In Flames

In Flames' first four albums for Nuclear Blast have been remastered, adorned with bonus tracks and features, and reissued in presumably less dangerous rounded-edge packaging. The remastering hasn't made a tremendous change one way or the other, so in a sense, the facelift seems redundant. And in visual terms, these reissues might be more of a step back. Whoracle, for instance, comes in enhanced form with a '99 version of "Clad in Shadows" but also a skimpier booklet. Even where the booklet content is the same, they all use thinner paper, which may be better for the trees but feels flimsier to the touch, plus the Colony liner notes include a misprint. Added features range from screen savers and photo galleries to video clips and bonus songs — all fun stuff for fans and collectors but not what I'd call essential. Reloaded is a good excuse to fill gaps in your collection, replace lost albums, or track down those bonus tracks your were missing, but this batch isn't worth throwing your old In Flames collection away for.