{"id":50152,"date":"2016-11-11T00:00:48","date_gmt":"2016-11-11T00:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/?p=50152"},"modified":"2016-12-01T19:21:59","modified_gmt":"2016-12-01T19:21:59","slug":"feature-in-flames-11-16","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/feature-in-flames-11-16\/","title":{"rendered":"IN FLAMES – Underneath Their Skin (November 2016) | Features \/ Interviews @ Metal Forces Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

IN FLAMES – Underneath Their Skin<\/strong><\/span>
\nAnthony Morgan<\/span>
\nNovember 2016<\/span><\/p>\n

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In Flames (l-r): Niclas Engelin, Peter Iwers, Joe Rickard, Anders Frid\u00e9n and Bj\u00f6rn Gelotte<\/b><\/em><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n
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\nGothenburg, Sweden-based melodic death metal group In Flames began writing sessions for November 2016 full-length studio album Battles<\/em> \u2013 their 12th, overall \u2013 at the home of guitarist Bj\u00f6rn Gelotte, authoring riffs as well as melodies. Vocalist Anders Frid\u00e9n and Gelotte subsequently convened in Los Angeles, California at the invitation of producer Howard Benson, continuing said sessions. <\/p>\n

\u201cIn Flames\u2019 songs always start with aiming for a good melody, and when we had a bunch of ideas, we decided to work with Howard Benson,\u201d Anders remembers. \u201cHe said \u2018Why don\u2019t you come out to California and continue to write here, and then record at my studio?,\u2019 so we went there for two-and-a-half weeks prior to the recording. Me and Bj\u00f6rn went to a big house, built up a little studio, and just wrote, wrote, and wrote. When it came to the end of the two-and-a-half weeks, we continued to write. It went pretty smoothly, and we had a phenomenal time. We did demos for all of the songs together with Howard. <\/p>\n

\u201cRecording when you already know what\u2019s going to happen actually makes it easier, because in the past, we\u2019ve been recording guitars and all of the music I should say in one corner, and vocals and vocal arrangements in the other corner. We\u2019d meet up during the mix, and everybody didn\u2019t really know exactly what was going to happen. This time, we knew exactly what was going to happen, so therefore the experience was more enjoyable I should think. In total, we recorded 15 tracks. We have one track in the drawer, which is recorded. We\u2019ll see what happens with that song, if it ends up anywhere. I feel we could have continued to write and record if we had more time, because it just felt that good.\u201d<\/p>\n

In selecting a producer for Battles<\/em>, Howard Benson wasn\u2019t solely considered. \u201cWe talked to a bunch of producers before this album, like seven or eight \u2013 people we looked up to and admired,\u201d the singer reveals. \u201cWe ended up working with Howard, because he\u2019s the right producer for us. He didn\u2019t want to change us; he just wanted to help us create, and be as good as we could possibly be at that point. Looking back, it was the right decision. Him and his whole team did a great job. The whole recording went very smooth \u2013 it didn\u2019t take too long for us to get our ideas down to tape. Yeah, it was good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Howard Benson\u2019s suggestion to pen and cut material in Los Angeles didn\u2019t have a great impact on the resultant effort, per se. \u201cI think it doesn\u2019t matter where you\u2019re recording and writing,\u201d Anders reasons. \u201cSiren Charms<\/em> (September 2014) was recorded in late November in Berlin and it was cold and raining, and that didn\u2019t have much of an effect on the album. Now, we\u2019ve recorded in sunny California where we had like 25 degrees celcius heat, and every place you could dream of had good beer and barbeque. Of course, that has an effect on the whole process, but I don\u2019t think it makes the band something completely different. It\u2019s still up to the band to create the sound, although I\u2019m quite convinced that a place and time has an effect on an album.\u201d<\/p>\n

The sound In Flames has resultantly created in the form of Battles<\/em> will inevitably be critiqued against past outings, although the frontman refuses to be drawn in on such debates. \u201cIt\u2019s up to other people to do that,\u201d he argues. \u201cI just record and create \u2013 I don\u2019t like to put songs or albums next to each other. I think it\u2019s a great album. It was enjoyable to record, and I think it represents where In Flames are very well. That\u2019s the thing I\u2019ve felt every time we\u2019ve recorded an album, though, from the early days up until now, and I think it holds really well next to the other albums. It doesn\u2019t sound exactly the same as the previous one, or the ones before that. It\u2019s exactly how we wanted it to be. We don\u2019t want to be the same again and again, but we want to have that signature In Flames sound. I think whether you like what we do or not, you can still hear that it\u2019s an In Flames song. It\u2019s in the music and the voice, and everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Where In Flames are\u2019 happens to be familiar territory. \u201cMusically, I think it\u2019s the same,\u201d Anders judges. \u201cBj\u00f6rn still calls Rainbow, Deep Purple and Dio his biggest inspirations, I would say. I don\u2019t know if people would understand that if they listen to the album (laughs). Battles<\/em> is about our inner struggles, and how we try to embrace the future. I think we always have those inner battles, whether we\u2019re young or we\u2019re old. It\u2019s something that everybody can relate to, but then when In Flames creates music, we don\u2019t look really look outside much. Again, we just want to create good melodies, and something that we feel represents In Flames. It\u2019s nothing strange, really.\u201d<\/p>\n

