In Flames "Foregone (USA, Nuclear Blast Records, NBR 65142)"

Foregone is the fourteenth studio album by Swedish heavy metal band In Flames. The album was released on 10 February 2023 through Nuclear Blast and was produced by Howard Benson. It is the first album by the band to feature guitarist Chris Broderick, who replaced Niclas Engelin, and the only to entirely feature drums performed by Tanner Wayne. It is also the last album to feature the band's bassist Bryce Paul before he left the band in June 2023.

On 13 June 2022, In Flames announced they were re-signing with Nuclear Blast and released the single "State of Slow Decay"; the song was noted for having a sound similar to the band's earlier melodic death metal tracks. On 1 August, the band released the single "The Great Deceiver". On 15 September, In Flames announced their fourteenth album, Foregone, would be released on 10 February 2023. The same day as the album's announcement, the band released a visualizer for a third single, "Foregone, Pt. 1". "Foregone, Pt. 2" was released as the album's fourth single on 7 November along with a music video. On 16 January 2023, one month before the album release, they unveiled the fifth single "Meet Your Maker" and its corresponding music video.

The album has received critical acclaim from numerous publications. AllMusic gave the album a positive review saying, "Foregone [...] has a raw, bass-heavy, crunchy sound, with their usual highly melodic lines and harmonic solos present and correct, and a philosophical tone engendered by the imposed isolation of the COVID-19 lockdown." Dom Lawson from Blabbermouth.net gave the album 8.5 out of 10 and said: "Foregone is the finest album to bear the band's name since at least Come Clarity. Don't be surprised if they make an ambient jazz record next, but right now this sounds like the best of all possible worlds and a late-career triumph." Graham Ray of Distorted Sound scored the album 9 out of 10 and said: "In Flames have finally created an album that mixes their old and new styles together organically. Nothing sounds forced and everything works to almost perfection. Foregone is the best album the band have produced in the last 15-20 years and it's a pleasure to see them back with a fire well and truly lit beneath them." Kerrang! gave the album 4 out of 5 and stated: "Foregone is a reminder that when In Flames are at the peak of their powers, they really are untouchable. This is a record that will see them finally reassert their dominance, and ring in their next colossal era." Metal Injection rated the album 9 out of 10 and stated, "Foregone is a gift to fans who have stuck it out with In Flames all these years, as well as the new fans they've picked up along the way who might be ready for something heavier. It covers every genre and style the band has ever messed around with, bringing them into one cohesive whole. Don't skip any songs on Foregone. There aren't any bad tracks. The album's second half is marginally better than its first, but both are so good it feels unfair to compare them. It will all depend on which era of the band the listener prefers."

MetalSucks rated the album 4.5 out of 5 and said: "While the last few years have been turbulent for those waiting for In Flames to reclaim their mojo, they needn't worry any further. Foregone is a stick of dynamite with a first-place ribbon attached; a sensational rejuvenation that even the staunchest doomsayers will have a hard time picking apart. Even with the faults present, it blends what made the band so good in their prime with the unique components of the current line-up to make an album that stands well within the territory of the best they've put out before it. Rejoice, people, for In Flames have returned – and how." The reviewer for Rock Hard wrote that "Melodic death metal tracks like 'State of Slow Decay', 'Meet Your Maker', 'Foregone, Pt. 1' or 'The Great Deceiver' emphatically point out with their qualities why In Flames are counted among the founders of the typical Gothenburg sound. Tempo, heaviness, riffing and melody are perfectly balanced here and invoke some cozy memories of the early 2000s, which is even enhanced by a few folky excursions." Rock 'N' Load praised the album saying, "Foregone is a high-class album that might not bring anything new to its discography, but what it does do is show others just how good an album can be from front to back. I'm not convinced that this album falls into the Death Metal arena, more of a Metal offering for the masses to enjoy." Tasha Brown of Rock Sins rated the album 7 out of 10 and said: "Foregone may well become one of those cult albums for some and remain a point of vexation for others. For the moment, however, we fall tentatively within the latter." Wall of Sound gave the album a positive review saying: "The balancing act In Flames have pulled off is pretty impressive, giving just enough of the 'old In Flames' while continuing their evolution beyond the confines of generic death metal. The fact is the band have consistently delivered albums, even with lineup changes, that are damn heavy and progress their connection with their audience."

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Anders Fridén and Björn Gelotte; all music is composed by Anders Fridén, Björn Gelotte, and Howard Benson.

