Interviews : In Flames (Anders Friden) – 30/11/2008

After 9 studio albums, and almost 20 years in the game, In Flames are finally returning to Australia for their second ever tour! Its been 4 years since they last graced our shores, and I recently had the chance to chat to singer Anders Friden about the upcoming tour on the Soundwave Festival, amongst other things!

Metal Obsession: Hi Anders, thanks for taking the time out to chat to Metal Obsession. How are you?

Anders Friden: I’m fine, i’ve got myself a dinner here, its all good.

MO: You Guys are currently on tour in the US, hows that going?

AF: Its going great, we’re having a good time. Cool bands out here, and enjoying ourselves definitely. We came straight off a successful european tour, and into this, 7 weeks now straight, but ya know, we are surviving [laughs]

MO: You released your latest album ‘A sense of Purpose’ in April this year, whats the reception been like to the newer tracks?

AF: Its been good. Its not like I read every fucking review or anything [laughs] but if the songs work out live, and the people seem to get into it, its cool. We are happy with the album, and really proud of it, like all the other albums, and aslong as we keep feeling that, and they work out live, then it makes my day.

MO: What was the writing process like on the new album? Was it more of the same, or a bigger group input?

AF: It was a little different in the studio, we wanted to get back to more of a group atmosphere, group feeling that we had in the earlier days where we all were in a room… With for instance ProTools today, you can take these pieces and parts and move them around, you can be like this chorus should be a verse, or this main part should be a brdge, we were playing things back and forth until we felt that we had something great, and then we started to rehearse them, and create real drums, and we would know that we would be able to play them live. That was something we hadn’t done in a while, we kind of lost that on the past albums, we worked seperately, ya know, I would do my thing, then the drums would be done in another studio, and so on.

MO: It certainly came off good. Its sort of Come Clarity, with a bit of old In Flames.

AF: We were really trying to get a real animal feeling for it, you record on a digital media, but you want a bass drum to sound like a bass drum, and a snare to sound like a snare. And we worked really hard on the that part, with the individual sounds, wanting everything to feel alive and warm, I definitely hear that when I listen to the album, and I hope others do too.. a nice warm analogue feel to it.

MO: What was it like working with Roberto Lagghi (who mixed the album)?

AF: We knew Roberto from before, but we’d never worked with him. But he’s worked in our studio, and he’s a really cool guy, and he’s one who’s interested in sounds too. He’ll disect the snare sound, and talk about mics and everything, but at the same time he’s not a nerdy type who will over do things. He’s a good listener, and has a good feel for our sound.

MO: You recently offered Tilt, from the Mirror’s Truth EP, as a free download, why did you chose this track? Is it a sign its going to feature on the setlists?

AF: No, not really. I think it’s more of a record company decision. It didnt have anything to do with what we want. But I think it’s cool, I mean it’s a free download. If people can get something for free for once, and dont have to steal it, and can get into the band, get some people curious, and trace our history… then its served its purpose.

MO: It really seems with this tour the setlist has had the biggest shake up compared to the Soundtrack and Come clarity tours, how did this come about? Are you finding it harder to chose the set with so many albums having been released?

AF: Chosing a setlist is always pretty hard. Since we have 9 albums out. There are certain songs we want to play, and certain ones we know we dont want to hear. There are songs from the older albums that are not as good live as.. we didnt know back then ya know, we went into the studio, and we put layers and layers of guitar parts down, and now when we create them live we only have 2 guitar players, so they sound not as thick as they should. We learnt that now, and we always try the songs live… And always its hard to make everybody feel 100% satisfied. We only have a certain amount of time on the stage, and we want to promote our later material, and like the question before, if people like what we are doing, they can, ya know, trace our history, and work their way backwards.

MO: Then they can pick up a live dvd or something to see what they sound like live

AF: yeah, I mean we always play some old songs, but to be honest, when we do that, the crowd usually stand there like zombies, like they dont have a clue what we are doing, its almost like pre Clayman, Reroute to Remain, they just dont know about it. So why should we play these songs when no one is interested? The ones that are complaining about us not playing the old stuff, they’re not coming to the show anyway. They’re…

MO: …on the internet…

AF: …yeah, behind their computer and being really tough.

