Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Still In Flames, and still good, December 17, 2002
This album seems to have disappointed a lot of In Flames' more passionate fans (some have even used the term "sellout," which is a debate I really don't want to get into). However, I don't really see what the problem is. I find this album to be In Flames all the way, and not much of a departure from "Colony" or "Clayman" at all. I really think a band as skilled and creative as In Flames would have a hard time making an album I didn't like. If there is one thing this album is, it's infectious, especially by metal standards. It contains some Swedish-style riffs and melodies that can get caught in your head for days (I've had that experience myself). Although In Flames may have softened their sound a bit since their early days, there are still some really aggressive moments, and some top-notch songwriting. The opening title track, "Drifter," and "Egonomic" contain some of the band's heaviest riffing, and some of Anders's harshest vocals (at least lately) before getting melodic in the choruses. "System" is a somewhat experimental song that expertly mixes rousing speed metal with some softer elements. "Dawn of a New Day" has a folkish sound that sounds a bit out of place at first, but it provides a nice interlude in the middle of the album. And yes, "Cloud Connected" and "Black and White" DO sound a bit nu-metalish, but I still think they have that In Flames stamp on them, and with their abilities they make the songs work. I'm not really a nu-metal hater anyway, so I don't have as much of a problem with these songs as some might. Anyway, this is in my opinion a very strong album, in spite of what some naysayers may believe. In Flames have shown themselves to be masters of mixing heaviness and melody, and harsh and clean vocals, and "Reroute to Remain" is no exception. They're not really a melodic death metal band anymore, but in this case I choose not to lament what was but to enjoy what is. Some of the best metal of 2002 is on here.
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21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I cannot praise this album enough, September 12, 2002
This isn't In Flames' best work. That goes to the amazing The Jester Race album. Anyway, this isn't about The Jester Race. This is about Reroute To Remain. Let's talk about the singing first. Anders' voice isn't as deep as it was on The Jester Race or Whoracle. It's more like Clayman except he doesn't sing real low like a whisper like he did on Clayman. When he isn't screaming or shouting(most of the album is like this) he tries to sing. He isn't that good but it fits the music really well. Gives it a folk sounding feel. In Flames has always had folk elements in their music so there is no point in complaining about this people. I wouldn't say they are still melodic death metal but they are, without a doubt, still metal. I don't worry about genres that much but if i had to put them into a section of music, I would call them melodic heavy metal. The riffs on the cd are excellent. They may not be super complicated but they are very heavy and real written. I don't play guitar and don't know much about it so I'm not going to start saying that I can do better because I can't. And i doubt many of you out there who bash this album could to because i don't think most music fans are guitar gods. There are lots of counter melodies played along with the standard riffs but you really have to listen to them at first because the production on this cd is really bad(not to the point of it being incoherent though). There are some solos on here but not as much as their earlier releases. But this isn't too big of a problems because, on a whole, In Flames' music has not been about solos. Take the songs for what they are and rock out to them. Not every song has to have a minute long guitar solo. As long as the songs are good, everything is fine. Solos are only good if they need to be in the song, if it calls for it, otherwise they just sound out of place. This cd is really bass heavy and it's finally great to hear the bass player. Awesome stuff. The drumming is pure genius. It's just as good as the drumming on whoracle, if not better. You can tell technique is focused on the drums instead of just trying to see how many double bass beats you can do in one minute. This album is also so fun to listen to. I don't think I've ever heard such an addictive, catchy album in all my life. There is a very experimental song on here and it does have a slight country feel to it but it's not a country song and it's very good. It breaks up the tone of the album and introduces something fresh. The whole album has it's own sound though I don't see myself getting tired of it anytime soon. So, do not complain about this not being the jester race. There is no point in them making a jester race two or jester race: rematch. If you want to hear the jester race, then put the jester race in your cd player and listen to that!!! UP THE IRONS!!!
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Listen and you shall see, October 3, 2002
I've been anxious to get a review up for this album, but it's been hard to decide what I think. My first impressions were not good at all, but the best albums always take time to grow on me. And my, oh my, has this grown on me the last couple weeks. I don't know if I'd call it their best album, but it's definitely up there with the rest of them if you take a step back and realize it's a GOOD THING that they refuse to rehash the same old stuff on every album. Besides Korn's first album, I've listened to very little nu-metal, for obvious reasons. Reroute to Remain definately has a nu-metal edge to it, but they marry it perfectly with their signature Gothenburg sound. The result ranges from songs that are amazing ("Trigger"-what a chorus!) to non-memorable ("Dismis the Cynic", "Free Fall").Nearly every song has a hard shell with a chewey middle: old-school structure, with harsh vocals sung during the verses, but the refrain is usually very melodic and super catchy. The opening track falls in that catagory perfectly. Other tracks like "System", "Transparent", and "Cloud Connected" go a little overboard on the emo-like vocal refrains. It borders on annoying at first, but after a few spins I realized it fits in OK. However, other tracks like "Minus" and "Ergonomic" are much better and will get stuck in your head. "Drifter" and "Dark Signs" are straight up old school In Flames with only a few new twists. "Dawn of a New Day" and "Metaphor" fall into the super mellow catagory: "Dawn of a New Day" is good (weird to think it's In Flames though...sounds like Linkin Park or one of those other radio bands), but the violin (or should I call it a fiddle) in "Metaphor" is out of place. It's a decent melodic tune otherwise. "Black and White" is a great ending to the album--almost power metal with a great epic-sounding chorus! The production couldn't be any better, the songwriting is exceptional, the artwork is top-notch, and the overall sound is a completely unique blend of everything In Flames has evolved to be. I can understand the purists who question why In Flames would stray from previous efforts like this, but at the same time they're evolving and branching out into unparalleled and exciting new territory. I give my enthusiastic thumbs up.
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