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Successfully navigating the treacherous borderlands between past legacy and futuristic vision for many years, In Flames are back with their fourtheenth studio album Foregone, which means the Swedish juggernauts are bound to dominate the headlines for a while, and rightfuly so. Easily one of the most influential bands that is still going strong three decades into their stellar career, they are also one of the most divisive, each of their records causing a stir over the past and future of the melodic death metal genre, and what it means to be a tvue metal band and crowd pleaser within that given period of time.
However, the public narrative with Foregone in 2022-2023 is suprisingly different, with In Flames now praised for going back to their roots, but my biggest question here is did they really do that? Within the first 2 minutes of this particular interview, Anders himself says that they definitely didn't, and approached Foregone in the same way they did any other album, but the crowd just won't have it. Sure, you have singles like 'Meet Your Maker' and 'State of Slow Decay' that are easily the most complete melodeath tracks in a decade, but this is is pretty much where this whole story of revival and grand return ends.
I keep listening and loving this record as much as I did all of their past offerings, and it feels like the logical progression forward, definitely not a look backwards. Moreover, I find the "back to the root" argument particularly curious considering we are talking about a band with a 30+ years history that has changed their sound more than I care to remember. So, which roots exactly are we talking about here as it definitely isn't Lunar Strain or Subterranean, but it isn't Whoracle or Colony either. Instead, it is a clever journey throughout their history with the sole purpose of moving forward with admirable dedication.
The narrative that In Flames are finally back is ludicrous and disrespectful. With 14 albums in the space of 30 years (or a consistent output of one every 2 years), they hardly seem like a band that went anywhere to eventually make a grand return with Foregone. Of course, most jesterheads are referring to their sound, somehow unable to forgive them for continuously experimenting and pushing their sound just a little further ever since Reroute to Remain (2002) came out, until about yesterday when everything suddenly felt ok again.
Angry jesterheads will tell you that it all went downhill after 2002, or that the end of the world came with Jesper Strömblad's departure in 2008, or that Siren Charm (2014) and Battles (2016) delivered the final blow; and yet Foregone seamlessly combines elements from all those periods and beyond with plenty of alternative influences and experimentation, and still gets a stamp of approval. I love that people are backing In Flames' latest effort but am beyond confused over what caused that sudden change of heart.
It is very much the same In Flames with Anders Friden and Björn Gelotte at the helm, Nuclear Blast at the background and Howard Benson in charge of production. The band has had many lineup changes throughout their career, but the core always remained the same. Maybe this current group needed time to gel, with Bryce Paul and Tanner Wayne settling in alongside latest addition and previous touring musician Chris Broderick (ex-Megadeth) for they do sound particularly cohesive now, but this is also almost the absolute same team that deliver I, The Mask (2019) and I do not remember that going that well.
The official band profile at Nuclear Blast takes you on a journey through the years, talking about "melodic guitars, crushing riffs, and high-speed tempos", expanding synths and huge choruses, "prominent clean vocals", a "rock bombast", eclectic releases, "gothic groove metal", "unapologetic active rock hooks", before finally summarising how we all feel about Foregone which "masterfully, if improbably, manages to serve all sides of the In Flames fanbase, with powerful force". No point paraphrasing this as it is simply 100% correct.
For all its beauty, flair and imagination, Foregone is also very logical, balanced and structured. I can admit that it is a meticulously well-written record that displays a level of attention that might have been missing in In Flames' more recent releases. Making the most of all resources available in the current age, the production, mixing and mastering are impeccable without taking the rawness, grittiness and authenticity away. The compositions are right up there with their best, but they also follow everything done up to this point.
I get why people might see 'Meet Your Maker', 'State Of Slow Decay', 'The Great Deceiver' and 'Foregone, pt. 1' as standalone moments of pure oldschool glory, but these have been present in every In Flames record or the band would have disappeared ages ago. Also, there is an equally modern and alternative side to the album, as seen in 'Bleeding Out', 'Pure Light Of Mind', 'A Dialogue in B Flat Minor', and 'End the Transmission', all great tracks that work great in Foregone, but would have fit just as well in Battles and Siren Charms.
