In Flames - Foregone

I have a history with this band… let me explain. Soilwork has always been one of my favorite bands, so naturally I tend to lean towards bands from the same areas over there, In Flames being an exception. They never seemed to hit the mark for me.

This isn’t my first attempt at posting reviews online, but my last attempt was a little too large and against my natural rhythm - which I learned much too late in the game. One of the biggest projects I had planned was to listen to every single In Flames record after they released I, The Mask… but I forced it. I listened to it when I didn’t want to, I tried to over analyze it and break it down, and I ended up spending over 40 hours with all their albums and just absolutely hitting everything wrong, ultimately ruining any taste I might’ve had for those records.

I sigh at myself, learning lessons the hard way. Music is subjective; you like it or you don’t. Agree or disagree - that’s the way I see it and how it works for me.

Surprise when this album dropped and I heard some of it… thinking to myself how much I enjoyed it. It sat on a playlist untouched for a while, but it keeps making its way into rotations and playlists.

This is no new “grand venture” for the band by any means. It feels like more of a return to roots, so to speak. However, I absolutely did not like their first few records (aka their roots). For me, it just felt like an absolute mess of riffs slapped together and called a song, repeat a few times and you have an album.

This album does have that feel, however, these guys are so much more polished now. They know how to really work a melody, and this album is full of memorable guitar work. Solos still feel a little wild, but it doesn’t take away from the songs. Just listen to the opening acoustic track. It sticks with me for days.

While you aren’t going to see the bass or drums win any grand awards for their technicality, they need a serious shout out; to take the wild nature of the guitar work and compliment it with grooves and proper song structure, just take it as a chef’s kiss.

It’s a very aggressive and rapid fire album. No bull, it cuts straight to the point and it keeps going until the end. Yes, there’s slower tunes and catchy choruses that you’ll enjoy from their previous records, but they aren’t quite as… dare I say cliche or pop-like.

The music is melodeath from Sweden. Nothing less, nothing more. That’s absolutely great for what it’s worth.

I don’t know who writes for In Flames, but this has always been a contention for me. It’s always felt a little too forward, a little too on the nose for someone like me. I like to interpret lyrics and look at the words. Now I will say that’s a personal preference; it shouldn’t turn you off if you like it. They tell stories and describe feelings, which is fine.

This album does hit that, but it feels… a little less open and a little more confused, in a good way. There’s clearly anger, struggle, and sorrow in all these tracks, but they are coated with interesting subjects. One of my favorite tracks is “A Dialogue in B Flat Minor” - is that the key? I have no clue. But the lyrics are awesome. It hits this idea of having an opposing voice in your head that’s real, and you battle it everyday, and sometimes it takes you, other times it wins. However, it’s almost written as if it’s growth, and not as simple as it sounds. “End the Transmission” is really interesting take on the uselessness of what we do until we’re gone.

There’s more I could mention, but for time sake, I’ll just leave you with this; these lyrics are pretty good. They connect well, deliver well, and make you think. Love it.

As mentioned in the beginning, this album often makes rotation here and there, and usually ends up in frequently listened to playlists.

The reason it doesn’t quite stick on its own though, at least for me is it‘s ability to keep me hooked across multiple listens. I tend to skip more than a 3rd of the album if I am not in the mood. It’s got all great music, but few can I sit and listen on repeat. It’s grown on me, but it’s not like… my favorite album ever. It’ll probably over the years boil down to a solid 3-5 tunes I’ll keep in playlists.

If you like In Flames, early 2000’s melodeath (in the vein of Soilwork, Dark Tranquillity, etc.) - give this a spin. It’s the only In Flames record I’ve latched onto.