In Flames' 'Foregone' - Album Review

It is hard to believe that Sweden's In Flames have now been around for over 30 years. They are real veterans of the metal scene by this point - having formed back in 1990 and released their debut album Lunar Strain in 1994. The In Flames of 2023 is very different from the one that recorded Lunar Strain, though. In fact, none of those that performed on Lunar Strain remain in the band. In Flames have not had an original member since the departure of Jesper Strömblad in 2010 - but with both frontman Anders Fridén and drummer-turned-guitarist Björn Gelotte having been in the band since 1995 the current version of the band is very much a legitimate one. Along with Strömblad, Fridén and Gelotte essentially became the driving forces of In Flames - and the class of 1995 has continued to do so following Strömblad's departure. In Flames' history is a bit of a strange one, too. They are generally known as one of the big names in the melodic death metal genre during the 1990s - and helped to pioneer the Gothenburg sound along with bands like At the Gates and Dark Tranquillity. Over the years, though, In Flames moved away from that sound - and from 2002's Reroute to Remain onwards started to include more influences from American radio rock and metalcore. Ever since then, In Flames have arguably reached a larger audience - but have also alienated a lot of their older fans. The fact that the band continue to tour and release new music goes to show that there is still a lot of love for them - but they have also managed to attract quite a bit of ire. I have always been in two minds about a large chunk of In Flames' catalogue. There is a lot of the more recent stuff that I do like, particularly 2006's Come Clarity and 2011's Sounds of a Playground Fading - but there are also albums that do very little for me at all such as 2004's Soundtrack to Your Escape and 2016's Battles. For me they have always been quite hit and miss, and I would include their 'classic' era in that description, too. In recent years, though, In Flames seem to have found some consistency again. The band's recently-released fourteenth studio album Foregone (the subject of this piece) has been garnering them their best reviews in years, but, for me, the upward trend started on 2019's I, the Mask (which I reviewed here). In my view, I, the Mask was easily the band's best, and heaviest, album for sometime - and Foregone has built on its success and pushed the heaviness further. It is easy to see why Foregone is getting a lot of attention, even from the more 'serious' end of the metal press, and that is because it feels like a proper metal album. There are still moments that recall the more radio-friendly sound of the band's more recent output - but, crucially, the balance is tipped significantly in the favour of heaviness here. It is the band's first album with guitarist Chris Broderick (Jag Panzer; Megadeth; Act of Defiance), and I do wonder if his presence helped to push In Flames back onto a heavier path. Whilst I am sure his presence is akin to Jeff Loomis' in Arch Enemy (i.e. has little-to-no creative input and is essentially there to shred sometimes), the guitar interplay between him and Gelotte is certainly the most interesting to be found on an In Flames album since the departure of Strömblad.

Rather than going for the throat right away, the album opens serenely with the delicate acoustic guitar passage The Beginning of All Things That Will End. This definitely feels like a throwback to the band's early days, where brief acoustic passages would act as respite, but the concept works well as an album intro. Like many intro pieces, it builds up slowly over time. More guitar parts soon join the original melody, creating harmonies which feel like more mellow versions of the band's classic approach to twin guitar leads - whilst some subtle strings add depth. I like how the album grows from this simplistic base, and it is the calm before the storm - as when State of Slow Decay kicks in, things take a turn. State of Slow Decay was released back in June last year, and its approach to riffing, which includes some brief moments of harmony lead guitar, turned heads. 'In Flames sound heavy again!' was the cry, and, in fairness, those who said so were right. There are still metalcore vibes here, but the song overall has enough of the band's classic sound to impress. Fridén's harsh vocals dominate, driving the thrashy verses atop the barrelling riffing of Gelotte and Broderick, whilst he reverts to his clean delivery for a chorus which is pretty strident and hooky. Elsewhere, guitar-led moments pop up to provide additional melody. Prior to the first chorus there is a great guitar-led moment, which does hark back to the band's early days somewhat, which then allows the chorus to hit harder. The song does end rather abruptly, though, but it segues into Meet Your Maker - which is possibly the best thing here. It builds nicely on the heaviness of State of Slow Decay - but slows the pace down somewhat. The verses have much more groove, so strut along nicely thanks the powerful drumming of Tanner Wayne. There are still thrash influences, such as during the short intro riff, but generally the song feels more deliberately paced - and this allows the guitars to shine in my opinion, with the chorus arguably the most classic-sounding In Flames moment of the whole album from a guitar perspective. The first part of the chorus reprises the faster riffing of the song's intro, but then settles into a nice groove with some dancing lead guitar melodies which are straight out of the 1990s. Throw in a great guitar solo section which sees both Gelotte and Broderick shredding - and Meet Your Maker is one of the highlights here, and a song that showcases the band's classic sound with a few modern twists. Bleeding Out is similar, but certainly feels more radio friendly than the previous two songs. More focus is placed on Fridén's clean vocals throughout, but the song is so hooky and packed with enough riffs so it does not feel too light. Fridén has often been criticised for his clean vocals, but they have never really bothered me. They often sound as if they have been heavily edited in post-production, but that has long been a part of the In Flames' sound at this point - and his vocals during the song's soaring chorus have a strong emotional edge here. It certainly has a somewhat cinematic feel, which is helped by the reliance on clean vocals and subtle synths, but the occasional burst of harsh vocals does create an edge.

