A Sense of Purpose

A Sense of Purpose is a work on which In Flames, combining sharply chopping guitar, heavy, powerful rhythm and electronic texture, powerfully pushes melodic death metal into a more modern sound. It pushes the modern fullness of the previous Come Clarity further. Anders Fridén’s voice freely moves between fierce screams and rich singing, always powerfully keeping the songs’ sure tension. A record where the band’s mature ability shines. From the power of the speeding popular opener “The Mirror’s Truth” and the drama of “Disconnected” to a cut like “Sleepless Again,” every song is engaging, while the long, ambitious “Alias” and a cut like “Delight and Angers” convey the work’s fullness. Big, memorable hooks and a cold, hard air coexist, and the songs, while heavy, never lose their outline. A record on which a vigorous stance, never fearing change, clearly appears as a sure, powerful drive. Its polish as modern melodic metal is extremely high. Even in a long career, it shows a steady, sure fullness. A engaging record that again powerfully showed the appeal of In Flames’s modern era — a record where the band’s steady ability shines.