Interview с In Flames : DARKSIDE.ru

First, how do you like it here at WOA? I've heard many people saying that organizers treat bands quite poorly here…

Well, we've had different experiences, I think it depends on where you play on the bill. I remember in 1999 when we played here it was a big fuck-up. We weren't even put up in a hotel because we arrived just 20 minutes before the show. When we played here last time in 2001, it was really good, and this year also seems to be good so far.

Tell me something about the new album that you're writing at the moment. How do the new songs sound like? Will the new stuff be a development of what you did on "Reroute To Remain" or will there be another dramatic turn?

You'll still hear that it's In Flames. Some people say there are drastic changes from "Clayman" (2000) to "Reroute To Remain", but I don't really see it. Nevertheless, it's up to them to judge. We now have 13 songs for the new album, there will be a couple of really fast songs and also some really groovy and heavy and aggressive stuff. It's still In Flames, it's still melodic, but we try to experiment, as we always do, just to make it interesting for ourselves.

Does it mean that you don't pay too much attention to what the fans say and just write music for yourselves?

Of course! People can say that "Reroute To Remain" was a nu metal album and that we are a sell-out and everything. Some people even want us to do another "Jester Race" (1995). But if you listen to the fans and write the music they expect, I think that's more sell-out than trying to experiment with music for your own sake. It's gonna be a good album, I think. We've just done pre-production with 13 songs, so a lot of things are yet to be done in the studio.

Will you reserve one of these 13 songs for the Japanese fellows?

We will see, we might do another song for Japan, we always have to do a Japanese version.

Any cover versions maybe?

Not so far.

Do you have a title for the new album? As far as I understand, "The Tuborg Sessions" is the working title…

It's just a misunderstanding. Tuborg is a Danish beer, and we had a lot of Danish beer, so that's why we called it "Tuborg Sessions". There's nothing serious about it, it was just for fun, but then they wrote in newspapers that this is the working title of the new record. (laughs)

You released an EP called "Trigger" several months ago. It contains a previously unreleased track "Watch Them Feed" - where does it come from? Is it an outtake from "Reroute To Remain" sessions?

We released this EP because we did so much touring after "Reroute To Remain" that there was no time for us to write a new album. The next album won't be released until next spring. We thought we had to release something just to give the fans something special, so we decided to do an EP and include a new song in it. So we wrote this one.

The single also contains a Genesis cover version. Why such a strange choice? Is somebody in the band really into art rock?

I know Peter (Iwers, bass) is. But we always try to find songs that suit our music, that suit the way we play. And I think that "Land Of Confusion" suits us really well. It's no point doing another metal cover, so we try to check out other music styles outside metal.

You've recently filmed two videos - and one of them features members of Soilwork. At the same time, In Flames members are featured in the latest Soilwork video. What is the idea behind all that?

People know that we know each other, but they think that there's competition, that we don't like each other. And that's the big ironic thing about it - we go to each other's show and mock each other. It's just a fun thing, it's just to make people understand that it's not the case.

Some people have noticed similarities between "Reroute To Remain" and the stuff that Peter Tagtgren is doing with Pain. Do you think they are correct?

I have never heard this before! I don't think it has any similarities at all. Maybe some keyboards somewhere.

Now back to the "Reroute To Remain" album. I know that it's something you've been asked a million times, but once again, what is the meaning of the album title?

It's actually pretty easy. Sometimes you have to try out new paths to understand what you're doing in life. If you always follow the same line, it gets boring. It's the same when we write music - we try to take different paths to make it interesting again.

As far as I see, writing music is fun for you…

Yeah, we try not to take it too serious. When we're on stage, we're really serious, of course. But otherwise it gets boring. You need to have fun, it's the same with everything.

What is the song "Dismiss The Cynics" about?

It's not me writing the lyrics, but from the title I can guess that it's against narrow-minded people. Narrow-minded when it comes to music and to everything.

How did you get Orjan Ornkloo (Misery Loves Co.) to work with you on "Reroute To Remain"? What was his role in the recording?

He's actually working together with Daniel Bergstrand, the producer of that album. They record together in Daniel's studio Dug Out, and Orjan has his own studio as well. When we decided to go to Dug Out, we knew that Orjan is working there doing electronics. We had two other guys do it before, and in this case we just let him do whatever he wanted, and it turned out pretty good.