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As referenced, Battles<\/em> lyrically documents one\u2019s inner struggles. \u201cThe album is about our inner struggles, and the importance of having goals in your life to reach, and embracing the future,\u201d the lyricist repeats. \u201cIt\u2019s about not missing opportunities that are there in front of you, that you\u2019re surrounded by, and the importance of having an open mind and a clear path. It\u2019s about things that I\u2019ve felt and lived through throughout my whole life. It\u2019s not necessarily something that happened yesterday \u2013 it could be about something that happened many, many years ago. I think every song is very much open to interpretation by the listener; they can make up something which is closer to them and maybe not exactly what I was writing about, but something that they feel.\u201d<\/p>\n

Battles<\/em> delves into inner struggles of a personal nature for Anders, as opposed to the inner struggles of those at large. \u201cI think it\u2019s easier to look into your own life,\u201d he figures. \u201cOf course, not everything is a 100% accurate at all times, but for the most part it\u2019s very much about me.\u201d<\/p>\n

And of course, aiding the performer in documenting said inner struggles was Howard Benson. \u201cHe just told us to come out here to California and write,\u201d he shares. \u201cHe said \u2018I want to hear demos of all the songs.\u2019 We had to explain to him what we wanted to say with a song musically and lyrically. He was someone that we could bounce ideas off of and just gave us pointers, like \u2018Think about this\u2019 and \u2018Think about that\u2019 or \u2018Remove this part here\u2019 or \u2018You don\u2019t have to play that riff for one more minute. It\u2019s not getting better.\u2019 Stuff like that \u2013 small things. He didn\u2019t go in and say \u2018Do this\u2019 or \u2018Do that,\u2019 or \u2018You should sound like that.\u2019 In the past, it\u2019s been very repetitive. Now, we had to open up and let someone into our inner circle. <\/p>\n

\u201cLooking at it before recording, it was a bit scary because we didn\u2019t know where things would go. When you let go of your control, it\u2019s not easy, but he was very disciplined with recording. Not only with the production, but the way they recorded and the way they worked. So, he made it very easy. They have a certain style. Mike Plotnikoff, who was co-producer, recorded the guitars, bass, and drums. He made the guys extremely comfortable while recording their instruments, and they had a good time. There was no stress; there wasn\u2019t so much pressure as we had during let\u2019s say Siren Charms<\/em>. It was just a very easy-going feeling and I think that you can hear that, but it has a warmer atmosphere and a warmer feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n

Prior to cutting vocals for Battles<\/em>, Anders sought the assistance of a vocal coach. \u201cI decided already before coming to LA that I wanted to go to a vocal coach, just to learn my instrument a little bit better,\u201d he explains. \u201cI went to this guy called Mark; he talked a lot about how to breath correctly, and how important it is in terms of how you feel that day when performing. It was much more than just standing next to a piano, and singing. He gave me a lot of pointers, actually, that I took into recording. <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd of course there was Howard also, and the same with the guitars, bass, and drums. He wanted us to perform as good as possible when we were doing our takes, so yeah. When I do my vocals, I always think of the way the music was done and created. I want the vocals to reflect that. I\u2019m just trying to paint a picture; I\u2019m doing the last part of the painting, and that\u2019s just colouring it the right way I guess. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not in this to become the best singer in the world, but I think I have a unique voice, and it works really good for us. I think it\u2019s a unique voice, and it has an identity where people can say \u2018Okay, that\u2019s Anders.\u2019 It\u2019s more about emotions and feeling \u2013 it doesn\u2019t have to be perfectly pitched. It\u2019s just the feeling, almost as if you knew what I was singing about. You get that feeling because of how it sounds.\u201d<\/p>\n

The assistance of a vocal coach greatly aided the vocalist during the recording process. \u201cI think it did a lot, because I did that throughout the whole recording,\u201d he discloses. \u201cIt\u2019s not about becoming the greatest singer; it\u2019s about understanding your instrument, how to develop your instrument, and how you take care of your instrument \u2013 in this case, my voice. I know when I should sing, and how the whole body\u2019s connected. It\u2019s one big chamber, in a way. You can place your voice in different regions of your body or areas of your body, and that creates a certain feeling. I definitely think it helped. It was amazing. It was a big thing for me going there after all of these years of doing the same thing. It was an eye-opener.\u201d<\/p>\n

