I, the Mask

I, the Mask is a work on which In Flames powerfully rebinds, within one album, the sharpness of the melodic death metal it has accumulated over long years and the recent modern heavy-rock sense. The guitar freely moves between sharp-edged riffs and spreading chords, and a low, heavy rhythm gives the songs a sure drive. The contrast of rough screams and clean singing also functions powerfully not as mere style but as an important device to show both anger and introspection. From the powerful drive of the opener “Voices” and the drama of the title track “I, the Mask” to a cut like “Call My Name,” in fast passages the tension listeners who know the past expect appears, and in passages that widely open the melody the strength of modern hooks stands out, while the powerful “I Am Above” and a cut like “(This Is Our) House” convey the work’s fullness. A record on which the seemingly complex song construction is deftly arranged not to seem abstruse but precisely to heighten the emotional pressure heading to the choruses. Hard riffs, low-centered groove and shaded beautiful melody repeatedly intersect, and the album never leans toward aggression alone or accessibility alone. An engaging record on which In Flames’s stance of ceaselessly exploring its own core is strongly inscribed.