In Flames – A Sense of Purpose

The Scandinavian veterans return with a well formulated album. The new endeavour doesn’t exceed the expectations; though I assume that it certainly meets the requirements of the band’s loyal fans. Now, I don’t know whether this is good or bad. Philosophically it is not as positive because it denotes lack of progress. However, as I’m sure I wrote before, I am very keen on bands which manage to invent their personal successful formula and stick to it.

In Flames have been going with the flow for several years now, americanising their sound and their general style. That’s exactly what they do here too. They apply the same formula which proves to be highly thriving regardless. The album consists of 15 tracks, straightforward in structure, just to the point, without unnecessary parts. Great guitar work once again, groovy and sharp riffs, harmonies where necessary, verses full of angst with cathartic and melodic choruses. There is nothing new in terms of sound and production; highly compressed guitars and vocals as it usually happens nowadays, especially with Scandinavian bands. Overall, this is a satisfactory album, not a gem, not something that will be remembered throughout the years, but it has got ‘a sense of purpose’.