With Foregone, In Flames have flawlessly incorporated the key elements from their past that shaped them into the powerhouse they are today, within the modern influences and trends ingrained in their work that have always secured their place in the future. We can dig deeper into their discography to see why the band hasn't receive as much praise in more than a decade as it does today, and what makes Foregone so different, but I doubt we will get a straight answer. The only thing that comes to mind is that the timing is just right.
Lets go back to I, The Mask (2019) which was not considered particularly successful and yet gave us outstanding moments such as the title track, 'I Am Above', 'Voices' and 'Stay With Me', all worthy of the "In Flames are back" hype but still grossly underrated. What about the "disastrous" Battles (2016) that despite its unnecessary long runtime, still holds up and offered 'The End', 'The Truth' and 'Wallflower' that could very easily fit into Foregone. Do I even need to mention Siren Charms (2014), one of my personal In Flames favourites, that is still ridiculously hated by most jesterheads, and yet has more similarities with their latest universally acclaimed record than anything that came before. Was it just ahead of its time?
Do you remember how A Sense Of Purpose (2008) arguably closed a chapter in In Flames' career marking the departure of Jesper Strömblad that was seen as the end at the time?And then do you also remember how Sounds Of A Playground Fading (2011) successfully started this new phase that is yet to conclude and proved everyone wrong? Can you imagine that there was a time when even Come Clarity (2005), one their most iconic albums to date, was seen by some as doing disservice to the genre's legacy. Now picture the outrage caused by the radical changes in Soundtrack To Your Escape (2004), that presented ideas and approaches that are now praised in Foregone... Too early again?
We can go on like this with all of In Flames' earlier records that are now considered untouchable but were still divisive and risky at the time. Didn't Reroute To Remain (2002), a legendary milestone by modern standards, present electronics and alt metal influences that were absolutely hated back then and yet remained inseparable from their later work? Don't even dare mention that the release coincided with Anders Friden's and Niclas Engelin's side project Passenger, an unspeakable period for any trve jesterhead that still gave us the absolute banger 'In Reverse'. Are you still not seeing the tendency or shall I go on?
Sure, the one before is Clayman (2000), an all-time classic, genre masterclass and undisputed favourite across In Flames' fanbase, that is seen as a point of reference for every other album not just by them, but by anyone in that scene. While undeniably brilliant, people stuck at that particular point in time are about two decades late to move on and accept that the genre, the band and the entire world have also done so. Of if you hate everything since so much, surely you can just stick to it and ignore the rest?
There is little point to even go over their previous records as it is beyond obvious that In Flames would never go back to that Colony (1999) or Whoracle (1997) sound, yet alone to the Jester Race (1996) or Lunar Stream (1994). Although beloved OG classics like 'Death Eternity', 'Behind Space' and 'Artifacts of the Black Rain' will always be in our playlists, there is an entire generation dividing us between these early releases and today, and the "back to the roots" narrative is obviously (and fortunately) not about that period of time.
So which roots did Foregone really go back to, and which In Flames really came back in 2022? I would say the obvious answer is all of them, for their contemporary variant is just as traditional and progressive, as ferocious and melodic, as influential and divisive as always. These are indeed the traits of any great band, and In Flames are without a doubt one of the greatest and pioneers of an entire genre, so maybe, just maybe, it is about time to give their discography the credit it deserve and treat all their records like we are currently treating Foregone; which, in case you didn't get my opinion, is a great album.
In Flames - 'Foregone'
Country: Sweden
Released: 10 February 2023
Label: Nuclear Blast
Tracklisting:
1. 'The Beginning Of All things That Will End'
2. 'State Of Slow Decay'
3. 'Meet Your Maker'
4. 'Bleeding Out'
5. 'Foregone, Pt. 1'
6. 'Foregone, Pt. 2'
7. 'Pure Light Of Mind'
8. 'The Great Deceiver'
9. 'In The Dark'
10. 'A Dialogue In B Flat Minor'
11. 'Cynosure'
12. 'End The Transmission'
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