Earlier this year, Swedish metallers IN FLAMES entered West Valley Recording Studios in Woodland Hills, California with producer Howard Benson to begin recording the follow-up to 2016's "Battles" album. The group's 13th full-length disc, which is tentatively due later this year, will mark IN FLAMES' first effort since the departure of bassist Peter Iwers. Benson, a studio veteran who has also worked with HALESTORM, P.O.D., FLYLEAF and ALL THAT REMAINS, among others, previously helmed "Battles". Speaking to Metal Hammer magazine, IN FLAMES frontman Anders Fridén stated about the band's upcoming album: "So far, it sounds very IN FLAMES; there's no surprises there. I think it sounds great and it has all the essentials that we want for an IN FLAMES album; there's melodies, screaming on various tracks, hooks everywhere. I think if you are into IN FLAMES and what we've done for the past 20 years or so, you should be happy. I'm very, very happy!" Fridén confirmed that there will, once again, be plenty of melody on IN FLAMES' next release. "We've always been a melodic band, but it comes out in different forms: the guitars, vocals, keyboards or whatever. This is very melodic, too, but I would say this is more uptempo than 'Battles'. I think it has more similarities to 'Sounds Of A Playground Fading', but don't quote me on that… I guess you will. [Laughs]" As for the lyrical inspiration for the new IN FLAMES material, Anders said: "We're living in a tough world. I'm looking at my kids and they are growing up in the world we have today, all the troubles you face and the political climate is very tense, it's almost going to explode. All of that brings tension, so that is what I've been looking into, but it is the same with the music. Then it is dealing with past relationships and things that I have gone through. It's not all based on me or anything; I just take ideas or inspiration from certain times of my life." IN FLAMES has recruited American drummer Tanner Wayne, best known for his work with UNDERMINDED, SCARY KIDS SCARING KIDS and CHIODOS, to sit behind the kit for the band for their summer 2018 live appearances. Wayne has stepped into IN FLAMES following the apparent recent departure of Joe Rickard, who played on "Battles". Tanner made his live debut with IN FLAMES on July 4 in Brno, Czech Republic. Longtime IN FLAMES drummer Daniel Svensson announced in 2015 that he was leaving the band to focus on his family life. IN FLAMES' current lineup features American bassist Bryce Paul, who has been playing most of the shows with the group since Iwers's November 2016 exit.
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