RockRoast

In Flames has been around for a long time. And at this point, when it’s been almost fifteen years since their debut, it’s reasonable to question whether or not they’re going downhill. But the answer to that isn’t going to be as simple as you might expect.

Fans of “classic” In Flames may be disappointed, as the band’s latest release, A Sense of Purpose, is in many ways an extension of 2006’s Come Clarity. Those who treasure The Jester Race and Whoracle will be disappointed to find little use of true death growling on A Sense of Purpose. Most of the growls have been replaced by throaty screams, which, in several cases, are even less melodic. But just like on Come Clarity, vocalist Anders Friden has included a light dusting of straightforward clean singing. Even though I’m not normally a huge fan of growls, I kind of wish they’d included a few more just to make the balance between growls, screams, and clean vocals a bit more interesting and a bit more pleasing.

Musically, though, In Flames hasn’t jumped the shark just yet. The usual characteristics are all there: the harmonized guitars, the heavy riffs mixed with melodic leads and the frequent use of acoustic guitars all feature prominently in the sound of the new album. Over the past few years, some fans have mourned In Flames’ shift toward a nu metal sound. But the movement doesn’t reek of a band selling out. It’s only the logical evolution of a band that’s been around too long to still be doing exactly what they started out doing. And, since it’s led to the inclusion of more clean singing, I’m not so much against this shift. It has resulted in arguably spottier albums but it’s also produced several individual songs of superior quality. And though A Sense of Purpose has an unfortunate number of songs that run together indistinguishably, the record manages to hold its head above water with its standout tracks.

One of these songs is “The Chosen Pessimist,” an eight-minute miniature epic featuring clean lead vocals for both the verses and the choruses. Friden’s vocal performance is, as usual, a bit unconventional. His words are drenched in the emotion of the song and not so saturated with vocal prowess. But even though he’s sobbing more than singing in some places, the entire song comes off as a personal, deeply emotional piece because of it. It’s a wonderful performance and a prime example of how to deliver as a vocalist without showing off.

Beyond the singing, though, “The Chosen Pessimist” is a near masterpiece. One of its few flaws is the mellow introduction that, while musically pleasing, takes too long to build up and push the song into full swing. But once the introduction is out of the way, “The Chosen Pessimist” shines. And once the final desperately hopeful lyrics are delivered, the music swells into a lushly layered, partially orchestral climax before finishing with an abrupt and somewhat unsatisfying ending. In spite of the ending, though, the song is a work of art surpassing all my other favorites from In Flames.

But “The Chosen Pessimist,” while easily the best song, is not the only standout track. “The Mirror’s Truth,” “Disconnected” and “Alias” are also worthy of repeat listens.

Overall, A Sense of Purpose is an imperfect but worthwhile album. Some of the songs sound too similar and the last few tracks are particularly boring. But more importantly, it demonstrates to skeptics of In Flames’ future that the band still have plenty to contribute to the music world.

Buy it if: You don’t mind throaty vocals, you’re a death metal collector, or you need something good to listen to when you’re feeling depressed.

Score: 6/10

Available at Amazon.com

Top Albums of 2008 To Date

Firewind used to have a lot of problems. Their first two albums were plagued by bland, unmelodic guitar work, weak songwriting, and subpar vocalists. But with 2005’s Forged By Fire, the songwriting noticeably improved. And 2006’s Allegiance marked the band’s inclusion of Apollo Papathanosio, finally giving them a satisfactory singer. And their most recent release, The Premonition, features some of the band’s best guitar work to date as well as offering slight improvements in vocals and songwriting.

The opener, “Into the Fire,” throws the listener into heavy metal fury following a brief if adventurous acoustic introduction. Unfortunately, that introduction is the just about the last breath until the disc is finished. While the music contained in The Premonition’s forty-five-minute playing time is generally pretty good, it lacks depth and diversity. Between the ten songs there are few variations in tempo or dynamics. It is this lack of balance that makes a continuous listen somewhat difficult. Perhaps the record is best appreciated by its individual tracks.

