughable as Anders yells "EY! EY!" at the crowd and they all jump and feebly headbang as one). There you have it. Those three elements are pretty much what this album is made of: nothing remarkable, ranging from listenable to lazy. It's comparable to Helmet's "Aftertaste" album. Some of the signature stuff is still there, but it's mostly just uninspired heavy rock music from a band that's out of ideas for once and can't seem to find new ones by experimenting.

In my In Flames reviews so far, I've devoted at least a paragraph to Anders Fridén's voice. His balls dropping in reverse is complete with this album. He shrieks lyrics of vague angst and inner struggles, which fortunately aren't nearly as embarrassing as gems from later albums such as "I can be as angry as I want to be". This album is an interesting artifact because it contains, on a studio recording, unprocessed, the extent of Anders' clean singing abilities. Sometimes he actually pulls off a good line. The clean-sung choruses of "Pinball Map" and the title track sound dark and muffled, not whiny and hideous like every album that came after this one, and are - wonder of wonders - in tune. But the rest of the time, like on "Satellites and Astronauts" and "Square Nothing", he adopts a tuneless croaking whisper that's probably meant to sound intense and emotional (it had better with all those effects on it, right?). It doesn't, of course. And on a few songs, he does an unbelievably accurate (that is to say, horrid-sounding) Jonathan Davis impersonation in the form of muttering underneath the main vocals. For crying out loud, the original was bad enough. Fridén's performance is just as frustrating as the instruments in the sense that there are tolerable, even good moments, like the deeper growls that show up in "Swim" and the aforementioned clean singing. Obviously he can perform kickass vocals in some way, but he's either just too lazy to try most of the time or he somehow thinks that his out-of-tune whining and croaking and screeching sound good.

This album is held in high esteem by both producers and fans alike as a pinnacle of modern metal production, but I fail to see the genius in it. This is the last time that In Flames worked with Fredrik Nordström, and honestly I prefer the sounds he created for this album's predecessors. The drums here are really thin and clicky (at least they're not the horrible cardboard box banging on Colony), and do very little to reinforce the rhythm section and bottom end. They would sound kind of cool on their own, but you drop them into this mix and they sound like crap. The bass frequencies are very muddy, especially on the first two songs where riffs that are potentially very heavy are killed by the bass playing single notes instead of following the guitars. And the guitar tone... it's good, but better tones have come out of the metal world and Studio Fredman (see Soilwork's Chainheart Machine for possibly the greatest guitar tone ever recorded at Studio Fredman). In this mix, it's nothing special. Overall, the mix isn't very saturated and the individually good sounds of the instruments end up working against each other.

You guessed it: this isn't a melodic death metal album. It's not even that much of a metal album. "Square Nothing" and "Only for the Weak" are pure alternative rock, and anyone who thinks otherwise is fooling themselves. I know that some people think it's the last hurrah of this band and view it as a transitional masterpiece and for the life of me, I can't figure out why. Reroute to Remain, the subsequent album and according to many, the real "turning point" for this band, has more riffs and more speed, if not more good vocals. A Sense of Purpose, released 8 years after this album, has more of the signature In Flames sound in it. This is just another "classic" that I have tried to understand and can't - much like the rest of the In Flames discography.

The people who say In Flames used to be a gold standard of metal need to get their privilege checked (as well as their hearing). Now yes, this album has some fun moments and some cool moments but the problem is they're mixed in with a lot of terrible ideas that just don't belong in metal!

Take opener Bullet Ride for example. Spectacular opening riff, you expect it to come in on a groove time, but that's ok, because this riff earned it. But then expectations are subverted and raise by the death-from-the-skies thrash drumbeat that double-times the song! How could this possibly suck? Then at 0:38, OH? Oh. Oh dear. Oh dear oh dear oh dear. Ultraboris called stuff like this "the assrape." I'm a little too old to call it that, but I will say that your ass will need to expunge as a result of a brown note being hit so hard it made the Sarlacc Pit have an event horizon. Who put this Korn vinyl on and why did someone set the RPM at 33 1/3 instead of 45? But upon further scrupulous scrutiny, you realize the sheer horror, almost too late....it's still Bullet Ride? Melodic death metal? Seems more like the kids who got scared shitless when being played real death metal tried to make their own castrated version with a little help from Life Is Peachy. Look folks, extreme metal is not for everyone. I get it, I won't judge you for not liking Autopsy and Morbid Angel. What I will judge you for is trying to make it something it's not by using counterintuitive conclusions. Stick with power metal. More often than not they play faster than In Flames do, if it's speed you wanted. Oh ,and that opening riff does come back as a chorus riff, and we even get it in the groove you expected it to be at the beginning of the song, but do you honestly care at that point? It's like a girl wanting to suck your dick after you shit your pants. You just don't feel dignified enough.

Things don't fare too much better with the next song, Pinball Map, which, yes, is the best song on here (one of a handful of the good songs In Flames has), and is thrashy at times. But after a while you just think "I'd rather be listening to Slaughter of the Soul, which did this way better. Or Gamma Ray, who cruises at this speed with considerably less 'no more tears' shampoo, and could solo better."

