In Flames Concert Review

In Flames came to the packed Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ on October 2nd to bring some Swedish melodic death metal to the Jersey area, along with a eccentric collection of acts. From the power/heavy metal of 3 Inches Of Blood to the progressive metal onslaught Between The Buried And Me brought to the table, many avenues of metal were present and accounted for. The crowd was enthusiastic the whole time, with the pit being a constant wave of motion. While there were a few issues with the opening acts, the headliner delivered a set that left the majority of concertgoers content and satisfied.

Blazing technical metal with a melodic side is The Faceless’ specialty and they happen to do it quite well. The clean sections came off well and were a nice contrast to the unrelenting pace that the aggressive sections gave off. The bass was a little low in the mix, but the rest of the instruments were clean and audible. While a good portion of the crowd had little clue who the band was, judging by their blank stares, The Faceless won over a large portion of the audience by the end of their set.

3 Inches Of Blood

While an energetic set, something was lacking from their half-hour on stage. Cam Pipes’ vocals were very tough to hear, especially when he harmonized with guitarist Justin Hagberg. Speaking of Hagberg, he did a decent job with the harsh vocals, but he just didn’t have the punch that Jamie Hooper had in his time with the band. There were also issues with Hagberg’s mike being too loud in the mix, which overpowered Cam several times.

3 Inches Of Blood played a few tracks off their new album, Here Waits Thy Doom, including the awesome “Call Of The Hammer,” but about half of the set was dedicated to material from Fire Up The Blades. “Goat Riders Horde” is a fantastic speed metal track, but it doesn’t top “Deadly Sinners” as a closer. Yep, the band didn’t play their most famous number, which definitely left a few die-hard fans disappointed.

Vocalist Tommy Rogers may have been battling with a case of bronchitis, but he put on a hell of a performance. His screams were as powerful as they have ever been. Rogers did struggle with the clean vocals though. It was noticeable with the songs that required a higher register, like “All Bodies” and “Foam Born (A): The Backtrack.” In these cases, Rogers asked the crowd to sing along, which they did quite willingly.

One new song from their forthcoming album The Great Misdirect was performed and it gave off a strong indication of the direction the band was heading in. “Obfuscation” is a phenomenal track live and a promising sign of an album that could be a big step forward from Colors. Closing the set with the epic “White Walls,” the crowd was appreciative of the band’s 50-minute set and gave a loud applause after every song, with the loudest saved for the end.

Swedish melodic death metal pioneers In Flames played a wild set that had the crowd going nuts the entire time. Vocalist Anders Fridén had a fantastic stage presence, joking around with the audience in-between songs and engaging in witty banter. He even brought a female audience member on stage at one point to take photos and video of a crowd that was eager to be on film. The rest of the band was tight and pitch-perfect, hitting every note and not missing a beat.

While some “tr00” metal fans have scoffed at the band’s recent output, the songs translated very well live. “Come Clarity” benefits from a packed venue providing backing vocals and the mosh pits were relentless during “The Mirror’s Truth” and “Take This Life.” Even a mid-paced song like “Alias” had a scorching intensity that could be felt from all the way in the back of the venue.

A few old favorites were included, including “Pinball Map” and “Clayman.” The band even went back to 1997’s Whoracle to pull “The Hive” out of the ashes. Even after all these years, and all the countless imitators that churn out lifeless melodic death metal, these tunes still packed quite a punch. The band did their best to please fans both new and old, and while a few early favorites from The Jester Race were nowhere to be found, the overall set was strong enough to please both sides of In Flames’ fan base.

In Flames Concert Photos

While 3 Inches Of Blood didn’t play their biggest hit, “Deadly Sinners,” and Tommy Rogers’ vocals were not in good shape due to his bronchitis, the show still rose above the faults to deliver a night of well-rounded metal. The sound mix was great, save for 3 Inches Of Blood’s vocal levels, and each band got in just enough time to not wear out their welcome.

In Flames Setlist

Cloud Connected
Embody The Invisible
Pinball Map
Delight And Angers
Disconnected
Square Nothing
The Hive
Drifter
Clayman
Come Clarity
Leeches
Alias
The Mirror's Truth
The Quiet Place
Take This Life
My Sweet Shadow