In Flames - Sense of Purpose (CD)

In Flames' New Record Its Own Hardcore Wedding

By Yahoo! Shopping User  Apr 10, 2008

Pros: The album takes its old and new sound and combine them for an album taht old and new fans will enjoy.

Cons: The lyrics are like any other rock band's lyrics. Listeners are left to figure out what exactly they mean because they do not come out and say what they mean.

Something old, something new, something used and something blue. That old phrase is typically used for the bride in weddings. But it can apply to music, too. Take for example Swedish rockers, In Flames. In Flames spent the better part of its existenc...e on hardcore metal label, Nuclear Blast Records. But the band’s last effort, ’Come Clarity’ was released on a different label, abeit equally established, in Ferret Records. Now, the band that helped set the tone for melodic death metal worldwide after the demise of At The Gates, is back with yet another new album on yet another label. The band’s new album, ’A Sense of Purpose’ was released via Koch records in the U.S. So here fans have the something new. Now on to the something old. After the massive success of the band’s 2002 release, ’Reroute to Remain’, Anders Friden and company were lambasted for their next release, ’Soundtrack to Your Escape’ (2004). From there on it’s been an uphill climb to regain the fanbase that the band lost after ’Soundtrack...’ ’The band’s next album, ’Come Clarity’ (2006) was a step in the right direction, though not a big one. It made the band sound more like former labelmates, and fellow Swedish metalheads, Soilwork. Now, roughly six years after the release of ’Reroute to Remain’, In Flames has made a big step in returning to the sound that made it such a popular band among fans of true metal. This album sees the band combining something old with something new. It goes as far back as ’Colony’(1999) and as recent as 2006’s ’Come Clarity’ to make an album that will please both old and new fans. There are even hints of ’Clayman’ on this album in the likes of the album’s opener ,"The Mirror’s Truth", "I’m The Highway", and "The Chosen Pessimist." Those who want the older sound of, say, ’Reroute...’, look no farther than "Alias" and "Drenched in Fear." There are even hints of ’Come Clarity’ on "Disconnected’, Delight and Angers", and "Move Through Me" among others. So maybe that old wedding adage could apply quite well to In Flames’ new album. It is its own wedding in the combination of old and new to create one new whole. It is an album that may even reunite fans old and new. With the exception of something blue, this album has something old, something new, and something used. So for fans hoping that one day In Flames would return to its old form, this album is for you. It is for new fans, too. It is for all the fans. And it is an impressive return for one of the best bands in the metal community. Read more Less