The rest of this album depressingly juggles between those two song speeds. So called "fan favorite" Only For The Weak sounds like it was laughed out of the room by Children of Bodom and was supposed to show up to Korn's Follow The Leader sessions but it took a wrong turn at Albuquerque. Another Day in Quicksand sounds like it will be a kickass Blazon Stone forgotten track but the death metal vocals come in and ruin the vibe, like all death metal covers of songs with actual singing do. Either it's just plain mediocre (Suburban Me, Swim) or it starts out with a great idea only to trip and drop it into a pile of cow-poop (Square Nothing, no wait, that was just cow poop). Then, they pick it up and eat it anyway rather than accept the wasted money and move on. Iron Maiden harmonies and detuned death metal chords just don't go together. It seems to work somewhat well for black metal, but that might almost be because of a militant anti-Americanism.

Melodic death metal my ass. Even Johnathan Davis sounded like he was doing death metal growls at times. This is a nu-metal album, plain and simple. Just this time they took slightly more inspiration from Ride The Lightning instead of the Black Album.

In Flames' pivotal fifth full length effort unites the band's past and future strengths (or weaknesses) like no other record. The release still features some faster melodic death metal elements from the past as well as the melodic twin guitar leads in the vein of Iron Maiden and a versatile vocal performance somewhere between slightly restrained growling, slightly experimental performances inspired by different groove and nu metal bands and a hesitatingly increasing number of clean vocal parts. The album also gives a hint at future records as it is filled with extremely catchy and mainstream orientated choruses, an increased used of electronic music and lyrical teams that slowly move away earlier topics such as astronomy and towards texts about inner struggles. Some fans may judge this record as the last great In Flames album, others might say that it's the first in a streak of more courageous, experimental and modern releases. Both sides are right and as some of the very few who enjoys both old and contemporary In Flames, I happen to like this release anyway.

The choruses on this album are extremely strong and probably among the very best in the band's entire career. The mid-paced and electronic-ridden "Only for the Weak" could also be included on one of the two follow-ups and represents the band's more accessible and less extreme metal orientated side. The melodic chorus is definitely well crafted, no matter what you think about the band's new sounds. Another strong chorus comes along in bonus track and b-side "World of Promises", a cover of Swedish glam rock band Treat. In my opinion, In Flames always did a good job covering tracks and I even liked their version of Metallica's "Eye of the Beholder" slightly better than the original. This song here is once again both energizing and melodic in an almost epic yet catchy way. The chorus contrasts with the faster and more brutal verses. I have no clue why this track wasn't included on the initial regular version as this is a fun tune and strong single candidate as well. In my book, this cover beats the original that sounds like an exchangeable Def Leppard and Europe bastard by miles. The strongest chorus is though the one in the energizing "Pinball Map" which is not only the best track on here but one of the band's shining moments in general and a perfect example for modern melodic death metal done rightly. The verses are fast, powerful and unchained concerning both the energizing riffs, the pitiless rhythm section and the wild vocals. The choruses comes around with beautiful guitar harmonies and some soloing just after the vocal part but also with thick restrained staccato riffs. The rhythm section grooves in an enjoyable way and never gets too sluggish. The vocals are emotional and to the point. Many people say that Anders Fridén's vocals got worse over the years but I think that they overall improved as they got more emotional but also more controlled and skilled. In this chorus, he finds the right balance between overwhelming energy and melodic self-control. This is really a chorus for the ages and it works even better as it's not repeated to death. This is a track to relentlessly bang, dance and sing along. This song represents both old and new In Flames in a certain way and if somebody asked me to get introduced to In Flames today, I would start with this tune.

Other than incredibly catchy offerings, you get to hear a balanced mixture of powerful melodic death metal from the past and more experimental tunes that hint at the band's future. In the first category, we get to hear "Brush the Dust Away" which is by no means the best song on here but a refreshingly short and fast tune with dynamical drumming that works well in the album context. The tune features the band's more contemporary vocal versatility but otherwise sharp riffs, dynamical sound and speed changes and great guitar melodies. The closing wrecking ball "Another Day in Quicksand" goes even further back to the roots and solely features Anders Fridén's charismatic early harsh vocals, extended sharp riffs, a few crunching breakdowns and a calmer bridge with elegant melodic guitar solos. This energizing outburst is a fitting way to close a gripping record without any lengths.

The second category delivers with the versatile grower "Square Nothing" that mixes the best elements of everything In Flames would deliver in the future: fast-paced verses, melodic pre-choruses and choruses, enchanting guitar melodies and even solos, calm breakdowns in an alternative rock fashion, weird sound collages including church bells, vocals that are sometimes sung, screamed or whispered, a dominant use of keyboards and many different genres and styles covered in less than four minutes without sounding pointlessly put together. Only few bands can put so many ideas in one single song and make it sound perfectly coherent. That's one element that makes In Flames stand out. The melancholic "Satellites and Astronaut" can be seen as a more rhythm orientated predecessor to tracks like "The Chosen Pessimist", "Liberation" and "Through Oblivion". This song is probably the most atmospheric and versatile of In Flames so-called half-ballads and maybe also the band's best offering in this category. I would say that this track is the second best on this concise output.