The two-part title track follows, and the band return to a much thrashier sound here, at least at first - with Wayne really laying into his double bass drums, whilst Gelotte and Broderick weave tight guitar harmonies within the faster pace of the riffing. Fridén screams his way through the piece with power, but there are still moments of calm. This is generally a heavy song, but there are brief moments that slow things down - such as an unexpected section which brings an acoustic guitar to the fore to bridge between two heavier sections - whilst a melodic guitar solo finds itself set against a more mid-paced riff to allow its bluesier melodies to shine. The first part, overall, is the heavier of the two songs, though, with the second part taking a much gentler path. There are still some big riffing moments throughout, but overall the song focuses on Fridén's clean vocals - and some snaking clean guitar melodies which hark back to some of the band's more recent moments. When the song does crank it up, though, there is plenty of aggression to be found - but the piece feels a bit more dynamic overall. The acoustic break from the first part is reprised, but expanded to form one of the song's verses - and the track overall does quite a lot in a relatively short space of time. In Flames have never been a progressive band, but the two-part title track certainly borrows somewhat from progressive music arrangement-wise. I like how one song focuses on the heavier side of the band's sound whilst the other is more mellow - but ideas are shared between the two pieces, which creates a cohesive whole. For me it shows that In Flames can combine their older and newer sounds together nicely without compromising either, and the mix of aggression and melancholy shines. Pure Light of Mind then takes the calmer side of Foregone - Part 2 and runs with it. It is the album's ballad, and it focuses on Fridén's clean vocals throughout - but there is also quite an anthemic vibe to the piece. It opens with acoustic guitar melodies, not unlike how the album kicked off, but overall the piece is murkier. There are lots of synths throughout, which add depth, whilst the guitars range from a gentle acoustic backing during the verses to aching, old-school leads as the song reaches the chorus. The chorus hits surprisingly hard, too, given that the piece is essentially a ballad. It definitely channels the band's more radio friendly side, but the vocal melodies are very hooky - and it is hard not to sing along, given how much Fridén puts into his performance. I definitely prefer it when the band rock out, but Pure Light of Mind showcases that the band can do gentler songs well, too, and it offers some respite before The Great Deceiver kicks in. The Great Deceiver returns to the more groove-based sound of Meet Your Maker - but, if anything, the song is heavier overall. The earlier song definitely went for a more anthemic sound, thanks to its huge chorus, but The Great Deceiver is pretty much consistently heavy. Fridén screams throughout, and the pace is upped at certain times to allow thrashier vibes to contrast nicely with the earlier grooves. There are some great twin-guitar moments, too, as well as a brief guitar solo, so there is certainly lots of the band's old-school sound at play here - which is further exemplified by a brief clean guitar break to segue between the solo and a final reprise of the throat-shredding chorus.

I have basically enjoyed everything up to this point, but, for me, the album does take little bit of a dip in quality throughout its final third. In the Dark is still pretty decent, though, but it feels a bit like a poorer version of The Great Deceiver. It is another heavy, groove-based song, but the riffing overall is not as interesting. There is much more of a chugging quality to the guitars here, and the twin-guitar melodies which have often formed the basis of In Flames' are largely absent. With a little more melody in the guitar department, though, the song could have been another winner - and this is exemplified when the chorus is reached. The chorus sees Fridén switch to his clean voice for a pretty powerful delivery - which is then followed by some great guitar leads. I just wish these leads had been more prominent throughout the rest of the song - because, as things, stand, it does seem to take a while to get going. The guitar solo section is excellent, though, and the chorus hooks easily stick in the brain. The next two songs are probably the least interesting overall, though, with A Dialogue in B Flat Minor having quite a generic sound - and reminds me of some of the blander moments of some of the band's recent albums. Fridén generally sticks to his clean voice throughout and the riffing throughout is mostly not that interesting. Like the previous song, though, it does have its moments. There are occasional twin-guitar leads which do up the excitement, and the chorus does have some strong radio rock melodies. It is not a terrible song, but it lacks a lot of the dynamic vibes of what has come before. The same could be said of Cynosure, which is quite similar overall. What does make Cynosure stand out somewhat, though, is the fact that the verses prominently feature the bass playing of Bryce Paul. As is often the case with this type of music, the bass has largely been unremarkable throughout the album - but the verses here do feature an interesting bassline which allows it to stand out. Sadly, though, the rest of the song is pretty generic sounding. Again, the chorus is somewhat memorable - but compared to much of the rest of the album it falls flat for me. Thankfully, though, the album ends on a high. Following a couple of weaker moments, End the Transmission returns to the more dynamic sound of much of the rest of the album. It is a great mix of heavier and more melodic moments - with some tough  riffing early on contrasting nicely with some later melodic leads. What makes the song stand out the most, though, is its chorus. It is one of the poppiest moments here, but it is hard not to get swept along with it due to how big the hooks are. The pre-chorus starts the focus on hooks, and when the chorus kicks in the huge melodies really take over. A great guitar solo and the fact that the chorus is also based around some twin-guitar leads really ensures that the classic In Flames sound is stamped on the album again as it comes to a close. Despite a couple of weaker moments, though, the classic In Flames sound is found all over this album. As much as I liked I, the Mask, Foregone is a big step up again, and I agree with those who say that it is the best In Flames album for a long time. There is a lot to love here for long-time fans, and it would be great if the band really kicked on from here and had a true resurgence.

The album was released on 10th February 2023 via Nuclear Blast Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Meet Your Maker.