Author: Ryan Bonevitch

Coming off the heels of releasing their eleventh studio album “Siren Charms”, Swedish death metal veterans In Flames brought their “Charming America” tour to Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ. on Friday May 7th, 2015. Along with All That Remains and Periphery, In Flames had been crushing stages nationwide for the better part of two weeks before bringing the tour to the east coast.

However concertgoers would receive disappointing news the afternoon of show day in Sayreville.  All That Remains had been forced to cancel their set due to an undisclosed illness of a band member that required immediate attention.  Clearly feeling the responsibility to make up for the band’s absence, both In Flames and Periphery took it upon themselves to deliver a memorable performance.

Kicking off the night, Periphery took the stage to a roar from the Jersey crowd and got the mosh pit moving with “Icarus Lives!” a track from their 2010 self titled debut album.  Relatively young in their career, Periphery have clearly built a fan base that would put them in the envy of most new bands.  Part of the recent “Djent” movement in progressive metal music, the group has found themselves among the most respected and innovative bands in the genre.

With the extra allotted time due to All That Remains’ absence, the band added three fan favorite tracks to the set list from their second album “Periphery II: This Time It’s Personal” including “Ji”, “Scarlet” and “Massamune”.  Vocalist Spencer Sotelo showed off his range on this night by changing from evil growling to smooth clean vocals almost effortlessly.  Founder of Periphery and guitarist Misha Mansoor commands attention with his flawless playing and crushing riffs that helped propel the band to where they are now and no doubt where they will go in the future.

Periphery Set List:

• Icarus Lives!
• Make Total Destroy
• The Scourge
• Psychosphere
• 22 Faces
• Ji
• The Bad Thing
• Alpha
• Graveless
• Scarlet
• Masamune

As Periphery wrapped up their set, the crowd prepared for the main attraction of the night.  In Flames has built a reputation as a fantastic live band and prove it over and over again each night.  On this night there was no grand entrance, no fancy intro, just a simple statement from vocalist Anders Fridén: “Lets play some metal music”.

The lights went out and the band went right into “Embody The Invisible” from 1999s’ release “Colony”.  Pandemonium ensued in the mosh pit as they transitioned into the title track from one of their most heralded albums “Clayman”.   The evolution of In Flames’ sound has certainly caused much discussion among the metal community, however on this night the band provided something for everyone, mixing old with new perfectly.  The Juxtaposition of “Everything’s Gone” from the band’s current release “Siren Charms” after “Clayman” required no adjustment from the crowd as the song fit right alongside the classic track.

Like Periphery, In Flames also added tracks to their usual tour set list, playing two more new tracks off of their latest album titled “With Eyes Wide Open” and “Through Oblivion”.  Fan favorites like “Cloud Connected” “Take This Life” and the set closer “My Sweet Shadow” all ensured a satisfying night out for everyone in attendance.  Björn Gelotte and Niclas Engelin are a finely tuned machine and a guitar duo to be reckoned with and that was ever apparent again on this night.  Paired with Anders Fridén’s vocals, the two guitarists help to paint the soundscape that is In Flames’ unique sound that many bands have tried to duplicate but have never successfully imitated.

In Flames Set List:

• Embody the Invisible
• Clayman
• Everything’s Gone
• Bullet Ride
• Where the Dead Ships Dwell
• With Eyes Wide Open
• Paralyzed
• Alias
• Deliver Us
• Cloud Connected
• Drifter
• Through Oblivion
• The Quiet Place
• Delight and Angers
• The Mirror’s Truth
• Take This Life
• My Sweet Shadow

Overall, despite All That Remains’ absence from the show fans certainly got their moneys worth with two extended sets from In Flames and Periphery.  In Flames will continue touring the USA through May before heading out on the European festival circuit this summer.  Periphery will continue in support of In Flames through May before playing festivals such as Rocklahoma, Spain’s Resurrection Fest and Heavy MTL in Montreal this August.

Make sure to check out tour dates and locations on In Flames website.