If we look at this release today, this is probably a reconciliatory record for both fans of the early days and the contemporary phase. On this record, both worlds harmoniously collide in almost equal parts. Otherwise, the short and concise song writing and some incredibly catchy choruses make this album stand out as a high quality release in the band's extensive discography. This release doesn't include any fillers and only above average to excellent songs. This album may not be as revolutionary as "Lunar Strain", as consistent as "Subterranean" and as versatile as "Sounds of a Playground Fading" but it's definitely a highlight in the band's career that both old and new fans should know and own.

As one of the more notable and previously reputable of melodic-death metal bands, In Flames commenced their career with music that rightfully earned them the status of a defining metal band. However, as time progressed, their style of music has changed, and in the opinions of many, degraded heavily. I for one, agree completely. From one of the the bands I would personally place amongst one of my favourite metal bands, to now an accomplice in the diminishing of metal's contemporary quality. There are many contemporary music groups amongst today's metal scene and newer genres that compose relatively good music for what they are, however In Flames is not one of them in my opinion.

However, I can proudly say that "Clayman" sits amongst my favourite melodic death metal albums of all time. The lyrical themes and superb vocals truly amalgamate an atmosphere of nostalgia and wonder. The use of acoustic guitar and frequently tranquil vocals contrasted amongst the truly talented harsh vocals of Anders Friden make this album very memorable indeed.

I have heard many bands attempt to replicate their style, however none do so as well as In Flames on this album. 'Bullet Ride' commences the album, as truly a speedy induction into the fury of this album, and I found myself being swayed by the use of guitar in the verses, progressing into a very melodic riff for the bridge and chorus. This song truly conveys what I perceive as a good melodic death metal.

Another favourite track on this album is the song 'Pinball Album', beginning with a headbanging riff, and a thumping first verse. The chorus of clean vocals truly contrasts against the ferocity of the vocals, with some remnants of a punk theme in the chorus.

'Satellites and Astronauts' begins with a truly talented and beautiful clean guitar intro, subsequently introducing a melodic shredded guitar riff, very epic to say the least. This song's first verse follows in the footsteps of the first track 'Bullet Ride' very much, however maintains its originality. Once again, the harsh vocals are juxtaposed against the clean and whispered vocals of the verses.

'Suburban Me' basically places a shrieked vocal part over a very catchy and memorable guitar riff and melody, completely formulating a 10/10 track, however not as memorable as the first 3 tracks I've listed in this review.

Ultimately, this album truly encapsulates the quality of a perfect melodic death metal album, and the genius of In Flames' earlier works. Alongside 'Colony' and 'Whoracle', In Flames deserve their title as a prominent and achieved band; however their change of music style in my opinion is truly a shame. Yet their quality of work on this album is more than what most bands could ever hope to achieve, and this album in my opinion truly contributed to the melodic-death metal scene as a template for what is defined as a successful and original album in terms of innovation.

I'd have to say that this is a "happier" sounding In Flames piece of work. The riffs are much better than they were on "Colony". They're heavier, more memorable, better constructed, and everything seemed to fit better song-wise on this release. It's less aggressive as I stated, but that doesn't take away from the magic that this album portrays. Similar lyrical topics i.e. astronomy and fantasy, yet they blended well with the guitar. This release is anything but half assed.

The production quality is also much better than their previous releases especially the bass guitar. They do a little more experimenting on this album, but it doesn't take away from the overall release as a whole. The guitars again are tuned way down and are thick with heavy distortion. They do incorporate some clean guitar parts on here, not overly much though. Their melodic death roots are heavily portrayed here and that I can't stress enough.

It's a less aggressive album than their previous releases even with Anders screams, they're not as intense and more clearly heard out which makes it easier to make out what he's saying. This one has to be a favorite of theirs because of their innovation and creativity/experimentation on here. Again there are harsh and clean vocals. However, for the most part, Anders' screaming is as I've stated less intense and fits the music perfectly. This to me is their last monumental release. Everything afterwards doesn't sound like them at all.

Out of all the In Flames albums I've heard in the past, this one has definitely the best overall production quality. Nothing is left out i.e. none of the instruments are poorly mixed in together and everything seems so balanced. To me, it's an album that I can't really get sick of. Other critics may disagree, but I'd have to say that every song on here deserves praise. "Brush the Dust Away" is probably my favorite track, but like I said, all of the songs are good.

Just YouTube some of the tracks on here especially if you're into melodic death and judge for yourself. After this album, they should have disbanded, not sold out. It's actually a release that you can appreciate every time that you hear it. It's anything but dark and depressing. A very good vibe to each song and the guitars are so superb. I'm surprised that they were actually able to write all of the material on this album within about a year's time.

