this is the very 1st In Flames Album i ever purchased, and before i even made it back home had already listened to it twice in the car because it was that great! if you don't own any In Flames albums and are wondering as to which album to buy first i very highly recommend this one, cause it definitely leaves you wanting to buy the rest of In Flames albums

2000's Clayman followed on the heels of a series of absolutely perfect melodic death metal albums by In Flames:

,

, and

. While Clayman was very much a Swedish melodic death metal album, it was obvious the band had updated the sound a bit to include some more modern elements. It wasn't a radical departure from their signature sound (like later releases

or

), but you can see that In Flames was moving beyond the established formula.

The band definitely shook things up with this album, and I happen to think it paid off. They managed to revitalize their sound to avoid becoming stagnant. Of course, it helps that Clayman is still very melodic and no less heavy than previous In Flames albums. There are some nu-metal elements creeping in, and this is where Anders Friden started to change his vocal style. That could turn off fans of the older In Flames sound, but I had no problem with it because the songs are so freaking good.

Looking back, Clayman is clearly the bridge between the classic and modern In Flames sounds (honestly, they seem like two entirely different bands). It's still a great album, and one of my favorites from the band.

Edition Notes: Nuclear Blast issued a Deluxe Edition of Clayman in 2005, adding a pair of bonus tracks - covers of No Fun At All's "Strong and Smart" and Treat's "World of Promises" - as well as some additional multimedia content (no videos, though).

Edition Notes 2: Nuclear Blast reissued Clayman yet again in 2009 as part of their Re-gouged, sorry - Re-loaded, series. It's essentially the same as the 2005 reissue, only now it comes in one of those weird "super jewel cases." If you already have the Deluxe Edition reissue, there's no reason to replace it.

Just found these guys, and what can I say... amazing! But that doesn't do it justice. In Flames is the sound of epic. Hearing their music makes me feel like chugging an ale, grabbing my axe, and chopping a troll in half. Swede metal for life!