Were it not for the distinctive riffs, focus on melody, and Anders Fridén’s characteristic shriek, you’d almost be forgiven for thinking that Breaking Benjamin had procured Fridén’s services for a few tracks. Yet for that, it can feel a little too placid – there are no curveballs, no surprises, and nothing wholly unexpected from the band. It’s also a fair demonstration of the band’s prowess at songwriting – there’s nary a bit of fat on these twelve songs. There’s essentially a little something for every metal fan of every persuasion. On the one hand, you have bruising tracks like “Through My Eyes” with finger-flaying riffs and a delightfully ripping solo, and driving first single “The End” with its huge, sing-along chorus while on the other, you have the syrupy ballad-esque “Here Until Forever” and the electronica-infused finale “Save Me”. I n Flames don’t care one iota for any of that and plough on as they see fit, which is why their twelfth album ‘Battles’ is the summation of their life as a band. So what’s a band to do – keep the same formula for their life and become stale, or make changes or additions to what they do to explore and expand their horizons whilst risking the ire of the keyboard warrior? As such, their longevity would add maturity and refinement to their approach, yet their tilt towards a more mainstream sound in an attempt to broaden their appeal is still met with disdain by some (nearly fourteen-years on from ‘Reroute To Remain’). The Swedes are one of metal’s longest-serving chieftains, and were one of the pioneers of the Gothenburg-sound – with death metal being intertwined with a healthy dose of melodicism. But there’s just something about the reaction to In Flames that takes the biscuit. Even the likes of Machine Head and Trivium have “enjoyed” a little taste of the salty tears cascading forth from the offended eyes and ears of fans. Metallica has endured it over the years, whilst Opeth are presently riding the wave of vitriol and vomit for deigning to drop death growls and embrace their penchant for 70s prog. Be it a subtle inversion or addition or a major overhaul, it can be quite palpable observing the dilated pupils and foaming-at-the-mouth bile and hatred expended by some.
![in flames battles in flames battles](https://assets.catawiki.nl/assets/2019/9/24/3/3/b/33bc427f-e52d-4528-8153-e8bcfb4a5ccf.jpg)
For a genre of music that prides itself on being inclusive of all walks of life, metal has and metal fans have a nasty habit of turning quite malicious when bands attempt to alter their sound.