The deluxe addition features some bonus tracks and other material. If you want something to put you in a good mood, then listen to this album. Like I previously said, it's their "happier" version of melodic death. Nothing falls short here and all of the melodies are just perfect. A challenge to play these riffs if you're a guitar player. They are once again lower tuning and the lead guitar work is amazing. Way better than on "Colony". I'd have to say a lot of preparation and getting things exact on this recording.

Tremendous musicianship on this album and the most memorable songs that they could have entrenched on here. If you like melodic death metal, then pick this one up ASAP. It really is amazing, I'd say the best work that they could have ever done. Nothing disturbs me here, it's just everything after this album that is the pits. That's why I stressed their abandoning the melodic death roots really turned me off on this band. Instead of continuously getting better and better with each release, they threw it all away with their newer style.

I would put this on the same level as Colony if it wasn't for Ander's nu metal inspired diarrhea noises. With solid riffs, amazing drumming, great leads and solos, and clean production, this is par for the course with Colony and Jester Race, but because of Anders' awful nu metal/metalcore vocals this doesn't live up to its full potential.

I know vocals aren't everything, but as a vocalist it bugs me to hear someone take a good template (in this case the high growls of Jon Tardy and Chuck Schuldiner) and chop it up with the limp-wristed nature of commercial bullshit (in this case the whiny mumbling of Korn and Machine Head). But shitty vocals aside, the music itself is right on par with your standard melodic power metal bands.

So what are the positive elements? Well, as any guitarist would say, riffs and solos, and this album comes packed full of brilliant, fun, heavy, melodic, and catchy riffs. Some might complain about the somewhat formulaic verse-chorus-verse-chorus format, but I couldn't care less. This isn't Fates Warning or Queensryche, so I don't expect much innovation or out-of-the-box progressions. Like with every In Flames album, the bass takes a back seat to the vocals and guitars, so this isn't an album to go looking for mind-blowing bass. And much like with Colony, Daniel delivers behind the kit, and right on par with any power metal drummer.

So, if you ignore the half-assed vocals, what you get is pretty much a guitarist's bread and butter, good riffs and solos. My favorite tracks would have to be Pinball Map (solid Iron Maiden worship), Only For the Weak (with a keyboard fill in the chorus that's eerily similar to "My Girlfriend's Girlfriend" and a nice groovy stomp), the title track (more good Maiden worship), Square Nothing (SPEND SOME QUALITY TIME, WITH THE DEMON OF MINE!), Suburban Me (good track right in vein of Yngwie's Malmsteen), and Satellites and Astronauts (one of the few tracks where I genuinely like the lyrics). I rate this C+, B- on a good day.

It is pretty easy to get bogged down in pointing out where a band started to go downhill, and truth be told, the thought itself lends itself to a preconceived bias that may or may not actual do justice to a particular album. Nowhere is this more present than in the case of In Flames’ middle era, where theories of when things began to either suck or sellout abound. But the principle target of a lot of the older fan base’s indignation seems to be that of “Clayman”, and like the ones thrown at its two predecessors, the condemnations are both equally accurate and inaccurate. In fact, apart from maybe a slightly larger amount of electronics being employed and a little less acoustic work, the only thing that separates this from “Whoracle” and “Colony” is that it was released right before “Reroute To Remain”.

In defense of this album’s detractors, it is undeniable that Anders Fridén’s vocals have been getting progressively worse, but this album still bears very little resemblance to the emo nonsense that seeped into the band in 2002. The energy level and enticing mixture of elaborate riffs and consonant harmonies is all but exactly at the same level as “Colony”, and the songwriting is equally as formulaic and geared towards easy consumption. The drum work on the part of Daniel Svensson cooks quite nicely and gives the whole album a similar power metal tendency in line with its predecessor. The only real point of contrast that is really of note in the overall character of this album is a somber character that permeates the production, which comes off as more solemn than the semi-chaotic commentary on religion that dominated their 1999 offering.

But putting aside the defensive statements with regards to In Flames’ 5th offering, “Clayman” is a good collection of catchy, highly digestible songs that flirt with the melodic sweetness of middle era Nocturnal Rites, but with a heavier tone than even that of “Afterlife”. The better moments tend to be when the songs stick to cooking at mid-tempo or faster and not getting into quiet ballad sections where Fridén’s whispered and semi-clean vocals flirt heavily with Robb Flynn circa “The Burning Red” territory, but even the quiet sections found in “Bullet Ride” and “Square Nothing” are loaded with enough hook driven guitar melodies to all but offset the revolting narrator. Be it the infectious and utterly brilliant afterburner of a cooker “Clayman”, the slow grooving and depressingly heavy “Only For The Weak”, or the Stratovarius-like anthem “Suburban Me”, the rule of the day with this album is good songwriting and it is consistently upheld with few exceptions.

Opinions may vary, but ultimately this album is equally as worthy of the semi-orthodox tendencies of In Flames as anything else they’ve done since “The Jester Race”, and consistency would demand that this only be condemned for the same reasons as any of those other albums. From my perspective, this is another good example of the compatibility that developed between power metal and Gothenburg which was further explored by a number of Finnish bands, and also Skyfire. Apart from the lackluster vocal performance, which is still caught somewhere between a bad Chuck Schuldiner and a whinny nu-metal approach to screaming, there is very little to complain about, and much to be enjoyed.

