Clayman

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.