When looking back at their career, it seems like In Flames did something of a reverse alchemy; they turned gold delivered with every album into lead (to say the least) so heavy and useless, exhausting you both mentally and physically on (almost) every record after Reroute To Remain. A Sense Of Purpose gave us a sense of hope that In Flames found their way again, but the departure of Jesper Strömblad and weak performance on both Sounds Of A Playground Fading and Siren Charms just hastened their descent into oblivion. But back in their glory days, In Flames did some stellar-quality work, the pinnacle of it Clayman, a cult melodeath record that launched them into orbit and was ultimately a prelude to their fall.
They outdid themselves with this record. Magnificent melodies, diverse songs, crushing riffs and a perfect combination of harsh and clean vocals delivered by Anders are combined into a rich, fulfilling and meaty melodeath record. From the hellish start with Bullet Ride to the album ending with Another Day In Quicksand, Clayman is convincing in every part. Tight songwriting, hooks that will carve into your brain immediately, short but effective solos, tight drumming, this record has it all.
Only For The Weak is one of the metal anthems of today, a sharp departure from their trademark melodeath sound with almost-pop parts and clean singing gave them rivers of new fans, Bullet Ride and Pinball Map build up on top of each other so magnificently making them the best song pair of the whole melodeath genre. Satellites And Astronauts combines melodic and crushing parts in a smart way, giving the listener constant shots of enjoyment; stunning solo in Another Day In Quicksand will make your ears explode because they can’t process that level of quality musicianship. All songs can be regarded as small masterpieces, unique in their own way but familiar enough to stimulate brain receptors with perfect frequencies. Every song still sounds fresh, even after 16 years passed since Clayman’s release, a remarkable feat achievable only by real musicians.
Clayman can’t be described as a pinnacle of melodeath; that title is a highly subjective category. But it can be crowned as the most successful melodeath record ‘till date, and that’s an achievement worthy of respect.
