In Flames - Soundtrack To Your Escape
2004 Nuclear Blast America

Track Listing:
1.  F(r)iend
2.  The Quiet Place
3.  Dead Alone
4.  Touch Of Red
5.  Like You Better Dead
6.  My Sweet Shadow
7.  Evil In A Closet
8.  In Search For I
9.  Borders And Shading
10. Superhero Of The Computer Rage
11. Dial 595-Escape

Line-Up:
Vocals:  Anders Friden
Guitars:  Björn Gelotte, Jesper Strömblad
Bass:  Peter Iwers
Drums:  Daniel Svensson

Website:  www.inflames.com

Skin Splitter's Rating:  D
Overall Rating:  D

Also be sure to read:
In Flames - Clayman by Shev
In Flames - Come Clarity by Follow The Hollow
In Flames - Reroute To Remain by Skin Splitter
In Flames - Whoracle by Skin Splitter

Skin Splitter's Review:
Since I've been busy and yet have done nothing for KITF for a while, I decided to write one but keep it REAL short and sweet...  The newest album from In Flames comes in right where Reroute To Remain left off.  Except for one thing.  This album is AWFUL!  That's right, it's AWFUL!  I picture this album and the rejects that didn't make it on Reroute To Remain.  In fact, if you see this CD in passing, throw it on the ground.  I'm dead serious.  Throw it, burn it, do something.  It sucks, it's unoriginal, there’s no story, nothing redeeming.

Did I buy it?  Was I down?  Oh, I was down.  Down Syndrome for picking this one up.  That's right.  If you buy this CD, you ride the short bus and you wear a helmet with a chinstrap and leash attached.  Consider yourself warned. I wish someone warned me like I'm warning you. 

Song summaries include:

1. F(r)iend - Gothy apocalyptic like intro.  There's a harmonic 59 seconds in.  At 1:10, they play with the vocals a little to create a growling background voice.  It works pretty well for the song.  B-

2. The Quiet Place - What the hell was that intro?  I had to check my CD player to make sure it wasn't Sevendust.  What makes it better?  How about this...the vocals remind me of three people.  Marilyn Manson, Jonathan Davis, and the guy from Mindless Self Indulgence.  Get that sound the hell out of my metal!  This is awful, and to top it all off, because it's in the two slot, it's going to be the song they push as their hit.  For your "hit", I'll give you a KITF special hit.  THE HIT OF "F".  F

3. Dead Alone - While I was writing the last song review, this one came on.  Everything was going well until one thing popped out and almost made me want to kill.  God damned guitar distortion/keyboard sounds, but that's not all.  It sounds like, NO IT IS, an exact rip off of KoRn's "Got The Life" (from Follow The Leader, I hated that album more than you did, believe me).  If I wanted to listen to KoRn, I would have bought their album.  Don't believe me?  The damn outro's are the same.  OHHHH that's strike 2...  F

4. Touch Of Red - After the last song, I had to get up and leave, pause, reflect, and then come back and press on.  This song isn't as bad as the previous.  It's still not very good and it's hard to distinguish this song from all the other Nu-Metal crap that’s out there.  This would fit right into Reroute To Remain in any place.  It's just a continuation.  C-

5. Like You Better Dead - Good song title.  I gave this one a chance (because it's in the five slot), my reward was a song of filler.  One good riff.  Not a very good chorus.  No solo.  It was like listening to nothing.  D

6. My Sweet Shadow - FINALLY!  A song with meat and substance!  Okay, good guitar work for the intro.  Not a bad pace either.  Good breakdown riff.  That's the good news.  Here's the bad.  There are parts where it's just the guitar and vocals.  Pretty bad, and the keyboard work...oh man it's going to kill this band.  The keyboard work is a rip off of RAMMSTEIN "Du Hast".  You get to hear it at 3:40.  Did they run out of ideas so they decided to "sample" other peoples stuff?  What is going on here!  C+ for guitar work.  F for keyboard.  So it gets... D

7. Evil In A Closet - A Ballad.  If you don't like ballads...skip on.  However, unfortunately your going to skip the best song on the album.  That's pretty sad when a ballad is the best.  There is good guitar work and the keyboard actually works here.  It also has a tear-jerker sound to it.  Nice solo.  That's one thing In Flames can still do.  A ballad.  B

8. In Search For I - Nice intro.  Good guitar work.  Reroute To Remain style but all in all not bad.  Two o.k. songs in a row?  Wow.  B

9. Borders And Shading - If you liked the song Trigger on Reroute To Remain, it's basically the same thing with harmonics.  And that's all I’m going to say about it.  C

10. Superhero Of The Computer Rage - It's a faster pace.  Typical In Flames, but nothing sticks out until 3:18.  Everything after that is AWFUL!  C-

11. Dial 595-Escape - I have to admit, I was doing other stuff during this song and by this point, you should have been too!  D

Skin Splitter's Rating:  D

Discography (last updated 6.2.06):
Lunar Strain - 1994
Subterranean EP - 1994
The Jester Race - 1995
Black Ash Inheritance EP - 1997
Whoracle - 1997
Colony - 1999
Clayman - 2000
The Tokyo Showdown - 2001
Reroute To Remain - 2002
Trigger EP - 2003
Soundtrack To Your Escape - 2004
Come Clarity - 2006