A Sense of Purpose

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16/20
Band Name In Flames
Album Name A Sense of Purpose
Type Album
Erscheinungsdatum 04 April 2008
Musik GenreMelodic Death
Mitglieder die dieses Album besitzen625

Tracklist

1.
 The Mirror's Truth
 03:01
2.
 Disconnected
 03:36
3.
 Sleepless Again
 04:09
4.
 Alias
 04:49
5.
 I'm the Highway
 03:41
6.
 Delight and Angers
 03:38
7.
 Move Through Me
 03:05
8.
 The Chosen Pessimist
 08:13
9.
 Sober and Irrelevant
 03:21
10.
 Condemned
 03:34
11.
 Drenched in Fear
 03:29
12.
 March to the Shore
 03:26

Bonus
13.
 Eraser (Japanese Release)
 
14.
 Tilt (Japanese Release)
 
15.
 Abnegation (Japanese Release)
 

Total playing time: 48:02

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 $32.95  39,00 €  38,99 €  £34.16  $18.81  43,60 €  10,90 €
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In Flames



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Review @ kain_686

03 Mai 2008
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.

7 Kommentare

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DerTodesQueen - 22 Juni 2011: I must say, I love this album. It's my favorite In Flames album and I've listened to them all, aside from the new album released in 2011. Haven't picked that up yet. Sweet album. I can listen to this all the way through without skipping any tracks. Well done.
Crinn - 11 August 2012: You're fucking retarded
Barb|Wire|Catheter - 11 August 2012: This was my first In Flames album, too (followed by "Whoracle" which I liked better) and as far as alternative metal is concerned (one of my least favorite metal genres) this was a damn good album.

"Won't be tolerated by long-term fans." Speak for yourself. In Flames is doing something different and they're pulling it off quite well.
Crinn - 11 August 2012: alternative metal? that's even less accurate than the review itself haha
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Review @ Satanicarchangel

22 September 2012

No fucking around this is excellent

Ah In Flames, never have I seen a band that has managed to conjure up such a divided opinion. Most metalheads will agree that their first few albums are classics but since the release of Clayman most metalheads seem to profoundly dislike them. I guess this is understandable, they did drastically change their sound and managed to piss off most of their core fan base in the process but for the most part I find some of the criticisms to be completely unjust. Yes they did change their sound but you can't condemn an entire album based on a difference in style, at least listen to the god damn album before actually commenting on it retards. Anyway here's something that never ceases to completely confuse and bewilder me, another band has changed their style drastically, went from producing classic extreme metal to a much more alternative style with hardly anything in common with their first two albums yet they still receive good reviews; Katatonia. If you listen to Dance of December Souls and Brave Murder Day and then listen to lets say Viva Emptiness you'll notice a HUGE change, yet for some reason metalheads haven't been bashing on them, don't get me wrong I love Katatonia but when one band changes their style and gets a tonne of shit whilst another one changes and still receives the up most praise my bull shit siren goes off. The hate levelled at new In Flames is completely unjust and pathetic whining by a bunch of butt hurt fans who can't accept change even if a large some of money was handed to them. Anyway rant over onto the review.

Okay honestly I don't think new In Flames would get half the flack if Anders hadn't changed his vocal style. In my humble opinion this is where most of the hate comes from, and I'll be honest his new style isn't as good as his previous approach but he's far from terrible. He actually can sing, he may not be on the same level as Tarja Turunen or Rob Halford but he's far from being the worst. His harsh vocals have also received a truck full of hate, honestly I can see where they are coming from, he does this sort of half scream-singing thing that can get monotonous and lacks a defined sense of power but I've certainly heard worse vocal styles.

Now onto the instrumentation. This album is far less riff oriented than The Jester Race or Whoracle and is more rhytmn based. The melody is still there, more or less just not as spectacular as their early releases, the melody is much more stripped down and there is a higher focus on being catchy and accessible (not what extreme metal should aim for!). I especially like the intro riff for the track I'm The Highway it's just catchy as hell but other than that there's nothing really that makes me stop and go “wow that's really something” like I did frequently with their earlier outputs. Solos also have a bigger role than their other post- Clayman releases, although they may not be the most technically profecient solo's I have ever heard but they're plenty enjoyable and add to the album. I also like the fact that clean guitar interludes are still a part of their sound, they haven't completely lost it! They add to the diversity and the enjoyment factor of the album. They may not be on par with those of lets say Dissection (don't even know why I'm comparing the two bands to be honest) but I think they're well written.

