In Flames - A Sense Of Purpose review
| Band: | In Flames |
| Album: | A Sense Of Purpose |
| Style: | Alternative metal, Gothenburg metal |
| Release date: | April 01, 2008 |
| A review by: | Baz Anderson |
01. The Mirror's Truth
02. Disconnected
03. Sleepless Again
04. Alias
05. I'm The Highway
06. Delight And Angers
07. Move Through Me
08. The Chosen Pessimist
09. Sober And Irrelevant
10. Condemned
11. Drenched In Fear
12. March To The Shore
13. Eraser [bonus]
14. Tilt [bonus]
15. Abnegation [bonus]
Over the past few years In Flames have been wandering down questionable paths as far as long-time fans are concerned, some abandoned the band completely and the others decided that the new In Flames isn't really all that bad after all, and stuck with them. "A Sense Of Purpose" is a shockingly low blow to the second group of people here as In Flames continue to push towards the twelve-year-old, black dyed fringe bearing individual market - and this time do it in a way that indefinitely is the straw that breaks the camel's back and will not be tolerated by long-running fans.
One month ago "The Mirror's Truth" EP although brandishing a very Korn-esque cover, showed a promising outlook with four heavier, faster and generally better songs. This however has shown to provoke false hope of a good album from the band. Song "The Mirror's Truth" kicks off the album in mediocre form and for about the first minute into "Disconnected" we have that higher tempo and intensity that is frankly one of the only things In Flames do well these days, but just as the once loyal fans of the band will after hearing this, the tempo and attraction the band had runs to the hills to never be seen again.
"I'm The Highway" has a slight kick in it, but generally "A Sense Of Purpose" is an album laden with mediocrity and annoyance. Guitar riffs sound as uninspired as uninspired gets, usually plodding along at some mind-numbingly dull tempo. Anders' vocals are as unique and distinguishable as they always have been, just with an extra edge of whine and angsty teenager thrown in there - lyrics fit the vocal style used, but that is like saying excrement is fitting for a toilet when the audience are hoping for an album of quality, intense modern metal. Both most laughable and representative of In Flames' direction is "The Chosen Pessimist" with its pretentious title, long duration, lyrics that are supposed to be deep and meaningful but come across as plastic and fake, and predictable structure turning up the heaviness towards the end.
So long-time fans will not be impressed with the latest offering of "A Sense Of Purpose", but the direction taken does expose the band even more to the mainstream popular rock and metal scenes. "A Sense Of Purpose" is a very polished album, produced immaculately and sounds very professional - it will be certain to pick up more followers but from a different area to before. Most tracks have melodies running throughout, there is no doubting that In Flames have that charm a band needs in order to acquire a vast following.
With an album of anguish and inner struggles "A Sense Of Purpose" takes on further the direction the band were already taking but just to an extra degree. It has what it takes to become a popular hit among the fringe-wearing community, but for the people who like their metal hard, fast, loud and real, this one is best avoided.
Rating:
9.4
9.4
|
Rating: 9.4 |
What a tragedy A Sense Of Purpose is; not because it's hopelessly awful, but because it's been unfairly lambasted for years. Unfortunately, there is no way to correct the damage already done or to change the minds of those who are still mourning the loss of the "Jester Race/Whoracle" era twenty years after the fact, but at least some just dues can finally be given. Read more ›› |
Comments page 2 / 5
| +{Jonas}+ I R Serious Cat Posts: 4955  |
Written by Baz Anderson on 27.03.2008 at 19:21 Well I'm not one of those, I'm not a die hard fan, but I liek In Flames alot. In my very personal point of view I like this album... I never got into In Flames older stuff, and I really like the "newer" stuff... I just listened to the album on their MySpace and I liked it. I personally think it's better than Come Clarity, pite "Dead End" and "Take this life" are amazing songs... And for the first time I disagree with a review of yours my friend. It's a very personal point of view I guess
---- "Nobody wants to be the weird kid, you just end up being the weird kid. You don't know how you ended up getting there" - Rob Zombie http://jonas-bs.deviantart.com My dA, mainly photography, go check it out!
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| DoomGuard Posts: 368  |
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| addiction Posts: 277  |
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 28.03.2008 at 01:31 i completely agree with Marcel on this one...and to be honest i really dont get why people are surprised by the album at all....this is the 4th!!!! album in this direction they have released...when will people finally get it...it is getting quite annoying...how many albums do you want to accept the fact that In Flames will never be the same again and accept their music the way it is now? dont do comparisons with the past...they are futile...
---- alive in the superunknown
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| Baz Anderson Staff Posts: 13262  |
well that's nice that so many people are showing an opinion here, but I stand by what I put in the review. I don't follow trends of thought or anything like that, I just find this album bland, boring and uninspired. I don't invest much of my normal thought into In Flames, I am not someone with a chip on my shoulder, I just find this a bad album.
