Singles Roundup: Inglorious, In Flames, Last In Line, and Evergrey

Inglorious - Ride To Nowhere

I'll have more to say when I eventually review the album, but this new single gives me a different feeling than what I got from them before. Inglorious has always been a bluesy classic rock type of band, but there is something in the vocals now that more strongly resembles Myles Kennedy, which has this song sounding like a weaker track from Slash's new solo album. The thrust of the song is solid, but the verses getting to that are so slow that it sucks out a lot of the energy. They always have potential, but the songwriting has yet to click with me.

In Flames - I Am Above

Oh, In Flames, it seems like no one likes you anymore. I would throw myself in that boat, but I was never a big fan of theirs. In fact, the only album that I was ever big on was "Sounds Of A Playground Fading", which isn't exactly a fan favorite. They have fallen even further, with their most recent album being the nadir of their career. I say that because this new track trends back up in the right direction, slightly. The riffs have gotten more generic, and the hooks aren't as sharp as they once were, but this is one of the most solid late-era songs. Anders puts more into the harsh vocals this time, and overall it strikes me as something that can at least earn them a little goodwill.

Last In Line - Landslide

For once, a group of Dio alums have put out something that doesn't sound a lot like Dio. That is refreshing. Of course, I have never found Vivian Campbell to be nearly as interesting as most Dio fans do, which means I don't have any reason to claim Last In Line to be better than they really are. The first album was boring, but this song is better. It's not great, but it's solid stuff that is less insulting than the album Craig Goldy just put out. Just on that front, Viv's got a win under his belt. I wouldn't say I'm excited to hear the record, but I'm not dreading it now either.

Evergrey - A Silent Arc

Confession: I've already heard the entire record. Still, let's talk about the first taste of this new Evergrey offering. What I like about it is the aggression in that almost death metal riffing that opens the song. It's intensely heavy, and it fits the band's overall darkness. Everything through the end of the first verse is great. And then comes the chorus, where the music becomes numb and limp, and Tom Englund croons two notes for the entirety. It's a weak hook, and is exactly the kind of writing that keeps me from getting more heavily into prog metal. Thankfully, I can also say it's the weakest track on the album. So there's that.