So this was my first taste of the melodic death metal giants In Flames, although I’m sure many hardcore fans of this band would say I should start elsewhere, it is what it is. I first listened to In Flames on last.FM when I heard Swim off of this album, and was transfixed. Unfortunately, this album was a tad difficult to procure, as i Tunes thought it would be a great idea to take all the old In Flames off and the leave the not-as-good newer stuff, such as A Sense of Purpose.

In Flames takes a very mainstream version of melodic death metal and brings in aspects of modern rock and speed metal, yet remain true to that original idea. Examples are clear with the extensive use of clean vocals on Only For the Weak and Satellites and Astronauts. The length of songs and also the way they are arranged and written along with the use of the occasional synthesizer tell you that this is main stream, but far from in your face about it, which is difficult to do.

Guitar melodies on this album vary greatly from the infectious and brutal riff in Bullet Ride to crazy solos such as those on Swim. Songs also take slower tempos, and these carry the same weight as the speed demons featured here. Songs also transition and take on two distinct parts in certain cases, such as Pinball Map and the title track.

The vocals are simply what you expect from Anders Friden, and I personally like the clean vocals. They do attribute a lot to In Flames being main stream, but they are used appropriately and are not over used or under used. Lyrics offer interesting social commentary (Pinball Map) and also delve deeply into human emotion (Only For the Weak).

In Flames also flashes us a few moments of progressive writing. Square Nothing has some very interesting aspects that separates it from the rest of the album. Bullet Ride also gives us a breakdown leading to the climax of the song, which is absolutely beastly and knocks down everything effortlessly.

This album unfortunately features a lot of fluff that hides the gems of this album. There is just a lack of anything catchy or a really good head-banging riff on these songs. They are not terrible, they just pale in comparison to other parts of the album. These are: …As the Future Repeats Today, Brush the Dust Away, Suburban Me, and Another Day in Quicksand. Also, the drumming as a whole is rather bland, but it does suit the music and is far from bad, but there are simply a number of opportunities where it could have been improved.

But what shocked me the most about this album is the song Only For the Weak. As you can tell from the title, I find this to be a remarkable song. In all honesty, it is my all time favorite song. That chugging riff is infectious and within 20 seconds of listening to it it is impossible to not head-bang. The clean vocals are used quickly and well and are phased out by screaming and guitar solo styled melodies with that lead into the chorus. The solo is nothing special but is just right. The songs fades out on the chorus with a short synthesizer bit. Wow. The guitars are great and this song contains in my opinion the most complex drumming on the album. However, what really sold me was the impeccable lyrics. They are entirely realistic (unusual for a metal band) and amazing in every way. Best moment in the song: when Friden is screaming at the top of the lungs “The tale of a bitter man, here I am” and the music behind it also reaches a climax. Just all around amazing.

As a whole the album is all right, but I require that anybody who reads this at least somehow get Only For The Weak. In Flames gives you a decent listening session with the obvious gems and those songs that are just bland, not terrible. For mainstream listeners, this is a must buy, as it shows In Flames during their transition to more mainstream music. However, they remain true to themselves and that is certainly difficult to do under that sort of heading. If I did not already make it clear, buy Only For the Weak (other cool tracks are Swim, Bullet Ride, and Satellites and Astronauts).

After the relatively successful 1990's decade, the Gothenburg school (as in style, not a university) of melodic death metal began to hit a snag. Dark Tranquillity had experienced this with "Projector" and "Haven," released a year before and the same year as "Clayman" respectively. Neither were terrible albums, but neither had that spark that made "The Gallery" or "Mind's I" so good to listen to. In the same way, In Flames "Clayman" hits a speed bump, but for different reasons.

First off, when I hear this album, I hear In Flames trying to move into a new direction but perhaps a little unsure of where to go. On top of that, they also try to remain relatively planted in the same format that "Whoracle" and "Colony" had begun. This kind of playing it safe but also branching out usually doesn't result in a terrific album, and "Clayman" helps prove this point.

The bigger changes come in the form of Anders Fridén's vocals and some experimental noodling going on. The former seems to have dropped his previous vocal style, instead embarking on a mid range scream that isn't very powerful. Fridén has never been an amazing vocalist in my book, even bordering uninspired at times but here it seems too obvious. Even some clean vocal work heard on the title track begins to sound flat, which results in a downgrade from "Colony," which had a halfway decent vocal performance going for it. The experimental edge also creeps in more prevalently here, with the most obvious being "Only for the Weak," which seems like an arena attempt at melodic death metal.

In addition to the changes described above, the album itself just isn't that strong. It isn't terrible, not nearly to the extent of "Soundtrack to Your Escape" or the mind-numbing "A Sense of Purpose." It does give the listener some memorable tracks, which includes the title track despite the somewhat uninspired vocals. "Bullet Ride," "Pinball Map," and "Swim" are all memorable songs, and unfortunately the only ones I could remember after not hearing this album a few days. Those songs which aren't as easily recalled aren't terrible, necessarily, they just lack the ability to grab the listener's attention and hold it even after the song has faded into the distance.

