4/5 Guess what, people?
  by Justin Gaines (Northern Virginia)
IN FLAMES STOPPED PLAYING MELODIC DEATH METAL A LONG TIME AGO!!!

I would have thought that the band's last four albums had made this perfectly clear, but apparently some people still haven't gotten the message. I understand why people are upset by this fact. These newer In Flames albums are never going to be as impressive, important, or as flat-out incredible as the Jester Race/Whoracle/Colony era albums. Still, the writing was on the wall as far back as Clayman. In Flames was taking their music in a new direction, and it's your choice either to jump off (and believe me, after Soundtrack to Your Escape I considered doing just that) or come along for the ride. The band certainly isn't forcing anyone to buy their albums.

If you can get past the fact that the old In Flames isn't coming back, you may be surprised at just how good some of these newer albums are. A Sense of Purpose is still heavy, it's still melodic, and it's still undeniably a metal album. For me the ultimate test is how the album makes me feel when I have it blasting in the car, and from the very start this album had me banging my head and wishing I knew the lyrics so I could scream along. There are some wickedly catchy hooks and melodies on this album (Move through Me is a great example), and while I miss the old death metal vocals, Anders Friden's voice still packs plenty of punch. Most of these songs are short, vicious bursts of aggression, but the symphonic elements of the 8-minute "A Chosen Pessimist" were an interesting (and impressive) surprise.

The bottom line is that A Sense of Purpose is a good metal album. If it resembles nu-metal/metalcore/whatever more than melodic death metal, then so be it. I'd rather have In Flames continue to make records they believe in than return to a style they outgrew just to please a specific group of fans. If they gain more fans and (somewhat) mainstream recognition along the way, well, I don't think anyone can argue that they haven't worked hard for it.


4/5 Its not Colony but it still rocks
  by J. Italiano
I'm going to be honest..........I didnt really like the new album all that much when I first heard it. However, it grows on you. I can say that it is not Jester Race, Whoracle or Colony. Thank God it is not Reroute to Remain.......my least favorite In Flames album. I would say A Sense of Purpose is a combination of Clayman and Soundtrack to your Escape. If you didnt like those albums, then dont buy this one. Their last few albums have been very good, and in some instances groundbreaking. Lets remember one thing though. No two In Flames albums are alike. If you take Whoracle and compare it to Soundtrack to Your Escacpe you would think it was a different band. If you take Jester Race and Compare it with Colony you would think they had a different singer. If you take any album they have made and compare it with Reroute to Remain you would be confused. That kind of variety does not make it bad music, it keeps the music fresh and interesting. In Flames still has a signature guitar sound, with melodic riffs and heavy licks. Lets face it, most guys who play guitar would give their left arm to play like Jesper and Bjorn. Give the album a chance because it rocks hard and you can sing along with it. Gone are the days of singing about "Insectiod Eyes". Its about time an extreme metal act gets credit for writing incredible music AND great lyrics.


Marsh

5/5 It will grow on you!
  by dipTGR (New Hampshire)
I absolutely love the new In Flames album. The first listen I was a bit disappointed, it just didn't sound like what I had expected. HOWEVER, after a 2nd a 3rd listen, the album really began to grow on me.

Their sound is incredibly advanced and refined for this album. After a couple listens, their last few albums began to sound stale and one-dimensional. Their old old stuff (colony, whoracle, etc) is still fantastic, but this is a different beast. There is just so much energy in their music, it is truly incredible.

I love how each new album they put out is completely different from the last. I love the surprise of the new sound they continue to come up with, yet it still remains easily distinguishable as the In Flames sound. In Flames is a band that truly progresses in each successive album, and I totally respect that. Bands that never change eventually die out. People like to be surprised. That is why people like In Flames.

Also, In Flames continues to put on one of the best live performances I have seen! If you get a chance to see them live in a small venue, take it!!

5/5 A Scorching Album
  by Gracie Houston (Santa Cruz, California)
This is In Flames ninth release and is a bit more melodic than death metal sounding albums unlike their previous releases. Of course, they still are a death metal band, but singer Anders Friden slightly changes his vocal styles. He doesn't growl as much with his singing as with previous albums. The second song and in my opinion best track is "A Sense of Purpose", which Friden snarling out lyrics many can relate to.

The band over the years have maintained a great reputation for being a great death metal band. This album has Friden displaying a more diverse style of vocals that's more inviting to fans. Songs like "Sleepless Again" and "Alias" have scorching guitar rhythms and unforgettable hooks. The whole album is crafted with the perfect agro (you know, meaning aggressive) music that captures any metal music fan.

4/5 Outstanding
  by Kjartan J. Einarsson (State College)
In-Flames gave me what I would expect from In-Flames; metal packed music with fast paced, melodic, heavy guitar riffs, accompanied by the powerful, busy drums that give each guitar riff a new meaning as it does multiple rhythms in single parts. Bjorn's vocals on this album are as always powerful and well fitting to the melody and follow the music fantastically all the way through. Although many metal singers do this, I am a big fan of the way Bjorn switches from the scream to the voice on many of the songs as he gives the songs more range and he manages to bring out the melody further when he does the switches.
All in all Sense of Purpose is an outstanding metal album, however, I only give it four stars because I feel there is no progression from their previous album Come Clarity in regards to songwriting. Listening to Sense of Purpose, as much as I liked it, I felt it could have been named Come Clarity Part II. Despite that personal view of mine, I advise any metal fan to without hesitation buy this album...