Review Summary: Still a far cry from In Flames' glory days, but Foregone is a step in the right direction.
The story of In Flames is none other than a classic fall from grace that we’ve seen throughout many years, from top of the metal music world to the pits of the murky alternative swamp. Ever since 2008’s
A Sense of Purpose, Anders Friden and co. have alienated their most loyal fanbase, moving on from their melodic death metal roots that they spent years perfecting onto a much more mainstream alternative sound that would make any All That Remains fan proud. Despite moments of brilliance here and there (i.e. “A New Dawn” from
Sounds of a Playground Fading), In Flames opted to continue down the path of mainstream mediocrity.
Battles was by far the lowest of the low for them, as they seemingly found their golden goose with producer Howard Benson, and have sense relied on him for their production needs. The total transformation from Swedish melodeath masters into an American alternative metalcore group had finally been complete, and any hope of them returning to their roots had diminished.
Come 2020, and In Flames release the 20th Anniversary of
Clayman, complete with a few rerecordings of some of the records more well-known tracks. I think we can all agree that rerelease was absolutely awful, especially those rerecordings. But, at the very least, the idea that In Flames were willing to take a look back at their golden years surely must’ve given some idea that perhaps…just maybe, that they need to go back to their roots for a bit. And if anything, those rerecordings showcased what might just be Anders’ best vocal performance in nearly 15 years. Not only that, but recent live shows had Anders and co. performing several tracks from their glory days, some of which haven’t been performed in years. These recent outings should’ve given some fans the notion that In Flames were willing to give their since-long abandoned fans what they wanted for years: a return to formula. Now in 2023, it seems that they finally answered that request with
Foregone…at least, sort of anyways.
The initial release of lead single “State of Slow Decay” was met with praise by fans and critics alike, as it seemed that the new song was harkening back to In Flames’ roots. Yet, at the same time, it was also met with a lot of skepticism (including from me personally). Sure the song was good and all, but In Flames had been down this pathway before when it came to teasing and promoting their new albums. They would release a new song where fans would clamor “In Flames are finally back” (in the cases of “I Am Above”, “The End”, and “Everything’s Gone”) before eventually realizing that the album that the track would come from would be utter sh*t. Needless to say, it was pretty easy to assume that this would happen yet again. But when “Foregone Pt. 1” was released as the 3rd single, most people’s expectations began to get better. The song is by far, not only the best track off the album, but the best track that In Flames had released in several years. The instrumentation, the vocal performance, and the songwriting were all reminiscent of 2006’s
Come Clarity, which many people consider to be the last great In Flames record. It finally seemed as though the spark of true inspiration had finally reached In Flames down to their core as the song brims with more energy and effort than anything they’ve done in a long time.
The two newest additions to the band, Tanner Wayne and Chris Broderick, have given In Flames some new life. Wayne’s background in heavier music from Underminded and Scary Kids Scaring Kids is much more fitting, compared to Joe Rickard’s background in Christian alt-metal, as he brings a much needed energy behind the drum kit, especially on songs like “Meet Your Maker” and “Forgone Pt. 1”. Chris Broderick on the other hand, seems to have his talents wasted with his position as the rhythm guitarist. But on a closer listen on some of the heavier tracks, his contributions on the guitar harmonies are still incredibly well played while the breakdowns on “End of Transmission” are certainly worth the headaches from headbanging, so Broderick’s part on the album is far from worthless. That being said, we can all hope that he’ll get the chance to shred on a few solos in the near future. Even Anders Friden is seemingly rejuvenated in his harsh vocal performance. Again, it’s the best that he’s sounded in over 15 years, shining on “The Great Deceiver” and bonus track “Become One”.
Despite all those positives, we all need to be reminded that this is still a modern In Flames record through and through. The production is absolutely awful throughout the whole runtime, as the guitars are consistently lacking any real punch, feeling super muddy and compressed while some of the vocals, particularly in most of the song choruses, are too loudly mixed in with the instrumentation. And of course, we can’t forget that Anders absolutely HAS to include his clean vocals. While it’s not as bad as previous records, Anders sounds more and more like he’s channeling his inner Benjamin Burnley, “Pure Light of Mind” is especially guilty of this. A lot of the choruses are sentimental and so over-the-top that any mainstream rock band could copy-paste it and put it on the radio, if anything Anders is just one crescendo away from being a guest spot in the next Starset record.
It’s easy to call
Foregone the best In Flames record since
Come Clarity. With energetic instrumentation, effort put into the vocals and good nod to their glory days, it seems that In Flames have finally reignited their passion. Even with its grating flaws,
Foregone could possibly be signaling the start of a new era from the band, but whether or not In Flames will continue on this route is still a bit of a mystery. We all known just how far they’re willing to stay away from their melodeath roots, but here’s hoping that the positivity from their fans, both old and new, will help steer Anders and co. in the right direction. For those who abandoned this group so many years ago, chin up. There might actually be something here for you, and that’s the genuine truth.