For what it is, "Clayman" is a mostly average release. Not much to talk about but also not much to complain about. It provides audiences with a few songs to take home and write about, but ultimately, finds itself pushed aside in favor of its three predecessors. Its still a worthy addition for the diehard fan of In Flames, just not something I'd recommend to the average fan. Newcomers to this band or fans of their later career now getting in their earlier material would be advised to seek out "The Jester Race," "Colony," or perhaps "Whoracle," as those are the albums you'll find to be more worthy your time. "Clayman" isn't atrocious, but like the Gothenburg scene at the time, fails to establish itself as anything truly great.

My eeeeeeaaaaaaarrrrrrssssss!

C4 was bad enough, but Anders takes the cake for killing your ability to hear higher frequencies. God damn what the hell happened? He could barely sing on Colony, but this is just disgusting. I know screams are good in music, particularly black metal, but these screams make poppy screamo bands sound talented. It’s so annoying hearing him talk, scream, whine, and clean sing on this release that… really… it doesn’t matter how impressive the leadwork can be. They just sound so queasy, swine-like, annoying, and childish, but it combines well with the more childlike music so I guess the joke’s on me.

Lead wise it gets more inoffensive, with In Flames trying to branch out to teenagers this time. Leads aren’t as remarkable anymore, but they’re still overblown like on Colony, filling every gap and leaving no riff unpussified. Verse-chorus-verse-chorus predictability has become an In Flames trait now, and it really becomes redundant by the fourth song. Instead of being neutral, I just have no more reaction to anything this late in their career. It sounds so… artificial and mock - completely ditching all decorum that characterized Subterranean, The Jester Race, and even Whoracle. Good heavy metal leads start to dwindle, power metal rhythms begin to crumble, and bass pretty much isn’t a part of the band anymore (its just there so fans won’t ask why there isn’t any). All right whatever the bass is there, but it completely follows the rhythm guitar note-for-note and with much less volume – if I was the bassist, I’d be pissed. The only song that contradicts most of the criticism is “Swim” since it’s a short song with a raunchy solo bridge and extremely heavy Maiden worship.

The rest of it I’d call modern heavy metal with harsh vocals, but that doesn’t mean it’s that good. Where Colony was overly melodic and mediocre, Clayman is overly dull and despondent; a lot of energy with no life coming out of it. Svensson can’t even save the band with his hectic playing backed by super production standards. He can bash, crash, hit, and smite all he wants to, but everyone hearing this will take notice of the leads first – it’s a flytrap.

For a while I considered this the last good In Flames album and considering In Flames’ standards that’s kind of true, but really this is pretty uninspired. It’s worse than the previous two because it completely ditches the wonderful tone of antiquity and fantasy, opting for a more modern approach that kills all credibility. Svensson, get your fucking ass out of this band. I hope he only lived through recording the more appalling albums just so he can make some money to fund Sacrilege.

In Flames got their shit together with this release. Every song on this album is good - not a single dull track. This is an album I can play from Bullet Ride to Another Day in Quicksand without having to worry about that moment where I go, "Oh shit, this is the boring song I don't like" *skip*.

Now that doesn't mean that every song is classic material, there's just not a single bad song. I tried looking for a song that didn't have a single good riff or hook - failed. I tried looking for a song that was good and catchy but just not memorable - failed. When you combine great riffs, catchy hooks and original ideas to create an atmospheric album, it's going to turn out excellent.

Some say that this is the album where things started going downhill for In Flames. I say that happened when they changed producers, this is the last album produced by Fredrik Nordström. The difference between this album and its close sibling Colony are the diversity of ideas. They continue the tradition of acoustic breaks with Square Nothing, but also incorporate a spacey sounding acoustic break to introduce Satellites and Astronauts. Each song also has its own little quirk - Only For the Weak is that sing-a-long chorus and the neckbreaking opening riff. Suburban Me is the blurting bass-line in the first verse. Clayman has that arpeggio during the bridge and the circle-pit inducing chorus. Did I mention how well this album is mixed? All the instruments are where they are supposed to be - the bass isn't too muted and carries the rhythm with the drums and the guitars are up front and loud.

The only thing this album fails to deliver are memorable solos. When I think of Clayman, I think of hooks and catchy songs - not solos, and that is why this is only my second favorite album by In Flames.

With In Flames’ ninth full length album approaching in April it really makes you look back on the career that this band has had. They sure have changed their sound to many people’s dismay but the point is, they are still making music after nearly twenty years of their existence. I think that says something by itself.

I find Clayman to be a really interesting release. It seems to prove as a sort of transition to the drastic style-change from Colony to Reroute to Remain, and frankly, I think it works really well. It has all the trademark aspects of older In Flames albums with the inclusion of more clean vocals, which at some point, appear on almost all of the tracks and also more catchy hooks with the help of a synthesizer (Only for the Weak). The clean vocals sound the best on this album in my opinion. They seem less whiney than on later releases and are usually spoken rather than sung (Suburban Me). The harsh vocals sound great too with sort of a jump towards the higher pitched sound of later In Flames albums, although I still think Colony showcased the greatest vocals Anders Friden has come to offer. The duel guitar work on this album is as good as you would expect judging from past releases, in other words, quite mind blowing.

