Sense of Purpose - Dark Publications

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2 out of 5 stars

Oh how the dead sound so awfully dead April 1, 2008
23 out of 39 found this review helpful

It seems every month metal listeners are subjected to press releases claiming that each new release is the "heaviest outing yet". It has been said for St. Anger, The System Has Failed, Christ Illusion, and even In Flames's last outing, Come Clarity. That effort while not a complete comeback was at the very least a step in the right direction. Most people would have figured that their follow-up would continue on with this sound. A Sense of Purpose was met with no press releases, no claims of past glory, not even a whisper of promotion. When a majority of the band's fans bickered more about the album artwork than anything the band could release musically. Maybe that is because the artwork is the only thing worth arguing about...

A Sense of Purpose is exactly what In Flames is missing. I have been one of the devout that has backed up the band even in the darkest of times. I kept pushing the line back when it came to defending this band. I'm afraid "A Sense of Purpose" is where I draw the line. This album isn't a sellout. The band didn't write a St. Anger. The band just frankly sounds tired. Songs like "Alias" and "Disconnected" are a jumbled mess with sloppy riffs and sloppy drumming. Anders has never sounded worse. His lyrics have hit an all time low with songs like Disconnected boasting, "I feel like sh** but at least I feel something." The band doesn't have to write about astronomy anymore, but they could at least write something that isn't cringeworthy. The opening five tracks sound identical from one another (excluding Alias). I always appreciated the band's sense of writing catchy songs. Even if people hated Reroute to Remain and Soundtrack..., one has to admit that there are truly catchy and memorable hooks. Here, there is nothing to grasp onto. It is only after the horribly arranged "The Chosen Pessimist", the band starts to revive itself with some of the album's better songs.

"Sober and Irrelevent" kicks the latter half *and better!* of the album. If you own the Japanese edition, you are even treated with b-sides that outclass the opening five tracks on the album. There really isn't much else that can be said for these Swedes. They've had a great run with a wide variety of sounds and styles. I will always listen to In Flames for their great sense of melody and catchy songwriting. Unfortunately, there are simply bands that do it better now. Age has nothing to do with desire. Look at Dark Tranquility, they continue to perservere and release quality metal albums.

3 out of 5 stars

If you hated Borders and Shading... April 2, 2008
23 out of 38 found this review helpful

IF's pattern has been to craft a new style, then use it for 2 albums. Well, this new style arrived early -- it's nothing like Come Clarity.

Reliably, every IF album has been marked by the inclusion of (a) songs with metal intensity and innovation, and (b) memorable 'hit' songs. ASOP is notable for providing neither.

IF went for Black Album simplification, and ended up with Cryptic Writings. Mid-to-quick tempo, chorus-driven, dual-guitar approach -- following the trend of bands who used to follow In Flames (an excellent metal band out of Sweden) -- ASOP sounds very much like the 2nd half of Reroute to Remain. It's bright, upbeat, some may say catchy. And it's really uninteresting.

The Mirror's Truth is the best single they could have picked, and I know many of you absolutely despaired hearing it. The rest of the album is a mashup of b-side riffs and choruses. There's some Timeless (the song, certainly not the adjective) wankery, and lots of cringeworthy vocal overdubs (which totally kills I'm The Highway, the only real chance for a hit on this album). Even the experimental Chosen Pessimist ultimately evokes a meh. This is tired stuff.

And I totally blame Jesper and Bjorn. When they bring a unique base to a song, Anders can take them to new heights -- witness Quiet Place, Reflect the Storm, Take This Life. It doesn't have to be headbanging or Gothenberg. But bring mid-tempo, single-key blandness, and there's nothing to save the song. That's this album, over and over and over.

One more 'evolution' like this and we'll have a 2nd Passenger album.

Want to listen to some decent new IF? Find the track Eraser off the new EP. Seriously, that's as good as it gets for now -- and actually it's excellent -- if I were IF, I'd start a new album from that template. Hard pounding, almost sci-fi metal -- it's where we thought this band was headed.

4 out of 5 stars

Guess what, people? May 16, 2008
11 out of 12 found this review helpful

IN FLAMES STOPPED PLAYING MELODIC DEATH METAL A LONG TIME AGO!!!

I would have thought that the band's last four albums had made this perfectly clear, but apparently some people still haven't gotten the message. I understand why people are upset by this fact. These newer In Flames albums are never going to be as impressive, important, or as flat-out incredible as the Jester Race/Whoracle/Colony era albums. Still, the writing was on the wall as far back as Clayman. In Flames was taking their music in a new direction, and it's your choice either to jump off (and believe me, after Soundtrack to Your Escape I considered doing just that) or come along for the ride. The band certainly isn't forcing anyone to buy their albums.

