IN FLAMES are one of the biggest metal bands in the world – never shying away from pushing their artistic boundaries, crafting music that’s as catchy as it is crushing. Formed in 1990, the band is considered one of the forefathers of melodic death metal and the purveyors of the ‘Gothenburg sound’. With thirteen studio albums under their belt, countless successful tours around the globe playing with the likes of Black Sabbath, Metallica, Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Judas Priest and Slayer – with millions of records sold and a massive fanbase worldwide, In Flames have proven to be an unstoppable force. From their 1994 debut Lunar Strain onwards, the band’s intricate twin guitar attack, melodic vocals and superb arrangements have given them a signature sound that has evolved throughout the years.
Now the band have just dropped their fourteenth studio album – titled Forgone – an album the band says represents their past, present and future. When it comes to the music though the album is furious and combines the greatest aggressive, metallic, and melodic strengths of their landmark records with the seasoned song writing of their contemporary era. To find out more about the album I sat down with the band’s guitarist – Bjorn Gelotte.
“I think I dug from the same depths that I usually do,” laughs Bjorn when we talk about the aggression that is present on this album. “My upbringing was always the classic rock meets the death metal so it so there will always be some Maiden-esque harmonies in there and some wild kick-drums. There has always been that contrast that drives me, and I think in general In Flames is about that aggression it is the melancholic melodies – it is where beauty meets the beast in a way. I think that has been what has always intrigued me so from that point of view I don’t think we really changed that much.”
“We also wasn’t in a real hurry to make a record either,” he adds. “We were still touring with our last album and then that tour got cut off because of the pandemic. We were so far into the tour cycle that we weren’t really all that interested in making a record. We weren’t really thinking about aggression though – I mean everybody was really frustrated about the situation and there were some really tough times for people during the pandemic and that probably trickled into it – but really, I was just happy to be seeing everybody in the band again, see the producers again and being able to do what I love again. So I wasn’t really thinking about aggression at all.”
As we talk more about the foundations of the album Bjorn does share where he suspects that aggression might have come from. “What I think is that early on we had a production meeting,” he explains. “And we decided to lean more towards metal and death metal a little. The actual sounds of the drums and the guitars are leaning more towards metal and death metal than we did we our last album. That album was very guitar orientated and leaned towards the rock side so this time we wanted to lean more towards the metal and death metal and I think that has shone a new light on the riffs and melodies and that just gives it that aggressive touch I guess.”
This leads to us talking a little more about the planning that happened before the band started writing this album. “It is funny with planning because you always have a plan with an album but we never really stick to it,” he says laughing. “What happens normally now is that we have a few words that are important for the album. With this one we wanted it to be big and we wanted it to be heavier and maybe not as organic as previous albums, and Joe who was mixing it has played drums with us and he is part of the band and has been for a long time, so he knew us really well. He has made a killer mix of the riffs and melodies that we played, and I think that has really ended up being a really good combination.”
Going back to a statement that Bjorn had made earlier I asked him what had sparked the song-writing process if this hadn’t been a time when the band were thinking about working on an album. “For me songwriting is either or,” he answers. “By that I mean I am either writing or we are on tour – I can’t do both at the same time. So people are good at that but I am not I need to focus on one or another. Then during the pandemic I didn’t see any live shows and I was just not interested in writing at all. I didn’t feel inspired at all because all I wanted to do was be on stage playing these songs. The writing process is fun but the actual studio time – I have never found that fun – it is very tedious and it tends to take away from the creativity and it is more mechanical. It really makes you feel like you have a job. The whole experience is not super fun but it is kind of worth it because at the end you get to play the songs live – it is a means to an end really. Towards the end of the pandemic their were festivals being announced and that was the light at the end of the tunnel for me.”
That light certainly sparked something because what we have now is one of In Flames best albums – especially if you like them to be playing on the darker side of things.
Forgone is out now through Nuclear Blast.
