It could be argued that In Flames has left the biggest imprint on the American metal scene in recent years. There is no doubt that bands like Killswitch Engage and All That Remains digested the 5 records from 1995's The Jester Race to 1999's Clayman. Those records are the defining moments of the In Flames legacy.

In Flames' output after Clayman has yet to reach that legendary status. 2002's Reroute To Remain and 2004's Soundtrack to Your Escape were departures, in a sense, that created some deep rifts amongst the In Flames faithful. They each garnered mixed reviews in the metal press. Oh, there are plenty of good, if not great songs on these two albums ("System", "Trigger", "Touch of Red", "Dial 595-Escape" for starters), but In Flames fans were left unfulfilled, wanting a meaty record to sink their teeth into. That hunger came to an end with February's release of Come Clarity (Ferret Records).

It will take a couple of spins for you to realize that this is a classic In Flames record from start to finish, not just a collection of sometimes great songs mixed in with good songs. You get your face ripped off immediately with "Take This Life" and then go on a bullet ride all the way to "Come Clarity" which marks the first half of the record. "Dead End" is the surprise track of this half of the record with the lovely vocals of Swedish pop star Lisa Miskovsky dueling with Anders Friden's growls and wails. In Flames aren't taking a page from the Nightwish/Within Temptation playbook here (and they certainly helped themselves out by not trying to get the overrated, egomaniacal Tarja Turunen onboard); they're just setting a new musical standard for themselves.

The second half of the record is loaded with some of the heaviest riffing and yet hook-laden songs I've heard in a long time. "Vacuum", "Crawl Through Knives" and "Versus Terminus" give us the full range of Friden's voice that hasn't been exposed in quite some time. Guitarists Jesper Stromblad and Bjorn Gelotte reassert their guitar mastery here. It is this part of the record that you will find yourself headbanging like a crazy person while singing like a little schoolgirl. It's that infectious."Your Bedtime Story is Scaring Everyone" is almost an unnecessary song to close the record, but it provides the cool down period you need before you start this record all over again.

This record sets a high standard for 2006 metal and will probably be one of the best releases this year.

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