1. "The Beginning of All Things That Will End" (instrumental) 2:13
2. "State of Slow Decay" 3:58
3. "Meet Your Maker" 3:57
4. "Bleeding Out" 4:01
5. "Foregone, Pt. 1" 3:24
6. "Foregone, Pt. 2" 4:30
7. "Pure Light of Mind" 4:26
8. "The Great Deceiver" 3:45
9. "In the Dark" 4:17
10. "A Dialogue in B Flat Minor" 4:28
11. "Cynosure" 4:05
12. "End the Transmission" 3:42

Total length: 46:46

Recording information:

Recorded at West Valley Recording Studios at Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, United States.

Mixed at SoundBox Recording.

Mastered at Sterling Sound.

Howard Benson – production

Joe Rickard ‐ mixing

Mike Plotnikoff – audio engineering

Hatsukazu "Hatch" Inagaki – vocal recording engineering

Brandt Sier – audio engineering

Ted Jensen – mastering

Paul DeCarli – digital editing

Strings on track 1:

Recorded at Tonkontrol in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Mixed at Oral Majority Recordings in Gothenburg, Sweden.

In Flames "Clayman (2020 Reissue, Remastered, 20th Anniversary Edition, Germany, Nuclear Blast, NB 5546-0/27361 55460)"

Clayman is the fifth studio album by Swedish heavy metal band In Flames, released via Nuclear Blast on 3 July 2000.

In 2020, "Bullet Ride", "Pinball Map", "Only for the Weak", and the title track were re-recorded for a 20th-anniversary edition of the album. Fan responses to the re-recordings have been mixed.

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Anders Fridén; all music is composed by Jesper Strömblad and Björn Gelotte.

1. Bullet Ride 04:42   
2. Pinball Map 04:08   
3. Only for the Weak 04:55   
4. ...as the Future Repeats Today 03:27   
5. Square Nothing 03:57   
6. Clayman 03:28  
7. Satellites and Astronauts 05:00
8. Brush the Dust Away 03:17  
9. Swim 03:14   
10. Suburban Me 03:35  
11. Another Day in Quicksand 04:06   
12. Themes and Variations in D-Minor 05:10
13. Only for the Weak (re-recorded) 04:14
14. Bullet Ride (re-recorded) 04:38   
15. Pinball Map (re-recorded) 04:19
16. Clayman (re-recorded) 03:37   

Time:  01:05:47  

20th anniversary edition.

Tracks 1 to 11 are remastered.

Tracks 12 to 16 are new (track 12 is a new instrumental song and tracks 13 to 16 are re-recorded versions).

Recording information:

Charlie Storm – programming, synthesizer

Christopher Amott (Arch Enemy) – guitar solo on "Suburban Me"

Fredrik Nordström – additional programming, synthesizer, recording, production

In Flames – recording, production

Axel Hermann – artwork, layout

Tobias Lundgren – photography

Producer – Howard Benson (tracks: 12 to 16)

In Flames "I, The Mask (Limited Edition Digipak, Germany, Nuclear Blast, NB 4335-0/7361 43350)"

I, the Mask is the thirteenth studio album by Swedish heavy metal band In Flames, released on 1 March 2019. It is the band's first release since Whoracle (1997) without longtime bassist Peter Iwers, and the last to feature Joe Rickard on drums. It is the debut album for bassist Bryce Paul and drummer Tanner Wayne. It is also the last album to feature guitarist Niclas Engelin.

A chiptune reimagined version of the album (programmed by Sam Brown) was released in March 2020 through Better Noise Music to celebrate the album's first anniversary.

Loudwire named it one of the 50 best metal albums of 2019.

Tracklist:

All tracks are written by Anders Fridén, Björn Gelotte and Howard Benson, except "In This Life" (written by Fridén, Gelotte, Benson, Seann Bowe and Lenny Skolnik).

1. Voices 04:47
2. I, the Mask 03:41   
3. Call My Name 03:33   
4. I Am Above 03:49   
5. Follow Me 04:55   
6. (This Is Our) House 04:18
7. We Will Remember 04:04
8. In This Life 03:52  
9. Burn 03:43
10. Deep Inside 04:21
11. All the Pain 04:29
12. Stay with Me 05:16
13. Not Alone 04:04  

Time:  54:52  

Recording information:

Howard Benson − producer

Mike Plotnikoff − recording

Hatsukazu "Hatch" Inagaki − recording

Trevor Dietrich − additional engineering

Zach Darf − additional engineering

Paul Decarli − digital editing

Chris Lord-Alge − mixing

Ted Jensen − mastering

Blake Armstrong − artwork