Gothenburg, Sweden’s In Flames has been one of the most successful Metal bands from the European scene over the past two decades. Originally formed as a melodic Death Metal band, their first five studio records conjured amazing melodic guitars with death growls that spread like a virus globally through the underground Metal scene. Entirely too talented and diverse in content, In Flames made their break into the mainstream with 2002’s Reroute To Remain, which followed an opening slot for Slayer months prior. Now pushing the envelope with each passing release, mixing electronic tones, alternative Metal styling, and clean vocal, In Flames have developed into the world class Metal band they were always meant to be. Three years after the release of Sounds of a Playground Fading, the band return with their eleventh studio record titled Siren Charms. Released on September 9th via Sony Music, vocalist Anders Fridén, guitarist Björn Gelotte, and guitarist Niclas Engelin made the trip in from Sweden to New York City on Thursday the 4th for a very exclusive and special acoustic performance at The Bowery Electric.
Held downstairs as a private event consisting of record label representatives and invite only, the evening rounded out with approximately 100 guests. Getting an exclusive sneak peak of Siren Charms a week prior to its release, Fridén, Gelotte, and Engelin mingled about the room expressing their enthusiasm for the record after putting months of hard work into the recording process that began in Germany back in December 2013 at Hansa Studios. While the album began with “In Plain View” and concluded with “Filtered Truth”, through the eleven songs offering it was easy to see the careful crafting In Flames put into this release. Steering clear of repeating themselves, many tracks do tap into the past of the band’s sound while Fridén sounds more vivid than ever. Certainly a mood setting piece with ups and downs spread throughout, this listening party was a spectacular showcase for the band and all those in attendance.
After listening to Siren Charms, the fun was yet to begin with In Flames preparing to perform their first ever live acoustic set in mere moments. While Gelotte told CrypticRock “We have been trying to do something like this for quite some time”, it was easy to see the excitement was universal with everyone in the room. Taking to the stage casually and relaxed, Fridén, Gelotte, and Engelin debuted “Dead Eyes” and “Through Oblivion”. Both relatively melancholy pieces, the stripped down acoustic guitars of Gelotte and Engelin were colorful and filled with texture as Fridén sang affectionately. The brief performance was enough to provoke rousing applause as the band all expressed their gratitude. The experience was certainly tranquil and sent off very good vibes, reckoning the question can fans expect to see more acoustic sets from In Flames perhaps in the future? One can only hope as this band proves time and time again they have a lot to offer. Fortunately they will be hitting North America with Opeth and Red Fang this coming December, so prepare by purchasing a copy of Siren Charms and dive in to the new tunes.
In Flames + Opeth Communion of Sirens Tour Dates:
12/3 – Riviera Theater | Chicago, IL
12/4 – Mill City Nights | Minneapolis, MN
12/5 – Sokol Auditorium | Omaha, NE
12/6 – Ogden Theater | Denver, CO
12/8 – Warfield | San Francisco, CA
12/9 – Palladium | Los Angeles, CA
12/10 – The Marquee Theater | Tempe, AZ
12/12 – Warehouse Live | Houston, TX
12/13 – Gas Monkey Live | Dallas, TX
12/15 – Tabernacle | Atlanta, GA
12/17 – Electric Factory | Philadelphia, PA
12/18 – Terminal 5 | New York, N.Y.
12/19 – Palladium | Worcester, MA
12/20 – Metropolis | Montreal, QC
12/21 – Koolhaus | Toronto, ONT
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