In Flames
A Sense of Purpose

Release Date: 2008 | Tracklist

I was very cautious when checking out In Flames' ninth studio album, A Sense of Purpose. The main thing I was hoping coming into this album was that it wouldn’t be another Come Clarity where they attempt to sound like the old In Flames and end up falling flat on their faces. A Sense of Purpose is nearly the opposite of that with the band sounding like they did on Reroute To Remain, only with some traces of progression on here. There’s the fast, aggressive songs with ear-grabbing choruses that I love like “The Mirror’s Truth” and “A March To The Shore”; there’s a couple of slower ballads like “Alias,” and possibly the progressive rock sounding “The Chosen Pessimist.” A Sense of Purpose's diversity is one of the things I liked about the album the most. In Flames showed they weren’t afraid to experiment here and take their new steps up a few notches. The results were a bit mixed, but when they shined, they really stood out.

Like I expected, one of the album’s weak points is in the lyrical department, the most notable being the chorus of “Disconnected” which ends with the line, “I feel like *** / but at least I feel something,” and “Please heel me / I can’t sleep / I thought I was unbreakable / but this is killing me,” from “Delight and Angers.” Thankfully, there are plenty of fantastic guitar melodies to give a lot of songs some staying power. Jesper Stromblad and Bjorn Geolette’s guitar work is the strongest point of this album. Their melodies and solos are one thing that hasn’t changed and they make even the weakest songs on this album sound a bit catchy.

Opening the album is “The Mirror’s Truth” which is one of the faster tracks that has an excellent chorus and a catchy melody. “Disconnected” also has some great melodies, but its lyrics nearly ruin it. “Sleepless Again” and “Alias” are two of the slower tracks, the former having a very nice acoustic intro and the latter having some cool synth effects. The next three tracks are decent, but nothing special, although “Move Through Me” contains a few nice guitar licks. “The Chosen Pessimist” comes next and as I said earlier, it’s different than any In Flames song you’ve ever heard before. It clocks in at over eight minutes and starts off with a lengthy build-up which creates a great vibe for the rest of the song. As soon as vocalist Anders Friden's poor singing kicked in, I was a bit iffy about the rest of the song since he doesn’t have the world’s best singing voice. This may sound nothing like In Flames at all, but it’s a standout on this album for sure. It is followed by “Sober and Irrelavent,” which picks up the pace for the rest of the album. The only thing that irks me about this song is the solo after the chorus which is very brief and sounds out of place. A Sense of Purpose closes on a very strong note with "March To The Shore," powered by it's very catchy chorus. "Falling ideals, broken seals, march to the shore, you are a killer."

Will the old fans hate this? Most likely. Are the best days of In Flames gone? Yes. Does that mean they can’t make a quality release? Not at all. A Sense of Purpose is a step in the right direction for sure. In Flames managed to pull themselves out of the hole they put themselves into with their last two albums and are ready to progress onward musically. This album was a nice surprise for me this year, as I thought it was going to be a huge stinker, but I ended up liking it quite a bit. Of course, a lot will miss their classic sound but as long as the band keeps making solid albums like this, I’ll be happy. A Sense of Purpose isn’t the band's best work and it’s not par with The Jester’s Race, Clayman or Colony but as far as new In Flames goes, it’s great.

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3 good

Rank: #49 for 2008