Opener Bullet Ride is a fun tempo changing track with an awesome chorus followed up by the live staple Pinball Map, which actually might have served as a better opening track. Only for the Weak incorporates a heavily synthesized sound but a very enjoyable headbanger if you’re into that sort of thing. If not, you probably stopped listening to this band in 2002.

Clayman is a very different sounding In Flames release and a really interesting and creative take on melodeth. Where does it fit amongst their best albums? I don’t know, and who cares. It doesn’t sound much like The Jester Race or Whoracle, and if it did, we would probably be bored of them by now. All I can say is that it is a welcome addition to their collection in my books.

In Flames have had a lot of ups and downs over their career, and "Clayman" is definitely an up. I read a lot of the reviews telling people why this album sucks, so here is one saying why it doesn't.

Firstly, Anders Friden's voice works. He has a fantastic death metal vocal sound that goes from a soaring scream to a deep throated growl, with everything in between, often in the same song - a good example of this would be the song "Square Nothing" which also includes some of the only 'clean' singing on the album (unlike their later releases which have a lot more of this evident.)

Musically, the album follows a similar pattern, in that we have hard and fast throughout, interjected with slightly slower elements that pop up every now and then. This, however doesn't detract from the overall pace of the album, and what you have, essentially is a heavy fast paced album that doesn't really let up from start to finish. Right from the get go with the song "Bullet Ride" you get a feel of how the rest of the album is going to shape up. The drumming is fast and relentless, the riffs are pounding and heavy, and the guitar solos hit just the right tone that add the final awesome touch to the sound. I think the best song on this album, which essentiall epitomises the classic In Flames sound has to be the title track. The song Clayman starts off with a driving drum beat, and melodic guitars riffing over the top, with Friden's distinctive guttaral growls kicking in fairly quickly. This doesn't let up the whole track, and at the end you are left with a metal sign raised, and your head banging. You just can't help it!

Incidentally, it was that song, and eventually this album that got me into death metal in the first place, so I have a personal respect for it...

In Flames have done some pretty lame stuff (Soundtrack to your Escape), and I know a lot of metal fans who hate them for this. But as far as an exciting, well paced and musically excellent album goes, you can do a lot worse than Clayman.

As Colony saw In Flames move towards a more direct and accessible sound, Clayman pushed the formula to a new extreme and undoubtedly proved to be the band's turning point. Clayman was the first album to really add more rock-based fury to the signature Gothenburg sound that the band had crafted; harmonies and leads still remain intact, but are generally used in a more linear way; the band openly embrace experiments with different clean guitar tones, such as the shimmering notes on "Square Nothing" and "Sattelites and Astronauts," and this is the first album from In Flames that truly delves into electronic noodlings with programmed beats and synths, such as "Only for the Weak." Even more controversial is Ander's change in vocal style. Rather than the slightly airy growl of Colony or Whoracle, Anders switches gears with a mid-ranged scream that he would use from that moment on. There is also a full-on display of clean vocals, not just a backup like previous albums. Though this undoubtedly takes some of the "death metal" edge away from the band's sound, it nonetheless shows a band stepping into their own modernized niche, for better or worse.

It's clear from the opener "Bullet Ride" that things have changed. Bjorn and Jesper put on display the band's evolution in a poignant way; shimmering clean guitars pluck through the verses, and stop-start power chord phrases collaborate with warm, rich leads, which also seem to have progressed beyond the typical Gothenburg melodies. "Swim" brings back some old-school flair, and is probably one of the only songs that still fully resonates of the band's old formula. I would go so far to say that most of the guitar work exceeds the "happy" feel of even Colony, especially the arena-like "Only for the Weak." Generally speaking, there aren't as many solos here, but it works within the music's more linear scope; the band still retain a healthy amount of melodeath tendencies, so it doesn't take too much away.

Daniel certainly stepped his game up, and in turn, it helps out the rest of the band. The more clean-cut song structures give the drums an extra push, seeing that there are more fills and overall confidence. The title track is a clear display of this. A cleaner, fuller drum sound also helps things out a great deal as well.

And now for Anders. For those who never liked his voice, this album most likely won't change your minds. His throaty yell/scream is not quite what he would use on RtR or STYE, but Clayman shows his venturing into that particular style. "Satellites and Astronauts" and "Brush the Dust Away" showcase the debut of his infamous clean vocals, albeit in a more subtle manner. Truth be told, it's a hell of a lot better than what was to come, but it will certainly grate the nerves of those who loathed him to begin with. Lyrically, things have gotten better, and like the rest of the music, more direct. Everything takes a more personal slant into self-doubt and introspection, with "Brush the Dust Away" being the only exception, since it takes a similar stance to older albums.

