"Foregone" is IN FLAMES' 14^th studio full-length. They released their demo in 1993, so we're talking about a 30-year tenure in the metalverse. Longtime fans proclaim the band has snapped back to their essential Melodeath roots, that this is their comeback album (even though they were never gone), that this album pulls together all their variant styles into a redemptive gestalt. And who am I to argue?

My personal journey with the Swedish Metal icons started in 2011 when I saw them on their "Sounds of the Playground Fading" tour in Houston, Texas. TRIVIUM and VEIL OF MAYA opened. It was a hell of show and I've been a fan ever since. They were arguably more melodic back in those days. Apparently, their forays into different subgenres have vexed some fans and thrilled others. "Foregone" is likely to satisfy the entire fanbase.

IN FLAMES has never been a band to skimp on their albums, and with 12 tracks "Foregone" is no exception. The album kicks off with a predictable acoustic intro, aptly entitled "The Beginning Of All Things That Will End." A quick glance at the final track, "End The Transmission," suggested to me that there might be an acoustic or Atmospheric outro, which would be even more predictable than the intro. I couldn't help myself and jumped right to the end to check. I know, kind of like skipping to last page of a book to see if the hero dies, but the suspense was killing me. I was very pleased to find my fears were unfounded.

To be fair, the intro isn't bad and there wasn't ambient rain or church bells, so not completely cliché. With the first bars of the second track, "State of Slow Decay," the proper assault begins and we're rolling for initiative. This track encapsulates what the entire album delivers: devastating riffs, furious tempo, guttural vocals with harmony and enunciation, and gorgeous lead solos. "Meet Your Maker" maintains the brutal momentum but features longer clean breaks which provide a nice segue into the melodic and emotive "Bleeding Out."

Curiously the title track is a two-parter. "Foregone, Part 1" is impressive, showcasing some brilliant composition, layered with subtle synth, accented with acoustic flourishes, and punched up with, of course, elegant solos. So far so good. With that, I figured the punchline had to reside in "Foregone Part 2." Musically, Part 2 is less assertive than Part 1. It has its bursts of anger but somehow seems more resigned. Lyrically . . . well here lies the key. Part 1 speaks about one forgone, inevitable conclusion-the collapsing of the tower, the turn of the card, the demise of the world as we know it:

"And the world has closed its eyes
Mother time draws her final breath
The innocent washed away
The condemned, the dance of death"

Part 2, though, takes us to the next foregone conclusion. After the end, there are those who remain in the ruin: "As the day passes, we watch the world corrode / Vampires in daylight, the condemned are here to stay." Well played, IN FLAMES, well played. This two-part track effectively divides the album in half, more so by theme than actual minutes and seconds.

Here is what I mean: The first half of the album is about heading into disaster, any disaster-emotional, spiritual, social, environmental. "State of Slow Decay" sets the scene; "Meet Your Maker" makes it clear where it is all heading; and "Bleeding Out" makes it first person.

The second half is about surviving that devastation. And in this mix are ruminations on all the ups and downs-the pain, the hope, the love, the fury, and the resolve. Not only in the lyrics but in the variety of compositions. "Pure Light of Mind" has the lovesick yearning, "The Great Deceiver" the anger; "A Dialogue In B Flat Minor," the cognitive dissonance. And it all culminates in "End The Transmission" which I feared was going to be a throw-away outro but is in reality the summation and capstone to the very strong album.

There are a lot of triumphs in "Foregone." Sonically, IN FLAMES has returned to their Melodeath roots. Lyrically, the narrative is as human and relevant to our times as it gets. Behind the scenes, there is even the neat story of IN FLAMES returning to the Nuclear Blast family. While the theme of this album might be the end of times, there is no doubt IN FLAMES is back. All in all, "Foregone" is fine piece of Metal from one of the best of them.