I bet you didn't study lógica at highschool. So i will explain with an example.
I'm starting from two premises, first they do the músic they want without caring for fan reaction. Second, they do play the songs people want, not the songs the would like to play.
Now, for my example they go crazy and decide to do a brutal death album, I said they've come crazy. The album is entitled Refleshions from an Open Mind.
Then come fan reactions. Old fans don't like the álbum, they want melodeath. New fans don't like the álbum, they want catchy choruses. And brutal death fans ser them as posers so they won't buy the álbum.
Now comes de Refleshion world tour. What will they do? Play songs from the new album? Acording to your second proposition they won't. But, truth is they have to promote the album. Remember, is the Refleshion tour. Also the record company will like them to put the album live andthey must be willing to play new songs. But, acording to you, they will be playing songs from r2r to sc, being the last of those the one with most songs live.
Do you follow me? Again, think about it.
Next time I will tell you how is made the promotion from a new product
Let's separate them first.
1. New album comes out, but you are saying no one likes it. Now, first of all, no one heard any of those songs, so they can't know if they would enjoy it or not. Secondly, you are talking about a very harsh change. Clayman-->R2R/STYE pretty much made some genre "improvement" (or to others, stepback), let's call it mainstream MDM. It's like climbing up two steps on a ladder (not talking about quality, but distance). It's strange to take two steps at once, and people who were used to take one at a time might got alienated from it, but it wasn't THAT hard to adjust and accept. Now, if they would make an extreme death metal record, that would be am even meaner and hevaier abum than Lunar Strain. It would've been hard to adjust to it after Colony or Whoracle, let alone from SOAPF or ASOP, it's like 10 steps at once. People would fall off from the ladder like lemmings. Still, you have to play a lot of stuff from that album and not because Sony is pushing your ass, but because apparently that is the way you want to go now, those are the songs you think are the best right now. This makes another two points:
a.) So I just said they should play what they like, even if fans might not like it which might seem contradictory with my previous posts. BUT, I never said they have to do a greatest hits show where fans can vote for the whole setlist and you bow down. No, you have to
- play a few hits at every show, because that's what first timers are waiting for the most, unless you specifically announce before the tour that the next few shows will be for the hardcore fans only, so very few hits.
- play songs that work well live. If the attendants are just idngling around, waiting for the next song, you fucked up somewhere. Even if you promote your new hardcore death metal album, you should play the songs which the fans would like the most in your opinion.
- Do not play songs you don't like anymore or can't stand behind it. Yes, if you think performing Only For The Weak would be fake, because now you hate that song and totally disagree with its' message, then don't play it. You are there to please the fans with stuff YOU like as well.
b.) You have to promote your newest record either way. If you think it's shit and not worth promoting, then why did you make it in the first place? Yeah, you put yourself in a veeeery tough position with making a hardcore death metal record, but that was your decision, you have to follow through it. But SC is far from this extreme example, no one will puke the floor when they hear IPV, Paralyzed or WEWO. It will be played for X times, then for the next tour, when they don't have to promote and test it live, they can decide whether they think it worked well, or not. If people hated them all then they should not play them, but that just won't be true. Hell, if you would make a record where you can'T make at least ONE song that could hold its' ground live it's probably time to stop releasing albums altogether and just tour the older ones.
2. "they do the músic they want without caring for fan reaction. Second, they do play the songs people want, not the songs the would like to play." Though I touched on that, this is the most important point of this debate so let's just highlight it once again.
First of all, why should you care for others, still no one explained this. You believe you make awesome stuff and you believe your fans are backing you up because you make awesome stuff. If you don't have confidence in your abilities to produce good music, then sure, ask your fans, though it would be quite the disappointment, especially after 20+ years of making music. Yeah, maybe you release SC and fans are like "meh, okay", then what? It's not like you just announced your next 3 albums will sound the same like this and it's not like there weren't bitching for the last 12 years anyway. I think after you are hearing it for the millionth time that "omg, this is the end, so fucking bad" you realize: you could not even listen to the fans, even if you really wanted to.
I like Anders' response from the interview I linked, you really can't do much from fan feedback, unless it's greatly one-sided. And no, not even the SC hate is one sided, so what would you expect them to do for the next record if they would base it on fan-wishes? Make it like Lunar Strain! No, TJR 2 please! No, R2R was the best! Bullshit, Siren Charm is so good! Liar, CC is the absolute best!
There you go, please them! Not only you would give up your artistic integrity by just trying to do so, you are bound to fail. Pleasing fans live howewer, oh, so much easier. Play Paralyzed. Did they go fucking crazy? Yes. Awesome. Play Monsters In The Ballroom. Did they go fucking crazy. Noooooooooooooot really. Okay, let's play it some more, you can't judge by only 2-3 venues, but if it won't work out on the long run you will please them by ejecting it.
Everything being said, they are not doing a good job imo either. If you want to play only one song from pre-2000, don't fucking play Resin. Songs like Resin are cool if you play 3 or 4 pre 2000 songs, so even if there would be better songs even from the older ones, it's really cool to see such songs surface once in a while.
Does this answer your question?
I'm pretty sure he wouldn't give such a thing away if it means what you think it means. You imply he just rushes through with what he does, get it over asap then tour that shit, but looking at the context, he probably meant he's not the type of guy who works on new stuff 0-24, rather he sets to his mind to it when the time comes.
I mean, if I was interviewed, I wouldn'T just admit I'm fake and don'T give a crap about my music, even if it was true.