MO: From the Milan show, you played 20 tracks, 12 were off the last 3 albums. Is this because there was a whole new fan base you tapped into with these album?

AF: Oh definitely. We can see a change, we can see a new audience, a younger audience, but at the same time when we’re playing europe the age span is really wide. You have a 60 year old mum, or dad, come to the show with their kid, and they are both enjoying the show ya know. I think thats really cool. I like that we can attract a new generation, and if we can be one of the first bands they get into, and lead them onto other metal bands, I mean, thats how the scene grows. I really really enjoy it. I hate it when people start complaining about the younger audience, they are there, and they are really energetic, and they’re not like the old people who stand in the back with their beer, and just want to hear one song, so I think thats cool.

MO: From when the band first started out, in 2 years, it’ll be 20 years, and if you cant get a new fan base, you’ll be getting quite an old crowd at your shows

AF: I’m amazed if you picked up the first album, and you’re still around today and thinking the band is doing everything perfect, and the band is great. I’m amazed by those people, that they stick around for so long. Cos you do change. I mean as a listener, you change aswell, you grow up, you become a different person, and maybe your musical taste went in a different direction. We see those people still who come to out shows and love everything, but at the same time there are people who come to the shows who haven’t heard anything apart from A Sense of Purpose. And then they get shocked when they pick up Jester Race [laughs] but if those people love an album from the Jester Race aswell, well thats amazing. I think thats so cool.

MO: I saw in Flames in a small venue in Australia on the 04 tour, and it was a great show. I saw you guys 2 years later at rock am ring 06 in germany and it was in-fucking-credible. The best show I have seen to date. Do you guys feel you are better in the open air environment, or a smaller, more intense venue?

AF: I love to play these big shows where you have pyros and you have all the lights, and you have a massive audience singing back at you, you know, its great. But at the same time when you’re up close, and play this shitty sweaty arse club, and the kids are in your face, screaming at you, thats another type of feeling, and another type of experience. And if I only do one of them that could get really boring, so I like that we can do both. I’m happy that we can go back and do the small stuff, and not only play the big stages.

MO: So after 4 summer festival tours through europe, 4 european tours, atleast 6 US tours, and the odd asian tour.. you guys are finally returning to tour australia! Why the wait?

AF: Promoters. No one wanted to book us. I mean, we dont mind going there, obviously its on the other side of the world from us, but ya know, at the same time its up to the promoters to organise shows. We handt been offered any.

MO: You’re coming down on the soundwave festival. Its got the best hard rock/metal line up we’ve seen in australia in years. Have you seen the festival line up, and is there anyone on there you’re keen to see?

AF: I havent seen much. I dont know the set time, or which stage we’re plaing on, I dont know what, when, ya know. I presume its in the middle of the day hopefully, with a bunch of friends, Lamb of God, Unearth, and all these guys. I know they are playing. I hear Nine Inch Nails are playing, and they are a big favourite band of mine. Theres tonnes of bands we’ll have a good time with. I’m looking forward to a big party!

MO: Any plans for side shows while you’re out here? I saw some of the setlists from europe, and fuck me dead, I would kill to hear The Chosen Pessimist live! I guess you wouldnt be playing that at festivals though? Is there a possibility of hearing it in Australia?!

AF: I head there might be one [side] show, or maybe 2, but then we’ll see. Its a very good song live, and its fun to do it. I think a lot of people didn’t expect us to do it

MO: Nah, definitely not. Its such a divisive song, its so different from the rest of your stuff. I think its the best track off a sense of purpose for me, how did it come about?

