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In Flames - A Sense of Purpose Audio CD

A fair review of the In Flames "A Sense of Purpose" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all In Flames reviews here, or go back to the In Flames tabs.

In Flames Band: In Flames
Title: A Sense of Purpose
Rating:
Release Date: 2008-04-01
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Mirror's Truth 2: Disconnected 3: Sleepless Again 4: Alias 5: I'm the Highway 6: Delight and Angers 7: Move Through Me 8: Chosen Pessimist 9: Sober and Irrelevant 10: Condemned 11: Drenched in Fear 12: March to the Shore

In Flames fell into their own trap
I've never been a fan of the early In Flames-era, I never picked up on the charm in The Jester Race for instance, but I still felt that their three latest albums all had something to bring, with Soundtrack to Your Escape being the all-out best, packed with melodic hits just begging to be unleashed and explode (you literally cannot sit still to that album). I'm sorry to say it, but In Flames, one of the greatest Swedish exports since Volvo, finally fell into their own trap.

There was much fuss over Come Clarity, and granted, some of it was justified. Come Clarity is a solid album, with sturdy power, a beautiful title track, and a superb collaboration with Lisa Miskovsky (who could've seen it coming? - and yet it makes perfect sense). And then, all of a sudden, came A Sense Of Purpose. In the wake of Come Clarity, the album seemed to just drop out of nowhere all too fast. Can't we let the last one sink in for a while? And what immediately struck me when I listened to it was. . nothing. It was In Flames on auto-pilot, doing what's come to be expected of them, right down to the guitar hooks. All you hear on this album has been said and done before, and better at that. Reroute and Soundtrack have the "hits", the melodies you can't shake, and Come Clarity certainly has the more grounded touch, especially the calmer title track. So I'm afraid it's exactly that - there's no point or purpose to A Sense Of Purpose. There shouldn't have been such a rush. I hope they take the time to really develop the next album, because this is just a colon in their catalogue to me.


I guess there is no bottom


For a band that has been around as long as In Flames has you figure there has to be a peak. Well its been a long and interesting ride.
Well there was, and it was long ago.

I have been listening since Lunar strain and it seems like this band has lost what mattered most.
I rember the haunting twin solos from the Colony, Whoracle, and Clayman albums, the Viceral drive of the vocals and the forcefull but not overkill drums. Those were the best albums In Flames ever made.

This Album however, is a meer shell of their former glory. The vocals are strained and almost whiny sounding, the guitar has been relegated to a simple background noise, and the drums have become "beat them as fast as you can"

Now dont get me wrong, taken by its self this cd is'nt too bad. but when compaired to the entire library of In Flames work its a flop.
I have hope for the band, but it seems like every album they produce sounds worse and worse.

I will continue to support In Flames because I believe they will "get it"
But this album "A sense of purpose" is far from "It"

2/5.


Thanks!
Thanks!. The item came in great condition, no scratches, and no damage to the case.


New great sound
, and was expecting something along those lines with this one. I love old In Flames - Whoracle, Colony, Jester Race, etc. Instead I. F. went in a very different direction, one I'm glad they did. I don't understand those that can't accept new sounds from old bands they love. I'd hate to be stuck making the same thing over and over, and don't expect others to do so either. Give this one a chance, you may be surprised. .


In Flames We Trust


Some of the lyrics seem to strike back at their recent critics (some of them fans of their earlier style), personally I think the fact that they play one of their older songs during a concert and the people in the crowd "stand around like zombies" (in their words) is proof that they are moving in the right direction. This CD is awesome, the songs sounded awesome live, and In Flames continues to evolve their sound into something better and better. Every song they played from this CD people went wild and especially the younger fans only know this In Flames, not the early period.

My only complaint about this CD is that when I have it on my car stereo (a high end upgraded system. . ) Anders' voice has a hissing "s" sound that is sometimes grating on my ears, so I have a hard time cranking up the volume. I think the mix was made that way to sound good even at low volumes, but some people like to destroy their ears. As a comparison, Mastodon's new CD can be cranked up so loud the car windows will shatter before it starts sounding grating.


You can see a complete list of all In Flames discography, or go back to the In Flames tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

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