A few select men are generally accredited as being the founding fathers of the United States, praised as the initiators of a 238-year-old democracy. Similarly, melodic death metal has its founders too — a trio of bands hailing from or around Gothenburg, Sweden: Soilwork, Dark Tranquillity and In Flames.
To metalheads, the Gothenburg brand has shaped a 20-year-old musical democracy, most recently reaffirmed by the expansive creativity of Dark Tranquillity's “Construct” and Soilwork’s “The Living Infinite,” a pair of recently-released enchanting albums which kept their home’s flag on high. But after In Flames’ “Siren Charms,” half-staff may be a more appropriate position for the Gothenburg camp to display its colors.
Are these bands giving into corporate pressure or just showing off artistic growth with the release of new material which departs so strongly from previous work? If the members of In Flames want to stray from their Gothenburg death metal roots and create alternative metal, couldn’t they just start a side project to explore this sound?
The answer is often "no" because a side project means a new name — and the loss of a long-established fan-base. The establishment of corporate metal is embodied by In Flames’ foray into alternative metal with their latest album “Siren Charms”.
“Siren Charms” aims to be pensive, but ultimately it comes across as hollow. Instead of the swaggering adventure of 1996’s “The Jester Race” or the ricocheting thrash chamber of 2006’s “Come Clarity,” we are treated to 43 minutes of tameness and vapidity.
The instrumentals are simplistic and the melodies, though somewhat catchy, offer nothing fiery — “Siren Charms” has more in common with easy listening music than death metal. Gone is the imagery of lyrics describing how one “lust[s] for the dance and the fire / deep of the nectarine sunset to drink” from their 1996 album. What’s left are thin confessions like, “my feelings inside I can’t explain / I’m awake, but not for long” on “Siren Charms”’ title track.
Lyrics should be an easy medium to express one's feelings, even for a tortured metal vocalist such as Anders Fridén. Yet his lyrics clearly fail to offer anything of substance.
Sucking sunshine out of nectarines sounds lethally scrumptious, but even a death by fatal fruit wouldn’t stop me from falling victim to the abysmal nature of the last line in "Siren Charms" were I forced to listen to it again.
“When the World Explodes”(feat. Emilia Fedt) offers a brief respite, with Gothic vocal layering and the return of vocalist Fridén’s harsher vocal delivery from past albums. But neither of these features complement each other well.
A prime example of how to blend these sounds is seen in Bring Me the Horizon’s “Crucify Me”. In this track, a choir gently sings the song’s chorus, which meshes well with eerie keyboards ringing over a grittier, hard-edged refrain. But in “When the World Explodes,” both elements are incorporated in both sections of the song, falling short of the seamlessness in "Crucify Me".
In Flames is likely gathering a new following with this record’s lighter atmosphere. Unfortunately, this means there are also many metalheads who now have to specify an era when asked for the name of their favorite band. This siren song will most likely not charm long-time fans.
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