AF: Basically, I was listening to the album, like pre productiopn back to back, at the hotel we were staying at at the time. I came to the studio the next morning and I said to the others there is something missing. We need to do something else that breaks the album apart, and gives the other songs some room to breathe aswell. You know its intense and everything else, so I started talking about how I wanted this song to be, and I think Jesper was the first to come up with a little part, then Bjorn came up with a little part, then I created a little part, and we recorded small pieces on pro tools, in one of the studios, then just played with it,. We did all the individual parts, then I said to the others let me play with this for a bit… I put pieces, like a puzzle basically, trying to create something that wasn’t just verse chorus, verse chorus, verse. I wanted something that was just building up to a crescendo. It just become longer and longer and longer and I didnt wanna cut it down, it was almost like, theres what 2.. 3 minutes before I start singing? and I wanted it almost to be that I pissed off people cos it was so slow and growing, and its moving and atmospheric. For me to do something on that song was difficult and challenging, something that justified the music, but it turned out great, and I had a lot of fun with it, and live it works out really realy good.

MO: I hope we get to hear it in Australian then!

AF: In Europe we started with it, and were behind the big curtains, and the curtain dropped after like 5 minutes and it builds up a good atmosphere

MO: You’ve just finished up the european tour with Goijira, and Sonic Syndicate, how do you think the new generation of european metal is sounding?

AF: I dont keep track on everything, but I know Sonic Syndicate, and they are doing a good job, and are getting a lot of new kids into their music. There are tonnes of bands out there obviously, but I don’t know that many.

And Gojira isn’t a new band, even though not that many people know about them. [They] are damn heavy, a good live band, and great people.

MO: There was an incredibly short time between finishing sountrack to your escape, and announcing that you had finished its follow up, come clarity. Have you guys started thinking on a follow up to a sense of purpose?

AF: Not at all, we are very in the middle of a touring cycle. And we will tour up until next year around this time. Then we’ll make a decision on whether we should take a little break, and breathe a little, or make another album. I presume it’ll take a little while until we release the next one.

MO: Does each album require more touring as your still working away on the American market?

AF: Yeah, I mean since we are not on a major label, where we have tonnes of money for promotion, we have to be out there in the face of the audience… so yeah, you have to invest time on the road, definitely. At the same time its up to us as to what level we want to play on. And we could just sit back and release an album and tour here if that’s what we like, but we love what we are doing, and we aren’t doing this for someone else, we are doing this for ourselves.

MO: Yeah, and your own enjoyment

AF: yeah, for sure. We are so stoked that we can be here today, and not something I thought would be possible when I went to shows as a young kid.

MO: Finally, I’ve noticed that Only for the weak has been absent a lot from the setlist. Do you miss saying your “I wanna see each and everyone, right here, from my left side, over here to my right side, all of you people here in the front, all the way back to the old people.. I wanna see all of you in the fucking air.. everybody jumping.. this one called ONLY FOR THE WEAK!’ – was it hard to leave it off the setlist, knowing how awesome it is live?

AF: [laughs] no not really. Haha. Not really. We did a bunch of shows with some other bands, and half way through they started saying it [laughs] I might do it again in a few years. But it was something people expected to hear. To play that song live is always a good feeling, and to get everybody going

MO: I guess it can come off like you know its coming, with your speech, but its also, the speech gets everyone so built up as you know its coming, and then it just goes insane when the song kicks in!

AF: Yeah, I mean you wanna try something different. But when you said it, it sounded nice, so I might bring it back [laughs]

MO: Well, I think that just about wraps it up now. Any final words to your australian fans?

AF: As I said before, we are super stoked to get down their finally again, its been four years, even though it feels like it could have been.. only passed a few tours only, but its actually been four years, so its going to be great. We’re really looking forward to the whole tour, and all the other bands.

MO: Anders, thanks a lot for chatting to us at Metal Obsession! And see you in Australia soon!

AF: Your welcome, thanks for taking the time!

Band: In Flames
Date: 20/11/2008
Origin: Sweden
www.myspace.com/inflames

Questions: Scott Boelsen (Metal Obsession)
Answers: Anders Friden (Vocals)