IN FLAMES – Foregone | CD & Festival reviews

No matter how hard I try I can’t really think of any band that was once so loved that has been given so much crap from fans as Swedish (former) melodic Death Metal band In Flames. The last time the band was hailed was with A Sense Of Purpose (2008) but even then true Metal soldiers started to whine about them being too melodic. In Flames are huge still but with Sounds Of A Playground Fading (2011) and forward the band has been given so much shit thrown at them for abandoning their Death Metal roots and becoming more of a melodic Metal band. Some tone-deaf people even go as far as calling them a Pop band. How stupid. But so what if that was the case? Love ’em or hate ’em, but be correct in your criticism.

I’m not one of those, though. I really don’t care what you call it as long as the music’s good and to these ears, In Flames still write good songs. I understand that some might become disappointed when the change is too left-turn but instead of being narrow-minded why not take the musical journey with the band instead? I mean, there are plenty of Death Metal bands out there to satisfy those needs. With that rant done, a new album is out and this time it was said that In Flames would go back to their harder and more extreme roots, at least partly which should satisfy older fans. Personally, I’m not a fan of pure Death Metal but I really dig the stuff In Flames did from Reroute To Remain (2002) – their best album in my opinion – and forward on so I was excited to see what the band had come up with this time around.

The album opens on a solemn note with the intro “The Beginning Of All Things” that features sombre acoustic guitars and strings with a melancholic cello and an emotive and cinematic atmosphere before before the ballistic and aggressive Death Metal fueled belter and lead-off single “State Of Slow Decay” bursts loose. It’s a real powerhouse, heavy as damn with smattering drums and frantic, gritty riffing but also brings along a prominent melodic guitar-line. It’s a fierce and kidney punching bone-crusher of a song but still with lots of nuance and the chorus is catchy and direct, classic In Flames style. It’s a great number that really should satisfy those who wants the old band back.

Latest single “Meet Your Maker” is also here on a fast note – heavy, bumpy and hard-striking with the rhythms kicking and razor-sharp riffing. It’s groovier and not as fast as the opener and there’s a usage of synths is more prominent here but it’s still dark and edgy and the big melody hooks and the easily embraced chorus brings my mind back to Reroute To Remain. It’s a terrific number and – I guess – a future live-killer. “Bleeding Out” takes on a slower tempo with some Doom Metal laden riffage on a heavy and darkening structure. While the song is based on clean vocals with the occasional growls the song takes a more melodic route which paves way for a super-catchy chorus and the contrasts makes for a dynamic vibe. This is great.

The first of the album’s two title-tracks, both released as singles, “Pt. 1” is a heavy, rough and pumping metal-rocker with lots of distinct melodies and a cutting hook, hard-hitting yet melodic, guttural growls and blastbeats and keyboards – and a laid-back and sombre acoustic passage. It’s a heavy as hell tune and very close to In Flames’ Clayman (2000) days. I dig this. “Pt. 2” starts out heavy and slamming but soon goes into a slower, more held-back verse, dark with clean vocals and a slow beat. It’s a moody piece almost ballad-like but transfers into a more heavy and rough tune with screamy vocals whereas the chorus is direct and hooky with a melody-hook impossible not to surrender to. Again a song of contrasts that works like a charm. Good one.

On a slow and smoother note “Pure Light Of Mind” is something as strange as an In Flames Metal power ballad. Of sorts anyway. It’s a dark and mellow slow-burner with a beefy riff and a good, heavy stomp, quite atmospheric with clean vocals. The chorus as a real beast of mastodon proportions that sticks like glue. Death Metal purists will have a field-day crushing this but let them. I think it’s phenomenal. On the other side of the coin, “The Great Deceiver” is a heavy and evil sounding Metal number, aggressive, heavy and ballsy in a slower tempo. It’s thrashy and thunderous with direct and robust melodies. It’s a decent track but a bit too punky at times which doesn’t sit all that well with me. Not bad though.

The fat, beefy and chug-riffed “In The Dark” comes on in a back-to-the-roots structured metal-number – growly vocals, aggressive guitars and a fat-grooved yet stone-hard rhythm. The left-turn with acoustic guitars and clean vocals makes for a dynamic contrast to the hard, edgy and pounding main-part of the song. Never short of hooky melodies, the chorus is massive and arena sized – hard yet catchy. Great stuff. “A Dialogue In B Flat Minor” is a bit of a left-turn too where the melodic verses blends Metal with melodic Hard Rock. The tune do go more punchy, stompy and metal-rhythmic with some chuggy riffing along the way but there’s a huge pop-hook in the chorus, quite irresistible if you ask me. Purists might beg to differ but I think it’s brilliant.

The melodic touches continues with “Cynosure”, a mid-paced Hard Rock burner on a bouncy drum-pattern and a busy yet steady bass-line. Tuned down yet quite melodic guitar melodies rub shoulders with Anders Fridén’s ghost-like and soaring vocals. It’s an edgy track but also very melodic Hard Rock laden with a glueing chorus that’s almost hit-single laden. I’m a sucker for this so I say thumbs up. The album closes with “End The Transmission”, a heavy and grit-riffed metal-blaster. With dark and eerie verses on a heavy stomp it takes a down-beat turn for the pre-chorus but builds up into an in-your-face and hard-edged chorus with some gnarly vocals but also with both hooks and intensity. A damn good tune.

To say that In Flames has gone back to their early 90’s Death Metal roots with this album would be a major exaggeration but there shitloads of throw-backs to their early to mid 2000’s without a doubt. It’s also their best album since A Sense Of Purpose – Come Clarity (2006) even. Now, I think the later albums are really solid efforts but I must admit that I too prefer their earlier albums to, say, Battles (2016) or Siren Charms (2014) so that they have taken a few steps back is something I really embrace. That said, there are still moments of very melodic and more modern structures enough to piss off hardcore Death Metal fans but the diversity and the hooky melodies were the stuff that drew me to the band in the first place. This is a stellar effort that should satisfy both older fans and new ones.

8/10

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