In Flames - Sounds of a Playground Fading (2011)

Genre: Melodic Death Metal

Release Date: June 15, 2011

1. Sounds of a Playground Fading (4:44)

2. Deliver Us (3:31)

3. All For Me (4:31)

4. The Puzzle (4:34)

5. Fear is the Weakness (4:07)

6. Where the Dead Ships Dwell (4:27)

7. The Attic (3:18)

8. Darker Times (3:25)

9. Ropes (3:42)

10. Enter Tragedy (3:59)

11. Jester's Door (2:38)

12. A New Dawn (5:52)

13. Liberation (5:10)

I never know what to expect any time a new In Flames release drops on the market.  This band has altered their sound so many times over the course of their career, and not always for the better.  So, needless to say I was skeptical of the new album, but I was still excited to hear some new In Flames songs.

In my opinion, In Flames’ new style of melodic death metal (if you want to call it that) reached its’ maturation on their last album, A Sense of Purpose (2008).  It wasn’t the embodiment of the Gothenburg sound that In Flames’ helped to shape in the 1990s, but it was still a very good metal album.  There were many memorable riffs and melodies (“The Mirror’s Truth”, “Sleepless Again”, “Alias”, etc) and it achieved a melodic sound without sacrificing an abrasive death metal attack.

Sounds of a Playground Fading is the tenth studio album by the Swedish death metal legends In Flames.  It takes the sound that they formed on A Sense of Purpose (2008) in a slightly new direction.  More work went into writing and producing the guitar parts and the vocals have been stripped down.  It is a deliberate move towards a softer and less abrasive In Flames sound.

Sounds of a Playground Fading

This new release is essentially a weaker version of A Sense of Purpose.  Most of the vocals are clean or only slightly distorted.  The growling vocal style is completely absent on the record.  Also, the guitar parts sound way over-produced and none of the riffs are all that memorable.  The drums and bass are pretty run-of-the-mill as well and nothing really stands out.

"Ropes" is a track that sums up the style of music on Sounds of a Playground Fading.  Overproduced guitar work is abound in this track alongside Anders Friden's clean vocals.

Ropes

The overall sound of the album has a more mainstream feel to it, though I don’t feel as though it was created as a deliberate move towards the mainstream.  Newer In Flames fans who like Come Clarity or Soundtrack to Your Escape will probably be pleased with this release.  Older In Flames fans who like The Jester’s Race and Whoracle will probably be disappointed.  It’s definitely soft for an In Flames release, but if that’s what you’re into then by all means pick up the album.  Ultimately though, I feel like there's nothing outstanding about this record.  After listening to all the songs from Sounds of a Playground Fading, I’ve decided not to download it.

Final Rating: 6.5/10

3 Favorite Songs from the Album: Where the Dead Ships Dwell, Darker Times, A New Dawn