Though haters of the band easily target this album and flame it, this is the ultimate turning point for In Flames. They certainly couldn't make another Colony, and I'm actually rather grateful for that. Clayman serves as the perfect introduction to In Flames, and it contains the ultimate classic "Pinball Map," an essential In Flames track.

I've never been to Sweden before. Ever. That said, if someone asked me what my favourite Swedish city was, without hesitation I'd answer in my best growly voice: "Gothenbuuuuuurg!!!" Well, actually I wouldn't because that's retarded, but Gothenburg is still a pretty cool city anyway. In the 90's it was a hotbed for all those melodic death metal-like bands such as In Flames and Dark Tranquillity. Eventually, the creative term Gothenburg metal was coined for bands with a similar background and sound. Both In Flames and Dark Tranquillity have since released some excellent albums such as The Jester Race (In Flames) and Character (Dark Tranquillity). But it doesn't stop there, as In Flames have also recorded other successful albums. One of them was 2000's Clayman. The album was recorded in, you guessed it, Gothenburg Sweden. The album contains some of the bands more popular songs, such as the catchy Only For the Weak.

Clayman is appears to be one of those albums that people seem to really like or really dislike, with the spectrum is pretty extreme including some who revere this album, and others who consider it a black eye on the band’s career. For me, I find myself closer to the former as opposed to the latter, but I wouldn't exactly call it my favourite In Flames release. With that in mind, I still do like Clayman quite a bit. One of the reasons I enjoy this album so much is the actual music. While not especially heavy, Clayman is dripping with melody. And damn it, I have to have my melody. So I am more than happy with the direction the band has taken. Though purists may cry out blasphemy with this release, I feel that the lighter sound works very well for In Flames. Clayman feels very focused, riff after riff, drumbeat after drumbeat. Listening to songs such as, again, Only For the Weak or Pinball Map, it is apparent that the band has put a lot of effort into their music. Enjoyable, concise, and consistent are all adjectives which can be used to describe Clayman, as many of the albums songs feature several sections in which this the case. Clayman flows together very nicely and is definitely a fun album to listen to.

In Flames has one pretty important aspect that makes them a ton of fun to listen to. And that rests in that of their two axmen, Jesper Stromblad and Bjorn Geloette. Though their names are difficult to pronounce, the energetic playing of the tandem is not difficult to digest. These two give the band their signature sound, the enjoyable melody, hypnotizing harmonies, the crushingly heavy sections (for the most part), and the staggering solos. You couldn't really ask for anything more from the two members, as they perform their roles exceedingly well, and very rarely do they disappoint. Two songs where the pair stands out the most are Swim and Suburban Me. Both songs are very guitar orientated offerings, and on both songs Jesper and Bjorn give what are arguably their best performances. The riffs are exceedingly strong, combining the desired strength and melody. Also notable on Clayman regarding the two guitarists is the production on the guitars. Like many of the band's early albums, the guitars' tones are very enjoyable and definitely enhance the music. Just as in The Jester Race, Whoracle, and Colony, In Flames' guitarists steal the show, and are definitely among the highlights of the album.

Though perhaps not as good as The Jester Race or even Colony, 2000's Clayman is still a marvellous album. It is home to all sorts of excellent material, such as the title track or Only For the Weak, which may very well be the catchiest song the band has ever recorded. Clayman, though not devoid of errors and mistakes, is an incredibly fun album to listen to, as there are not any limits to the level of melody and precision that is produced. The two catalysts of this sound, Jesper and Bjorn, have an impressive showing and definitely meet the expectations. Clayman is a very enjoyable record, and despite the mixed reviews, fans of Gothenburg metal should definitely not shy away.

(Originally written for Sputnikmusic)

This is the first and only full In Flames album I've heard and I don't care to hear any other of their albums. Sorry, folks, but I don't care for Gothenburg very much and particularly this band.

First off, I was sent songs from Reroute to Remain(about 3 or 4 of them) and I was a little mystified, but not moved in any way. I don't see how people were thinking that In Flames had gone nu-metal on RtR because the trademark Gothenburgisms were still there, there was still a little soloing, the vocals weren't too present in the foreground etc.

The same guy who sent me a few RtR songs also decided to send me the full-length album Clayman, claiming it to be a really solid album. When listening to it, I'm sure I could give testament to that, as nothing really sticks out like a sore thumb on this release(except maybe for the vocals), but generally it's a forgettable release.

Sure, many of the choruses are uplifting and the guitar tones are razor-sharp at times, but it all feels too forced and like it was compacted very carefully into this perfect little package that's meant to be just a collection of songs and not moving compositions.

I've always thought of Gothenburg/melodic death metal bands as portraying more than just brutality, expecting high emotional output. It's very comparable to Linkin Park in the way the band seemed to have rushed the production. There is quite a lot of interesting soloing to be found here...nothing truly mindblowing, but blood-boiling nonetheless.

The vocalist is quite annoying, as his throaty rant is a sorry excuse for death metal vox. It's hard to describe except for the fact that it's mediocre. Soilwork, Callenish Circle, Dead Elizabeth, The Black Dahlia Murder, and others do it better.
This disc isn't too bad, but it's nothing truly memorable.