“Mercenary Man” was wisely selected as the single in the band’s native Greece. It’s easily one of the strongest songs on the record and arguably the best of Firewind’s career. The song features a calmer verse that slowly builds to a heavier chorus. Coupled with some of Gus G.’s finest guitar work and an emotional performance from vocalist Papathanosio, “Mercenary Man” comes across as a prime example of what good power metal is supposed to sound like.

“My Loneliness,” is The Premonition’s nearest approximation of a ballad. Gus G. shines again on the atmospheric verses, but the spotlight is again on Papathanosio during the uplifting choruses. More importantly, however, the song is indicative of an entire band coming together to deliver an admirable performance as a cooperative unit.

“Maniac,” a Michael Sembello cover, has a great tune. It’s not exactly beautiful, but it’s fun and it’s irresistibly catchy. Babis Katsionis’ keyboard shines throughout as one of the driving forces behind the song. “Maniac” is unforgettable and it’s bound to get hopelessly stuck in many fans’ heads.

The closer, “Life Foreclosed,” ends the album well. The verses supply some atmospheric relief from the metal onslaught of the last forty minutes, but Firewind preferred to go out with a bang and a heavy, repetitive riff behind Papathanosio’s gruff chanting of the title lyric. Something about Papathanosio’s phrasing on those last few words seem to lend a kind of credibility to the ending, as if the way he says them forces the listener to understand that the album is over and it ended exactly where it was supposed to. I get that impression every time I listen to “Life Foreclosed,” and it’s very difficult to describe. But it’s a wonderful effect, although I can’t say I understand it.

The other five songs fall somewhere between mediocrity and noteworthiness. The tracklisting is a bit weak, causing The Premonition to peak too early (“Mercenary Man,” track 3) and letting it drag a bit in the second half. But more importantly, most of the songs are very strong. On average, the melodies are better, the guitar work is better, and the arrangements are better in comparison to the vast majority of Firewind’s catalog. It is a marked improvement from their previous efforts, and though the band occasionally slips into the same old mistakes they used to make, The Premonition is a solid album.

Best Performance: Gus G., guitar. It’s his guitar and his songs that define Firewind’s sound.

Worst Performance: Petros Christodoylidis, bass guitar. He never seemed to do anything particularly cool and he never got a solo. Plus he got pushed back in the mix a bit too often. Poor guy got stuffed.

Buy it if: You’re a power metal fan, you’re a sucker for a good tune, or if Gus G. corners you in a dark alley and puts a gun to your head.

Score: 7/10

Available at Firewind’s official website.

Top Albums of 2008 To Date

Well, my hopes for a great new album from Into Eternity were veritably murdered by an April 2nd post on their official website.

The band have announced that the title of their upcoming release is The Incurable Tragedy. Earlier, I had expressed interest in their next album because guitarist Tim Roth had described it as a concept album. But it seems the concept will revolve around the cancer-related deaths of several of Roth’s friends and family members.

Poor guy. But cancer isn’t exactly the best subject matter for a concept album. I was hoping for something along the lines of Pink Floyd’s The Wall or Queensryche’s Operation: Mindcrime. I wanted something with one of those awesome fictional plots. But it appears that Roth’s lyrics will be intensely personal and overwhelmingly depressing. Kind of like his lyrics on the band’s last album, unfortunately.

I suppose only the release of the album will be able to confirm whether I’m right about the concept, but I’m not as optimistic as I was before this news.

Couple that with the release of a demo track from The Incurable Tragedy recently released on the band’s Myspace page and I’m hardly optimistic at all. The song, “Diagnosis Terminal,” sounds like it would have belonged very well on Into Eternity’s previous release, The Scattering of Ashes, in that it is bursting with unused potential.

“Diagnosis Terminal” contains some of the band’s trademark sounds: quick, ill-transitioned time signature changes, mediocre vocals ranging from throaty screams to low growls to clean falsetto, melodies that alternate between flatness and beauty, moments of instrumental brilliance buried between loud solos and hyperactive riffs, and the usual raping of the double-bass pedal. It’s discouraging to hear so many things in one song that are so similar to the mess that was The Scattering of Ashes. I’d hoped to hear some kind of progression, a different direction, or a bit more variety. But “Diagnosis Terminal” is only one song. Hopefully the rest of The Incurable Tragedy will be better.

We can only hope.