More about session musicians - you had Kee Marcello (Europe) doing one guitar solo on "Colony" (1999). How did you get to know him? Do you like Europe?

That was Fredrik Nordstrom, our old producer, who met him in a bar. And Fredrik knew that Jesper (Stromblad, guitar) is a really big fan of Kee. So we invited him to the studio and Jesper didn't know it. When he came to the studio, Kee was there playing guitar, so Jesper was totally stunned! (laughs) That was the thing was we did for Jesper. And Kee is a really good guitar player.

Your live album "The Tokyo Showdown" (2001) got very different reviews, and most of the criticism dealt with the sound of that record. Are you personally satisfied with how the album turned out?

As a live album it is good. Some live albums that you buy are very polished, they're not very live, and ours is as live as it gets. That's why the sound is slacking sometimes, but it's a live album. I usually don't buy live albums myself, it's more like a collectors' item.

What are your impressions from playing with Metallica in Madrid on June 22 this year?

I felt like I was 12 years old again. Everyone who listens to any kind of metal has listened to "Master Of Puppets", so it was a really big thing, they're probably the biggest metal band ever.

Did you manage to meet the band?

Yeah, we did. Right before they went onstage, they came to us and we took pictures. They had a quick chat with us and were really nice.

Did they say anything about your music?

No, they didn't say anything, but Lars and James were onstage while we were playing. It was really cool.

What's your impression about their latest album "St. Anger"? Have you heard it?

I heard two songs and I think it sucks! (laughs) Not really, but I have to listen to it more. The sound is weird.

Probably that's what they wanted to do…

Yes, they're probably trying to be aggressive again. They've been labeled a sell-out since "The Black Album", so I think they try to go back to being an aggressive band, that's why they did the "St. Anger" video among the junkies - just to be cool again. I have to listen to it more before I can given them a fair judgement.

Nuclear Blast decided to use your version of Metallica's "Eye Of The Beholder" for their "Tribute To The Four Horsemen", but this recording is nearly nine years old. Why didn't you do something new for this tribute?

We didn't wanna be on the album, because we didn't wanna do a metal cover. And we said, "Please don't use this song, because it's so old, and only one current member of In Flames is playing on it." If a kid buys the album and gets excited about In Flames, it's not fair, because that's not how we sound today. We didn't wanna be on the album, and that's not something we are behind.

Some of your songs and instrumentals have Swedish titles - can you translate them for me? What is "Hargalaten" (a track from 1994's "Lunar Strain")?

This is really old Swedish, I don't know what it means. (laughs) "Laten" means "song" and "Harga" is just a name.

And what is "Pallar Anders Visa" (this one can be found on "Colony")?

"Visa" is also "a song", "Anders" is the name, and "pallar" is when you steal fruit from someone's garden. But that's also in really old Swedish, you cannot really say that today.

And what is "Jotun", by the way (a track from 1997's "Whoracle")?

It's something from Swedish mythology, I don't know what it means. I think it's a giant, but I'm not sure.

Do you remember your very first show with In Flames?

My first show with In Flames was at the Dynamo Open Air in 1998. I was really nervous, because I only played in small bands before, I'd never done big shows. I won't forget that show, because I was so nervous, that was ridiculous.

Are you involved in any side projects? What about other members of In Flames?

Jesper has his old school death metal project called Dimension Zero, I think you know them, and Anders (Frieden, vocals) has just released an album with his new project called Passenger, it's really different. And I will try to do another album with my old band called Sacrilege. We released two albums on a really small Swedish label. It's good to have side projects. Bjorn (Gelotte, guitar) would probably do a really old school death metal album as well if he had time.

What is required to bring In Flames over to Russia?

We'd love to go to Russia. I haven't heard a lot about Russian metalheads, and I don't know personally any bands who've been there. But of course, we want to play everywhere if we get a good offer. I mean, we don't take care of all the business stuff, we give it to our management and booking agency, so we just hope that someone can give us a good offer and we can come.

In Flames on the Internet: http://www.inflames.com

Special thanks to Markus Wosgien (Nuclear Blast Records) for arranging this interview

Interview by Felix "the Comrade"

Background assistance by Roman "Maniac" Patrashov
27 авг 2003 the End


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