If you can get past the fact that the old In Flames isn't coming back, you may be surprised at just how good some of these newer albums are. A Sense of Purpose is still heavy, it's still melodic, and it's still undeniably a metal album. For me the ultimate test is how the album makes me feel when I have it blasting in the car, and from the very start this album had me banging my head and wishing I knew the lyrics so I could scream along. There are some wickedly catchy hooks and melodies on this album (Move through Me is a great example), and while I miss the old death metal vocals, Anders Friden's voice still packs plenty of punch. Most of these songs are short, vicious bursts of aggression, but the symphonic elements of the 8-minute "A Chosen Pessimist" were an interesting (and impressive) surprise.

The bottom line is that A Sense of Purpose is a good metal album. If it resembles nu-metal/metalcore/whatever more than melodic death metal, then so be it. I'd rather have In Flames continue to make records they believe in than return to a style they outgrew just to please a specific group of fans. If they gain more fans and (somewhat) mainstream recognition along the way, well, I don't think anyone can argue that they haven't worked hard for it.

4 out of 5 stars

Good In Flames album from an Oldie fan here. April 1, 2008
10 out of 15 found this review helpful

I have been an In Flames fan for many years now. As you know They sound totally different nowadays but that doesn't make them bad at all. This is kind of a mix between the new modern sound and Colony/Clayman. The catchy choruses are there but also they brought back out of this world guitar lead harmonies/solos, Anders's Vocals sound better. The song structures are not as simple as Come CLarity and Soundtrack...Give it a chance, let it grow.

1 out of 5 stars

It's about as good as the cover art... April 7, 2008
7 out of 11 found this review helpful

In Flames sound has certainly changed a lot over the years. If not for the distinctive guitar riffs, you wouldn't know the same band produced both Lunar Strain and Reroute to Remain. It's all "metal", but they have cut out a lot of the deathly coarseness and polished it into a more mainstream-friendly sound.

I approached A Sense of Purpose with a lot of enthusiasm. I enjoyed their previous release, Come Clarity. I felt like they had finally hit their stride and found a way to integrate old with new.

The first track you're greeted with is "The Mirror's Truth", which is also their first single. It's short, even by their standards, clocking in at only three minutes long. The sound is familiar to the one you've heard on the past three albums or so. Solid harmonic guitar riffs backing up Anders, with some nu-metal elements (electronic/industrial sound, catchy clean chorus) tossed in.

Great. So this must be another Reroute To Remain, another Come Clarity. If you liked those, you'll like this, right?

Sadly, no, you won't. There's something missing from this first single. "Cloud Connected" had it, and so did "Take This Life". There are no hooks. The guitars and drumming are entirely forgettable. No inspired solo (ala "Take This Life" at around the two-minute mark) to keep you coming back. It honestly sounds like one of the bad tracks off Reroute To Remain.

The rest of the album is more of the same. I kept waiting, hoping that it'd have a few standout tracks to redeem itself.

I will say that the second half is "better" (Eraser, March to the Shore), but not by much. There is a lingering sameness and monotony. Nothing really stands out at all except for "The Chosen Pessimist", which is a curious one that is, to my knowledge, the longest In Flames song ever produced. It's slow-paced and features clean vocals. What they were going for here is obviously some kind of epic ballad. The first six minutes is gloomy-yet-uninspired guitar work with not a whole lot going on other than Anders occasionally creeping in with his high-pitched wails. It picks up near the end, and then just kind of unexpectedly ends. I give them credit for trying something new. This song could have been really good had they structured it better and refined it. As it is, it's flawed but also probably the best song on the album (which is rather telling). While a complete departure from the sound that made them famous, I think if they had gone in this direction with the entire album, it would have been far more interesting.

You probably won't be able to tell the difference between "Alias" and "Disconnected" and "Sober and Irrelevant" even after repeated listens. Listening to "Jotun" or "The Jester Race" and then any track off A Sense of Purpose just reinforces the lowly rating I'm giving this album. The anger and genuine feeling in Anders voice seems gone, and the complex melodies that separate one song from another are gone too. Aside from "The Chosen Pessimist", it all sounds very tired and phoned-in.

The songwriting has really taken a steep decline. They try to tackle the oh-so-common topics of internal conflict, fitting in with society, finding yourself, relationships, etc. In Flames doesn't have the songwriting prowess to pull any of this off particularly well. Leave that stuff to Conor Oberst and Ben Gibbard, please. I know the latest craze is for metal bands to scream and yell about their depressions and relationships, but it just doesn't fit the music well and some of the lyrics are laughable (as another reviewer mentioned, "I feel like s***, but at least I feel something"). Come on guys - you can do better than that. You feel like s*** but at least you feel something? Did they steal that off an angry teenager's myspace? The old astronomical and created-fantasy stuff was way more original. They're scraping off a lot of the ambiguity in their lyrics and the results are not good.

This isn't the absolute worst - I almost gave it two stars. If you like metal in general, it's definitely listenable. It's also somewhat accessible to new fans. In Flames has produced much MUCH better. I would highly recommend "Whoracle" over this, and "Come Clarity" to any new fans.

Skip this one, and hope that In Flames puts more effort into their next release.

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