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| BlankFile Posts: 706 |
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| enumaelis Posts: 266  |
Agree with BlankFile. RTR still listenable.. but after that... But I dont agree completely with Baz Anderson... 4'5 for this new one is too much! At the end of the year I really have the feeling that I listen lots of quite forgettable albums that doesnt have any originality or interest or they are just bad, and I think this is one of the lowest rates I have seen in punctuations in this page. Almost all albums I see here have more than 7, and I as I told, at the end of the year most of the cds I listen stay there like.. "ok.. that album was not bad (but no intention to listen again)".. or "I wont listen again that crap" So.. what I mean.. I really think the new In Flames' one deserves a lower rating like 2 or 3.
---- http://enumaelis.blogspot.com/
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| Ernis 狼獾 Posts: 6817  |
I wonder who the penguin-headed entity with ears/hair tufts is supposed to be that is appearing on the cover art of the band these days....
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| enumaelis Posts: 266 |
Written by [user id=23805] on 28.03.2008 at 21:46 Well, I thought it was a punctuation of x about 10, so 5 would be passed
---- http://enumaelis.blogspot.com/
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| +{Jonas}+ I R Serious Cat Posts: 4955 |
Written by Ernis on 28.03.2008 at 21:58 I've been wondering the same 
---- "Nobody wants to be the weird kid, you just end up being the weird kid. You don't know how you ended up getting there" - Rob Zombie http://jonas-bs.deviantart.com My dA, mainly photography, go check it out!
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| Harlequin Posts: 95  |
I'm actually wondering how a band that wrote remarcably good lyrics on earlier albums, f.e. the lyrics of Colony impressed me at the time and still do in a way, has dropped to such a low lyrical level.
---- 00:40 - Doomface Mikael Akerfeldt doesn't age like humans do.
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| Passenger Lost To Apathy Posts: 1464  |
4.5 is too much, and this coming from someone who liked RTR and STYE. I was actually fooled by the EP, I don't get the logic of leaving the best songs you have out of your new album, but that's In Flames for you these days. The Chosen Pessimist, in particular, is the most flat song I've ever heard, there's NOTHING there, void, complete void of ideas, musicality, attitude. And to think I once thought In Flames would never dissapoint me...
---- You don't make up for your sins in church. You do it in the streets. You do it at home. The rest is bullshit and you know it ~ Mean Streets
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| enumaelis Posts: 266 |
Written by Passenger on 30.03.2008 at 00:50 4'5 / 10 is really too much for this album
---- http://enumaelis.blogspot.com/
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| gojko88 Posts: 19  |
The review is shit. If you can't appreciate the newer sound of In Flames, why write a review? That is as if I started writing reviews for all power metal releases, they would all end up around the same mark. This album is fantastic and definitely In Flames' best output in this century. But this album simply isn't meant for those who cannot see beyond the "Kornesque" cover. All in all, fans got a great album, and haters got nothing
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| Destryphior Posts: 397  |
I have to say, music doesn't have to be metal to be good, there's lot's of great non-metal bands. Sadly In Flames isn't one of them. I really like every album till STYE, (which believe it or not is one of my favorite IF albums) the sad part is that Fridens so called singing is getting more and more annoying, ASOP actually gave me a headache. Please In Flames you don't have to go back to doing your old style as long as you get rid of Fridens voice and get some more volume for your instruments, how's 'bout releasing some instrumental versions 
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| Baz Anderson Staff Posts: 13262 |
Written by gojko88 on 30.03.2008 at 12:00 Nuclear Blast don't send me their albums for the fun of it, now do they? hahaha
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071  |
Written by Baz Anderson on 30.03.2008 at 21:24 I actually agree with you now, hahahha. I can't understand that people say someone isn't allowed to review an album if they don't appreciate it. What's the point then?
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996 
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| Ahto Posts: 76  |
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| reload3591 Posts: 134  |
I couldn't agree more, it's a 4.5. I loved RRTR and STYE, and I was at first a little skeptical of Come Clarity, but it grew on me. The new album is unlistenable. It's not metal, it's not In Flames, it's...I don't know what it is. If they could just go back a little bit to when they were still fast and aggressive (and hungry), they would have me again (ala Take This Life / F(r)iend).
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| SlaytallicA Lycanthropy Posts: 1261  |
F*ck! How In Flames got this level? Can they go any deeper?
---- One Pound Of Flesh, No More No Less, No Cartilage, No Bones, But Only Flesh...
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| Spyroid Rosetta Stoned Posts: 1023  |
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 26.03.2008 at 20:43 What is so fake with singing about dragonslaying and metal-loving? You mean Rhapsody aren't dedicated? Common - they've even made up a saga about which they are singing, do you think that they actually hate that and only do it to get fans or something?
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| Lethologica Posts: 272 |
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| MetalManic Posts: 655  |
I like how the metalstorm reviews accurately emphasize the decline of this once mighty band. At the same time, 'In Flames' are heavliy promoted on the MS main page. Ironic. The $ keeps things running I guess
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| Herzebeth Posts: 5537  |
I agree with the Review... I saw it coming since their last albums I even reviewed one...but people started spitting on my knees then....
----
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