The benefits of having undertaken vocal lessons will additionally help Anders during live performances. \u201cYeah, I definitely think so,\u201d he seconds.<\/p>\n

Cover artwork responsibilities for Battles<\/em> was handled by Blake Armstrong. \u201cBlake Armstrong is the same guy that worked on our previous album, and he\u2019s also the guy who created The Jester\u2019s Curse<\/em> (2013),\u201d the singer informs. \u201cHe\u2019s a fan, actually. He came up to us and showed us some drawings that he had done many years ago. Then he became a close friend of the band, and he was the only one I could think of for this album. <\/p>\n

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In Flames (l-r): Anders Frid\u00e9n, Bj\u00f6rn Gelotte, Joe Rickard, Peter Iwers and
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\u201cI gave him the concept of the album. I gave him all of the lyrics, and just asked for his interpretation. I asked the way he felt when he listened and read the lyrics, and that was what he came up with. We\u2019re all sci-fi fans and he knows, so it has the sci-fi feeling of the album, and the title Battles<\/em> is memorable. I wanted the cover to be iconic as well. It doesn\u2019t have too many things going on. He came up with this, and I\u2019m really happy with it. I think it stands out in a crowd, if you know what I mean.\u201d<\/p>\n

Excluding Scandinavia, Battles<\/em> underwent European issue through Nuclear Blast, In Flames\u2019 return to the label announced on June 16th, 2016. \u201cI\u2019ve been part of the family for a long time,\u201d Anders enthuses. \u201cIt\u2019s good to be back, and I have high hopes for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Directed by Patric Ullaeus of Revolver Film Company, music videos were filmed for the tracks \u2019The End\u2019 and \u2018The Truth\u2019. \u201cThey are connected in terms of their stories,\u201d the frontman divulges. \u201c\u2018The End\u2019 is the beginning, and \u2018The Truth\u2019 comes after. You can actually play them around and around, and everybody can see. We had a fun time recording them. We don\u2019t appear that much in the videos \u2013 they\u2019re not performance videos. We came up with this concept together with Patric Ullaeus the director, and he did hell of a job of creating it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Further music videos will likely be filmed to promote the release of Battles<\/em>. \u201cYeah, most likely,\u201d Anders ponders. \u201cWe haven\u2019t recorded anything yet, though.\u201d<\/p>\n

And as well, In Flames will naturally tour across the globe to promote Battles<\/em>. Stepping behind the drumkit will be Joe Rickard, whose appointment was confirmed on September 17th, 2016. The departure of previous sticksman Daniel Svensson had been revealed on November 7th, 2015. \u201cDaniel left because he wanted to be home with his family, which is entirely understandable,\u201d the wordsmith reflects. \u201cIf you can\u2019t devote pretty much your whole life to this band (laughs), then it\u2019s not the right place for you. If you spend so much time away and you don\u2019t have your heart in the right place, then you should stay home. He made that decision, and I understand. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe was a long-time member of the band; he was in the band for 18 years, and was hard to replace. It was a big blow at first, because we didn\u2019t know what to do. We had to go to America and rehearse with a drummer before that. It was something that was in the way of recording, so we thought to get someone that could just record the album. There\u2019s a lot of studio musicians, so we thought to think about the auditions or whatever afterwards, when we got back home. <\/p>\n

\u201cThen Joe was working in the studio with Howard though, and he got highly recommended by them. He was helping us out with some programmes. He said \u2018Can I try? Can I play on some tracks?,\u2019 and we said \u2018Yeah, go ahead. Let\u2019s see what you can do.\u2019 We were amazed with his drumming. On top of that, he was a really good guy. We took in a few bars and had a few beers, and just talked. And yeah, he proved to be an awesome dude. After we recorded all of the songs, we asked him if he wanted to be a part of this, and he said \u2018Yes.\u2019 So, here we are, and it feels really good. It was a transition.\u201d<\/p>\n

Battles<\/em> was released on November 11th, 2016 in Europe (excluding Scandinavia) via Nuclear Blast. North American issue was handled by Eleven Seven Music Group.<\/p>\n

Interview published in November 2016.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

IN FLAMES – Underneath Their Skin Anthony Morgan November 2016 In Flames (l-r): Niclas Engelin, Peter Iwers, Joe Rickard, Anders Frid\u00e9n and Bj\u00f6rn Gelotte Gothenburg, Sweden-based melodic death metal group In Flames began writing sessions for November 2016 full-length studio album Battles \u2013 their 12th, overall \u2013 at the home of guitarist Bj\u00f6rn Gelotte, authoring […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,205],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-50152","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-features","category-in-flames"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50152","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50152"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50152\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50443,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50152\/revisions\/50443"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50152"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50152"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50152"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}