In Flames

Colony

Powerful Melodic Death Metal With Heart

Review Score:

(10/10)
The title of this review is an excellent description of this CD. In the 90's, most fans were complaining of the sad state of extreme metal until the release of At The Gates' "Slaughter of the Soul". This album held up the genre through the rest of the decade. A band so powerful, talented, and passionate is a very rare find in today's world.
As far as the music goes, it is like an extreme metal library. Speed meets thrash, and easy listening meets death metal, all at the same time on this album. Starting from the ultra-powerful opener, "Embody The Invisible", the CD does not let up until the 6th track, "Pallar Anders Visa". And that breather lasts about 1:30. The assault of constant galloping rythyms, melodic guitars, earthshaking bass, and extreme vocals just doesn't let up. This is a death/thrash metal fan's fantasy.

#1): "Embody The Invisible": A perfect opener. Ultra-heavy drumming meets melodic guitars and a rumbling bass, with shredded-throat vocals. This track is a great way to get the listener's attention from the get-go. 9/10

#2): "Ordinary Story": A much lighter track, with some choppy transitions, but otherwise still powerful. One of the best on the CD. 10/10

#3): "Scorn": Follows the blueprint of the previous two tracks. Faster than the previous two as well, and a much better bass pattern. 10/10

#4): "Colony": Still a heavy song, but much lighter and slower than the first three tracks. A highly addictive guitar riff highlights this track. 9/10

#5): "Zombie, Inc.": The heaviest track on the CD, and also the longest. By far the best. Crushing percussion, melodic guitars, and harsh, extreme vocals highlight this track. 10/10

#6): "Pallar Anders Visa": A good breather after track 5. A simple acoustic passage thats about 1:40. Easy listening, but a surprisingly welcome addition to this CD. Some might think thats it's pure filler, though. 9/10

#7): "Coerced Coexistance": This is like "Scorn" meets "Zombie Inc.". A surprising mix of sounds that turns up a relatively decent song. 8/10

#8): "Resin": Pure-bred POWER. This is the most aggressive song. It's like a slower "Zombie, Inc." with a snare drum that sounds like a shotgun. The guitars are what really make this track. 9/10

#9): "Behind Space '99": A very haunting start, but leads into a very, very fast song. The fastest on the CD, but not one of the best. 8/10

#10): "Insipid 2000": Faster than all the songs except track 9. A very good rythym highlights this track. 8/10

#11): "The New World": A slow and very heavy closer. A good way to close this power-show out. 9/10

Overall, this album proves itself to be a melodic death masterpiece, and personally, I think it is In Flames' best. Get it now if you like metal. It will be a staple of your collection for years to come.

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