IN FLAMES - A Sense of Purpose (Review) (1/2)

In this video-review I comment on In Flames' latest album "A Sense of purpose" and the 12 songs in detail (plz read the note below).

Tracklist:
1. The Mirror's Truth
2. Disconnected
3. Sleepless Again
4. Alias
5. I'm the Highway
6. Delight and Angers
7. Move Through Me
8. The Chosen Pessimist
9. Sober and Irrelevant
10. Condemned
11. Drenched in Fear
12. March to the Shore

The Special-Edition DVD contains the 12 parts of the studio diary, that were available in myspace-tv almost half a year ago.

"A Sense of Purpose" (ASOP) was released April 4th. 2008 (Europe) by Nuclear Blast.
______________________
Note:
If someone wants to accuse me of inaccurate, biased or whatever-rating and measurement
(e.g. "10/10 for almost every song can't be. There are not only hits on that CD" // or "From your point of view there can only be CDs with 10/10 points" ...)

I reply:

My reviewing is as UN-biased as can be, because I do NOT compare the music I review with former albums, other bands and - not even that - my favourite album of the band.

On the contrary: I rate every song on its own by its own musical "value". So I take the standard of the melodies (could they be played by some novice or does it take skill?), the drums etc into account. I listen to how the music is produced (do you hear the recording-takes and the seam where those takes are put together (like in almost any cheap metal recording)?

Of course I have a definition of "good standard" behind that, BUT that is isolated from (current) musical taste and/ or euphoria/ disappointment!

Music that needs outstanding skills to be created and played needs not please everyone (not everyone likes classical music). On the other hand, even simple music can be very entertaining and worthwhile.

So actually every good review has to contain at least hints about the musical 'benchmark' that is used ("compared to my favourite album..."). Otherwise you may call it biased.

[["wow, I should call this "the manifest of reviewing music" :D ]]

BUT BACK TO IN FLAMES:

The musical standard on "a sense of purpose" IS very high, indeed. Simply evaluating the "value" of the music, then the songs deserve what I give them.

For example, most (former) punk/metal... band songs would NOT get a 10/10 from this musical-value point of view, because they have less variation, fewer riffs, simple production etc. (e.g. latest Lost Prophets, latest Millencolin, vs. latest My Chemical Romance (higher standard than former CDs) or Funeral for a friend (higher musical standard but fewer "hits" compared to older albums)).

Best example (metal): KoRn!
No matter if one hates "untitled" or not, no one can sensibly argue, that ANY album before that reached the quality of the new songs (production, musical complexity and variety, artworks etc.). It's almost progressive avant-garde if you listen to it closely (those drums :))!). Thus: 10/10.

BUT: "follow the leader"(FTL) still is my favourite album and every song on it is BETTER - (!!)IMHO(!!) - than anything on "untitled". Compared to FTL, untitled scores lower.

Got my point?

Category:

Music

Tags:

• In
• Flames
• Sense
• Purpose
• ASOP
• melodic
• death
• metal
• condemned
• Jester
• highway
• alias
• mirror's
• pessimist
• angers
• delight
• revie

[reignInBlood18]

wtf? this is the newest album retard

[isearchforfullmoons]

I liked this album. And I liked all their old stuff too. I honestly don't care that they changed. If they continued the old way for a long time, it would get tiring and old quickly. Style changes happen to many many bands. This is one of them. I enjoyed this album's guitar and vocals a lot. It was a new approach, and who knows if they will go through ANOTHER change and maybe just maybe it will be for the best.

[filipwax]

YES 1080p!

[TheFragile1992]

btw the way thumbs up on this whole review, especially the part about MTV airing IF videos

[TheFragile1992]

where did you get some of those images used in the vid? like the one of the jester holding the pinball map??

[Siimon204]

Dude, you should totaly review their new album as well.

[good783]

i can''t understand a damn thing ...

[PROv2lEagle]

@PlatinumPantsAway fuck you, now i wasted 6 mins ><

[PlatinumPantsAway]

@PROv2lEagle us? wow, loser.. and DreamSequencer08 you're shit, but not a fan.

[BradE17]

I think the reason In Flames gets so much hate is similar to the reason The Rolling Stones got so much hate...because they're fucking awesome and people can't handle it.

[Troobudd]

@holybullshitmf 100%