This album shows MASSIVE improvements to the new In Flame's formula, everything just feels much more comfortable and much less contrived. The groovier guitar riffs are much more developed and well written, the vocals have been improved consistently and this is easily his best performance of the new era, say what you want about Anders but you can't deny he's gotten better within the style, surpisingly he actually adds a few death growls throughout, unfortunately they're not very prevalent but it's good to see them going back to their roots! The electronic elements don't feel as out of place as Soundtrack to Your Escape, in fact they actually work. In Flames likes to experiment, I mean they really like to experiment, they're newer albums always appear to have that one song, that stands out, the black sheep if you will that is drastically different than the rest of the album. The Chosen Pessimist is that song, it has a noticeable soothing, emotional presence about it, they're are no harsh vocals featured on this one and it is dinstictly ballad like (one section actually reminded me of the post-rock band Her Name is Calla). This song would be much better off at The End, as a closer rather than an interlude, it sounds out of place and wrecks the consistency of the album, something the new In Flames just can't seem to get right. Honestly I think they should focus on how everything sounds together rather than individually, my friend summed it up best, he said it works better as individual songs rather than as a whole album and to an extent I am inclinded to agree with him.

Overall a massive improvement, In Flames have finally settled into their new sound and have released something that is well and truly excellent and deserving of praise. I would go as far as to call this their best album since Clayman. There are still a few flaws that need to be worked out, but they're only minor and are more of a matter of degree rather than negative criticism. There is plenty to enjoy this album and it will inevitably continue to thouroughly piss off the old fans, those who have a taste for the new In Flames will find much to enjoy. It may not be perfect but is a very good release and the best of the new era, this album is a must have for fans of their newer style.
Overall rating- 17/20
Stand out tracks- The Mirror's Truth, I'm The Highway (the intro riff is fucking killer), Delight and Angers, Drenched in Fear (mainly for the death growls and level of intensity) & March to the Shore (same reasons as the previous track.)
After thought- If In Flames continued to work at the standard present on the last two tracks then they easily have the potential to release something on par with the standard set by the early releases. I love that style and I hope to see them continue it in the future.

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IvanTheTerrible - 22 September 2012: Thank YOU!!!
Crinn - 22 September 2012: I second Ivan's comment! THANK YOU!
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Kommentar @ Vinrock666

15 Februar 2009
In Flames 2008 LP "A Sense of Purpose" hones in on a style that echoes death metal with an easy listening sense of pop. In general, the music is rhythm guitar oriented with the strumming techniques ranging from stop/go, to punk, to engine churning heavy metal - most of the time within the same song ("Drenched In Fear" is one of the only tracks that feature a lead foreground). Add this to a high quality production and the sounds come out fresh. The album's heaviness is still maintained; however, by the always pleasing vocal work of Anders Friden and the thunderous drumming of Daniel Svensson (one song though, the slow and eerie "The Chosen Pessimist" is sung clean, and that is not Friden's strong suit. To be fair, though, a clean voice was the right artistic choice to match the song's tempo and mood). "A Sense of Purpose" also benefits from an almost masterful use of breaks in between various parts in most of the songs. A great example of this would be from "I'm The Highway" which sports a filtered guitar and drums in its break. "Alias" breaks with an accoustic guitar, and "Sleepless Again" shines with a most melodic middle movement. The lyrical content for the most part is introspective and poetically vague in first person. "Sleepless Again" is the most overt in its subject matter with its spin on drug use, perhaps crystal meth. Still, what needs to be said is that it is the guitar playing that makes the record; there is enough variation within a small frame of time (most of the songs are slightly over three minutes) to keep all the songs fun and high energy even though by design they are all simple and devoid of hooks. It's the In Flames overall vibe that drives this album and makes "A Sense of Purpose" a solid work of metal.

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