New album Foregone out February 2023

[TheJestersDoor]

That's not really a shock. Foregone generally had a decent mix, so as long as they aim for a similar standard I'm not displeased. Just less processing on Anders' cleans please

 

[Moonshield_]

Is it any good?

Nice drawings, story wise it's like an initiatory journey in abysmal landscapes

 

[The Grayfox]

Oh, Battles 2 recordings have commenced eh? Now this place will be more lively...

Maybe I should take a drive down and heckle them, perhaps convince them to give Anders the boot.

 

[Cobra8472]

Personally I feel that Foregone production wise is excellent. As a massive Nordström fan, I would honestly put it pretty close quality wise to the classic Colony and Clayman production. One of the main differences is simply in the amount of guitar layers and harmonies.

The other Benson albums are total crap; but everything sounds really great on Foregone. Powerful, clear and fairly organic. The main issue is of course the vocals (+ processing) on many of the tracks which could otherwise have been excellent (B minor, etc..).

If they channel Foregone Pt. 1 or the tremolo breakdown in End the Transmission throughout an entire album with the same production, we'd be in for a real treat.

 

[The Grayfox]

I'm wondering what musicians such as Broderick and now Jon Rice are doing wasting their talents in In Flames. I'm sure the paycheck is the answer, but it's crazy to me that people as good as them are playing/going to be playing such mediocre stuff.

 

[eochaid]

We're talking about a band that has reached the peak of its success after releasing albums like SC or Battles. Nothing makes sense anymore.

 

[Xpyro125]

I'm wondering what musicians such as Broderick and now Jon Rice are doing wasting their talents in In Flames. I'm sure the paycheck is the answer, but it's crazy to me that people as good as them are playing/going to be playing such mediocre stuff.

If nothing else, I can at least have faith that Chris will be able/allowed to give us some ripping solos like he did on Foregone. I don’t think it’ll be enough to save the guitarwork, should it be similar to last time, but Chris’ parts always put a smile on my face during an otherwise rather dull album. I don’t really know about Liam or Jon, but I do hope they get to shine. The small injections of life from Chris and Tanner helped Foregone a ton, and I’m hoping that we’ll at least get that on the follow-up.

I’m not really sure how much I’ll talk about it as it releases, but I’m hoping my expectations are proven wrong since I do want to enjoy what they do next.

 

[ThePhobiac]

Chris Broderick and Liam Wilson being in the same band is crazy, and should technically unlock 8-minute prog epics based on obscure math formulas developed by the Ancient Greeks.

 

[DE4life]

We're talking about a band that has reached the peak of its success after releasing albums like SC or Battles. Nothing makes sense anymore.

I've always considered Come Clarity as their peak as a band, if you're using a venn diagram of commercial success/general popularity/musical excellence. Feels like it was pretty much all downhill from there, although SC was definitely the tipping point from a musical excellence perspective. It's still hard to believe such an experienced band could produce such an absolute failure of an album - in every respect. Jesper no longer being around was no excuse, as Bjorn had already proven with SOAPF that he could create a good album on his own. Hell, even ITM showed that they are still perfectly capable. Siren Charms was really an unforgivable misstep that would have been better off binned and replaced with a B-side album & unknown recordings (of which I'm sure they have some) album.

 

[eochaid]

They seem to be more relevant today than they were during Jesper's time. And I'm talking in terms of popularity. Albums like SC and Battles, instead of being harmful for the band, only seem to have served to alienate long time fans and to reach to a ton lot more. Now, IF, has a bigger fanbase than they ever had before and SC and battles had a big impact on that.

 

[DE4life]

I don't really follow the fan base anymore so idk, but I know in the UK at least they play much smaller venues than they did 10-15 years ago.

 

[Xpyro125]

They seem to be more relevant today than they were during Jesper's time. And I'm talking in terms of popularity.

It’s weird to me because I could absolutely see the numbers reflecting that, but part of me wonders how much of it is due to the internet becoming more and more mainstream, streamlined, accessible, and corporatized.

Culturally, I think they were far more relevant in the days of melodic metalcore— So many bands cited TJR and Clayman as massive influences on them, and in a weird way I think that looped back around to Come Clarity. I’m not really in with modern metalcore, but artists like BMTH, Spiritbox, ERRA, Poppy, etc. seem to be in the biggest spotlight right now. Foregone absolutely got a ton of new fans and won over a ton of long-time critics, but I haven’t really heard it be brought up in the same discussion as Eternal Blue, ERRA’s self-titled, I Disagree or Negative Spaces, nor whatever the hell BMTH put out that was so popular. I don’t think they’re a massive name anymore, particularly in mainly American spaces. Even with that though, they might honestly be in a better place reception-wise and numbers-wise than they were even back when Come Clarity or Reroute came out. I do think Battles and ITM in particular got the most new fans since ASOP, but neither of them compare to how Foregone got people. It’s just that the spaces for the big names have been filled, I guess.

I’m sure a massive part of it is my disdain for modern metalcore, but Foregone is essentially my Reroute where I no longer recognize the band I’ve loved. What I consider the classic IF melodies are gone, despite the actual classic melodies having been gone for a long time now. It’s a truly dialed down, more generic, Americanized sound. Sure, they first really downtuned on Reroute (I know they did on songs like Pinball Map before), but this is where it feels truly bland to me. The one bright side to it is that it’s genuinely helped me to find a little enjoyment in Battles, even if that album is far worse, and I genuinely kinda like Siren Charms now even though it’s bad too. Small blessings.

To me that all makes it all the more surprising that they really don’t play much from Foregone. This is what is proven to be what the people fell in love with, and somehow now they’ve decided to play a more selfless setlist. It’s fascinating, but I can’t complain in the slightest.