Apparently I remembered it wrong and the break-up was already before Clayman. In Revolver Mag there is an ASOP era interview with Anders and Jesper where they comment on the past albums.
https://www.revolvermag.com/music/flames-track-record
CLAYMAN
(Nuclear Blast, 2000)
For more than five years, In Flames seemed content to write songs that fit in with the thriving Gothenburg scene, but with their fifth album, the band took its first concrete steps away from the sound it had helped pioneer. The songs were still heavy and filled with intricate, intertwining guitars, but they were also experimental, including sampled beats, textural synths, and cleaner vocals.
Clayman bridged the gap between classic In Flames and the more commercial approach the band would take with releases to follow. It was also the last of four discs produced by definitive Swedish metal producer Fredrik Nordström (At the Gates, Arch Enemy, the Crown, Dark Tranquillity).
"The whole recording process with Fredrik wasn't the greatest, because he was tired of producing bands and we didn't feel like he was really into it," Fridén says. "It's funny, because the studio where we recorded Clayman is the same one where we recorded the new record, but now we own the place. The lyrics on
Clayman were very personal to me. I had just been through a bad breakup and I felt unsure of who I was, so the title was me saying, 'I'm clay, and you can use me, form me into whatever. I'll try to adapt.'"