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›In Flames – A Sense Of Purpose
In Flames are a band whose fanbase is divided, as with many bands in three main groups. Those who love all the music made across the nine albums the band have released in their 18 year career, those who remain firmly ‘old – school’ and those who only really like everything from their 1999 album ‘Clayman’ and beyond. They are named as one of the pioneering bands of the Scandinavian Melodic Death Metal genre. One which has resounding influence across the whole of metal. The band has had numerous line-up changes with the only original member now remaining being guitarist Jesper Strömblad, who formed the band as a side-project in 1990. The current and longest standing line- up came together in 1998. This line-up also featured a departure from the bands death metal roots and explored a more mainstream, softer sound on ‘Clayman’ an album which would break them into the mainstream. Tours with the like of Motley Crue and Slayer followed and with each album and tour the band rose steadily towards superstardom something they are continuing to do with this their 9th release.
’A Sense Of Purpose’ continues to expand the bands sound stretching from the pound of ‘Delight and Anger’ to the storming metal ballad of ‘The Chosen Pessimist’ to the epic album closer ‘March To The Shore’. The lyrical direction of the new material is notably harsher and more gritty than some of the bands previous exploits. Lead vocalist Anders Fridén put this down to the events that he sees around him in the world. It is perhaps one the bands most honest albums yet and certainly one that has a much more ‘down to earth’ approach to both music and lyrics. The extensive use of effects as seen on ‘Clayman’ has also decreased. The band retain their unique sound whilst stripping it down and at times harking back to the era of albums such as ‘Colony’.
Despite some fans claiming that the band have ‘gone soft’ In Flames march on with triumph after triumph. With the band set to appear at Download where they last played in 2006, a subsequent UK tour is likely. What is certain is that In Flames have returned from two years of extensive touring with a album set to make waves amongst the metal contingent 8/10
Paul