In Flames: Sounds Of A Playground Fading – new video

All they need is to get Patric Ullaeus to film a video for them every once in a while, and they are sure to keep on filling the stadiums with fans. When not busy filling those, they apparently fill comic books with the “musical power of IN FLAMES music”. It also appears, that the band's enigmatic mascot, The Jesterhead, is getting its own illustrated treatment called “The Jester's Curse” which follows The Jesterhead's journey (“exploring the truth behind where he came from and where his destiny will ultimately take him”). The first book, “Lunar Strain: Part 1”, is already out on Heavy Metal Magazine which is owned by Kevin Eastman, the co-creator of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”. The enigmatic power of IN FLAMES. Anyhow, ‘Sounds Of A Playground Fading’ (not so much in this group's case), comes off IN FLAMES' tenth studio album of the same name which was released in 2011 through Century Media Records. The band's first album recorded without its founder Jesper Strömblad debuted at number 27 on the U.S. Top 200 albums chart, it conquered German Albums Chart and debuted at number 12 on the Canadian Albums Chart. ‘Sounds Of A Playground Fading’ still awaits you here (CM Distro), on iTunes and Amazon:

“ ‘Playground Fading’s technical acumen and slick infusion of modern rock dazzles for the most part, especially on stand-out tracks like ‘A New Dawn’, ‘Fear Is The Weakness’, and the soaring title cut, all of which, in true IN FLAMES fashion, aim for the bleachers and end up exploding into the night sky, but for all of the bells and whistles, there’s not a whole lot of variety to be had here,” [commented James Christopher Monger, AllMusic – more here]

Formed in 1990 in Gothenburg, Sweden, by musician Jesper Strömblad, IN FLAMES recorded and self-produced their first album, ‘Lunar Strain’, in 1993; besides guitarist, drummer and keyboardist Strömblad, guitarists Glenn Ljungström and Carl Näslund and bassist Johan Larsson, the band's debut full-length featured session vocalist Mikael Stanne whom you by now probably associate with DARK TRANQUILLITY. The first album recorded with singer Anders Fridén and Björn Gelotte as a drummer was 1996's ‘The Jester Race’, preceded by an MCD ‘Subterranean’ and followed by another MCD called ‘Black-Ash Inheritance’. According to IN FLAMES trusted friend and producer Fredrik Nordström, the group's third LP nearly failed to materialise, since the bandmembers preferred drinking beer and playing “Tekken3” to recording the album for which they eventually successfully combined a couple of English words, namely “whore” and “oracle”, to come up with its title, ‘Whoracle’. After 1997's ‘Whoracle’, IN FLAMES classic line-up assembled, with Björn Gelotte switching from drums to guitar, with Peter Iwers on bass and Daniel Svensson on drums. They released ‘Colony’ LP in 1999, followed by ‘Clayman’ in 2000. Considered IN FLAMES' first step toward becoming progressive pop/rock/neo-classical metal innovators - as they are known these days – their sixth studio album, 2002's tellingly named ‘Reroute To Remain’, peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Independent Albums chart. Climbing up the charts and entering the Billboard Top 200 at number 145, 2004's ‘Soundtrack To Your Escape’ was followed by the band's first DVD, ‘Used & Abused In Live We Trust’, in 2005. In 2006 the clarity finally came for IN FLAMES; conquering the Swedish Albums Chart, ‘Come Clarity’ sold around 25,000 copies in its first week and 50,000 units  in its first month, in the US of A alone - peaking at number 58 on the Billboard Top 200. The album also won the Best Hard Rock Album award at 2007 Grammis  (Swedish Grammy Awards). Their ninth album, 2008's ‘A Sense Of Purpose’, again climbed to the top spot on their home country albums charts (and was certified Gold in Sweden in 2009) and had bettered their previous achievement in the United States, debuting at number 28 on the Billboard Top 200. 

IN FLAMES features: Anders Fridén – vocals, Björn Gelotte – guitar, Daniel Svensson – drums, Peter Iwers – bass and Niclas Engelin (also of ENGEL) – guitar