09/16/2022
In Flames
The Rave
Milwaukee, WI

Swedish heavy metal giants, In Flames, brought their brand of chaos to the historic Rave room. With a line of metalheads wrapping into the parking lot behind the venue the mood was at an all-time high. The Rave is one of Milwaukee’s famed buildings. The interior is built to hold and withstand the sounds being blasted from within. On the main floor, the room is painted purple with gold details. The balcony is black iron rods held by wooden pillars with 3 rows of seats encircling the lower level. Almost fitting for those of Viking descent. 

Armed with their 14th studio album on the way the band dropped a new single for it a few days before this event. The single is titled the same as their forthcoming album “Forgone”. Forgone the album will be released in 2023. The setlist for the evening was filled with their classic melodic death metal hits. Every single album they have produced had at least one song performed. It was a fantastic evening for the long-time fans. Those who are newer to their work got a history lesson.

Anders Friden delivered brutal vocals that ripped through the surging crowd. From the edge of the stage, he often commented about how great it was to see all of the fans together in one place after a couple of years of no touring. Friden also made it a point to inform everyone about which songs and from what album was next in the queue then absolutely ripped into the song. Lead guitarist Bjorn Gelotte and fill-in guitarist Chris Broderick (of Megadeth fame) were men on a mission. They slashed through riff after riff. Broderick played with a foot up on the monitors, flipped his hair around, and headbanged his way through the night. Gelotte thrashed and picked his way over the strings of his Gibson Les Pauls. Often he glared up into the balcony with a look of astonishment at the overflowing capacity. The rhythm section consists of bassist Bryce Paul and drummer Tanner Wayne, who kept the band in time while delivering ground-shaking low-end vibrations. Wayne’s arms slung his sticks through the air and smashed down with efficiency. Meanwhile, Paul was in complete control. True to form he delivered solid backing vocals while moving back and forth in front of the drum stand. 

All in all, In Flames, were a cohesive unit. They moved through a catalog encompassing setlist with ease. Most impressively though was their level of appreciation for the crowd. Whether it was the aforementioned views, the sing-along moments, or crazy fans being pointed out the band obviously were enjoying themselves as much as the crowd appreciated them.

Setlist:
1. The Great Deceiver
2. Fear is The Weakness
3. Cloud Connected
4. Stand Ablaze
5. Behind Space
6. Graveland
7. Episode 666
8. Scorn
9. Only For The Weak
10. Foregone Pt.1
11. Wallflower
12. State of Slow Decay
13. Deliver Us
14. The End
15. The Mirror’s Truth
16. I Am Above
17. Take This Life
18. My Sweet Shadow