This interview may have already been posted, but I just read it again recently and laughed. It's with Bjorn:
Björn Gelotte, longtime lead guitarist for In Flames, discusses staying optimistic in dark times, literally playing with fire and much more.
newnoisemagazine.com
A year ago, almost to the day, In Flames—one of the most popular bands to ever come out of Sweden, regardless of genre—released what is considered to be their best album in decades. Foregone (Nuclear Blast), the band’s first concept album, saw frontman and vocalist Anders Fridén and longtime lead guitarist Björn Gelotte push their sound way past the melodic death metal boundaries in which they’ve been caged since the band began in 1990.
This opening paragraph is so strange that I'm not sure where to start. "One of the most popular bands to EVER come out of Sweden, regardless of genre" ? I'm not so sure about that. Ask most In Flames fans and they'll probably know who Abba are. I don't think it'd be the same in reverse. "what is considered to be their best album in decades, Foregone". Okay, firstly, considered by who exactly? Is there a community of In Flames scholars that have agreed this? Was there a vote I missed? Also, in
decades? As in, more than one? The band have only been active in three decades, discounting the current one, and I wouldn't even say Foregone is better than SOAPF which came out in the 2010s. That's one decade. It certainly isn't better than Clayman, Reroute or Come Clarity. I'm not even going to dignify the idea that it's better than anything from the 90s (discounting LS/Sub). At best it's the greatest album they've released in
this decade, but that's just by default, if we ignore the disgrace that was Clayman 2020. What a stupid thing to say.
I'm also not really sure about calling this a 'first concept album'. Wasn't I, the Mask technically a concept album with a story as well? TJR, Whoracle and Colony tell a story as much as Foregone does, too. I honestly don't even know what to say to the idea that they've "pushed their sound way past the melodic death metal boundaries in which they’ve been caged since the band began in 1990". Are you fucking joking? Half of this album
is trying to go back to that sound by copying other bands from the MDM genre, including themselves. The other half is the same Benson-infested pop-metal shit they've been churning out for ten years now. They haven't been 'caged' in anything - they've lost the vast majority of their older fanbase precisely because they refused to keep the same sound.
I genuinely don't think I've ever seen a single paragraph that gets so much so wrong. Literally everything. It's almost impressive.
As far as the second paragraph...
"Indeed, In Flames drew new attention with the 12 songs featured on Foregone, in particular the five singles it spawned: “State of Slow Decay,” “The Great Deceiver,” “Foregone, Pt. 1,” “Foregone, Pt. 2” and “Meet Your Maker.” Critics and fans alike cheered the band’s decision to explore alternative metal while shirking the “bro” attitude that plagued the subgenre in the late 1990s and early 2000s."
What does this even mean? Cheered their decision to explore alternative metal on Foregone? What? No, they cheered the idea that the band
moved away from the alternative metal sound, back to a supposedly more melodic death metal sound. Obviously when you listen to the album that isn't actually what happened, but still, those singles appeared to be a change in sound, not a continuation. I genuinely don't understand what the "bro attitude that plagued the subgenre in the late 1990s and early 2000s" even means. It literally seems to be something totally made up. if it was on wikipedia almost the entirety of these paragraphs would have "[CITATION NEEDED]" warnings plastered all over them.
"In Flames appear to have absorbed the feedback and are taking pride in
Foregone"
Yeah bro, so much so that they barely played any of the songs live. Very proud.
The interview with Bjorn is nothing special, the standard boring questions and answers for the most part, but this section was hilarious:
How do you feel about the Halo Effect?
How do I feel about it?
Well, it’s interesting to have a band with five members that were formerly from your band. They’re not going out and doing covers, obviously …
Haha, that’d be funny.
I ask because you guys in Gothenburg seem to always have a good feeling among yourselves, regardless of who is in or out of your bands.
These guys, I know all of them really, really well. And they know us really, really well. They’ve been part of (In Flames’ history). Obviously there was a point where they were done with In Flames—or with touring or the way we were touring and are touring. They’ve found a new way of creating music. These are all extremely good musicians, and they’re great live. I mean, individually—I’ve never seen the Halo Effect. I think it’s awesome if they found a way to create music together that fits them and their life now. I haven’t really heard (their debut album, Days of the Lost). I’m in full-on In Flames mode. Anyone you ask, I’m not really looking for anything new—and it doesn’t matter what band it is. But I’m pretty sure the handiwork will be really good. I’m just excited they can be out playing again.
It's literally like Anders is sitting right behind Bjorn, glaring at the back of his head as he gives the answers.
"How do you feel about The Halo Effect?"
Bjorn: [Looks surprised, gulping nervously and tensing up] ... h-how do I feel about it?
Anders: [Scowling behind Bjorn]
"Well, it’s interesting to have a band with five members that were formerly from your band. They’re not going out and doing covers, obviously …"
Bjorn: [nervous laugh, interrupting] Haha, that'd be funny. [eyes dart behind to the menacing figure of Anders]
Then the standard lie about not hearing any of the THE, being fully focused on IF and not needing anything else in his life, as Anders slowly nods approvingly.
What a load of shit.