IN FLAMES
– A Sense of Purpose
Remember that amazing restaurant you and the love of
your life went to on one of your first dates? You loved
to eat there because the flavors were sublime, the atmosphere was
unique, and frankly, because you simply couldn’t
make food like that at home. Then a few years later the place changed
ownership, and while it’s still pretty good,
tasty even, every bite just serves to remind you of the greater glories
of the past.
To me, that analogy perfectly sums up my opinion of A Sense of Purpose,
the latest effort from Swedish metal
masters In Flames.
I was a relative latecomer to the In Flames
fanwagon, having discovered them in 1999 (Thanks, Martin Popoff!)
immediately after the release of Colony. That
album captured my imagination
in a way that no band had since Iron
Maiden, dazzling me with it's amazingly melodic guitar
pyrotecnics work. I was immediately compelled to pick up
their entire back catalog, along with each subsequent release as soon
as it came out, this latest
included. My two
favorite tunes from the band are "Embody the Invisible" and "Only for
the Weak," two tracks that effectively straddle
the stylistic shift instituted on 2000's Clayman, a move
from the highly-technical to the more
hook-centric. It is from
this perspective that I approach A Sense of Purpose.
Next the band shifts gears repeatedly throughout the
solid cruncher “Sleepless Again”, before decelerating into the
soulful if dull groove of “Alias”. This is followed by standout cut
“I’m the Highway” the driving opening riff and chorus
evoking that In Flames magic
of old.
“Delight and Angers” (sic) revisits the riff to “The
Mirrors Truth” yet again to diminished effect, while “Move
Through Me” stutters through a “Soundtrack to Your Escape” style vibe.
This gives way to the CD’s most unique
effort in “The Chosen Pessimist”, a slowly building track reminiscent
of Smashing Pumpkins, which is
alternately
propelled by a nifty pulsing drumbeat from Daniel Svensson, and some
subtle wah drenched rhythm work, before
ultimately arriving at a moving guitar and keyboard crescendo.
Unexpected, yet pretty cool.
Propulsive shredder “Sober and Irrelevant” picks
things up once again, opening the way for back to back epic
choruses in “Condemned” and “Drenched in Fear”, a tune also possessive
of some fantastic guitar interplay.
Purpose then closes out proceedings
with the anthemic “March to the Shore.”
In A Sense of Purpose, In Flames
have unquestionably continued to grow and evolve, while retaining their
own unmistakable sound. On the positive side, the CD sounds fantastic.
Guitarists Bjorn Gellote and Jesper Stromblad
imbue their playing with style and economy, and Frontman Anders Friden
is in fine vocal form, his roar both powerful
and gripping.
On the flipside, many of the riffs displayed here
are somewhat simplistic, repetitive and derivative of each other.
The soaring and intricate guitar harmonies that so distinguished the
band in their early years are used sparingly, although
much melodicism can still be found in the solos. Additionally, Anders’
angst–filled lyrics, when comprehensible,
often come off as annoyingly whiny. The only sense here is in the
title, you'll find little in the lyrics.
Despite this, I find A
Sense of Purpose to be a catchy, crunchy, extremely pleasant
listen, it just doesn't hit
the sweet spot for me in quite the same way as their more technical
early efforts. I enjoy it, but I find myself returning
the question that Anders asks in “Disconnected”:
“Is this all
you have to give?”
7/10
1 The Mirror's Truth 2:58
2 Disconnected
3:36
3 Sleepless Again
4:09
4 Alias
4:49
5 I'm the Highway
3:41
6 Delight and Angers
3:38
7 Move Through Me
3:05
8 The
9 Sober and Irrelevant
3:21
10 Condemned
3:34
11 Drenched in Fear
3:29
12 March to the Shore
3:26