Sweden has really established itself as the home of death metal in the 90s.  Taking the sound invented in the States to a whole new level, bands like Entombed, At The Gates, and Dismember set the standards for not just brutality, but also melody and technical ability.  Then along came Dark Tranquility and In Flames, mixing in elements of folk and classic metal to create an even more potent and accessible variation on the death theme.

With their fourth full-length album, Colony, just released and tour plans around the world, In Flames are set to build even further on their already sizable fanbase.  I had the pleasure to talk to vocalist Anders Friden recently about the latest developments in the In Flames camp…

In your opinion, what is the biggest difference between Colony and previous In Flames releases?
First off, we have become much better as musicians and it helped in the studio to get a better sound, a better production.  There are better songs, too.  I mean, the last album was almost two years ago, but I don't actually see that big of a change.  We are following the path we have made, not too big of a step.  We've stayed true to ourselves, doing what we want and what we love.  It's a bit more heavy and also the use of some electronics, like drum loops and stuff, that hasn't been there in the past, so that has changed our sound a little bit.

Is there a theme to this album, lyrically?
Mmm, yes and no.  It's not a big concept like The Jester Race and Whoracle were.  It's more of my view on where I am today, or since the writing of the album in '98 and '99 - what I hear when I talk to people, what I hear on the radio, see on TV, and playing a little bit with the future and what will happen.  But it is like small stories in each song, not a common theme all over.

Why the title Colony and how does the cover art fit into that?
Well, it's not a big thing behind the title actually.  I had ideas for a couple of titles that I showed to the others, like 'What do you think about this?' and they liked this 'Colony' thing.  It's short, it's rememberable, and it's linked to the past, the present and the future.  The song "Colony" is more about, instead of sitting around complaining about things, it's better to take it in your own hands and do it better yourself.  A lot of people, including myself sometimes - I'm not better than anyone else - just complain about things.  If you're not out there doing it better yourself, then you should just shut up.  As for the cover, I gave Andreas Marshall the lyrics and told him a little bit what I wanted, more or less what mood I wanted, but I feel like he's an artist and he will do better work if he works from his own head instead of me standing over him, telling him exactly what to do.

Could you describe the typical song-writing process for In Flames?
Jesper (Strömblad, guitar) and Bjorn (Gelotte, guitar) do the riffs at home, they bring it to the rehearsal studio where all of us put our own identity on the song.  Then we'll put it together, leave something open for the studio, like some melodies or solos.  It's more fun to work in the studio when not everything is planned, as you can come up with new ideas and stuff.  I write the lyrics.  I write small pieces here and there and then put them together, make them a story.

You mentioned using some electronics and whatnot, so I was curious if the recording process was any different this time?
We used the same studio, Studio Fredman, but we did work a little differently.  Like, we made three songs in a row, the complete songs, instead of making all the basic tracks in a row, like all the drums, all the bass and so on.  So we had everything, all the microphones, up there all the time.  Then we could concentrate more on each and every song.  [when doing them all at once], when you're on your tenth song or whatever, after a lot of drum takes, you tend more to be like, 'Oh, whatever.'  We used a guy for the electronics thing, but we made the song as we would have made it without the electronics - made it the normal In Flames way - so we put the electronics after, instead of building the song around the electronics.

Do you enjoy working in the studio?
Yeah, I like it a lot, but it is a totally different thing from playing live.  I like both.  If it is a great vibe in the studio and you are able to experiment, you have time, then it's a lot of fun - not when there is stress or you have to come up with something really, really fast.  Or you have everybody against you (laughs) or something like that.  It happens sometimes, where you're making something you're very proud of, and the others are like, 'Uhhh….,' and you have to compromise.  Most of the time, we are on the same level, otherwise it wouldn't work.

Are you involved in any music projects outside of In Flames?
No, I work in all my spare time (laughs).  In Flames takes a hell of a lot of time:  we rehearse pretty often, we tour and stuff.  But I have the studio, the Studio Fredman where we recorded.  We recently moved and built two studios in one, and I am half owner and work there, so that takes most of my time.

Do you think you might get more involved in the production side of things?
I'd like to, but I don't have that much time.  In Flames is my main priority and as long as that is taking the most time, I will concentrate on that.  When I'm at home, I try to work with bands because it is good fun and I like to meet people.  I have to think about the future as well.  I mean, I don't think I'll be screaming my ass off when I'm 50.  But you never know…

You're heading to Japan soon to tour - have you guys been there before?
Yeah, we were there in the beginning of '98, February, and it was an amazing experience.  We played two sold-out shows, one for 600 people and one for 1400 people, and it was amazing.  All hands in the air, from the first row to the last.  We played there by ourselves and…it's hard to describe.  I'm really looking forward to going back there again.  Everybody was really friendly.

I have heard that you might be doing some dates in the U.S. as well - any more info on that?
For now, I know that we are definitely going to the Milwaukee Metalfest, but then I don't know.  It was meant from the beginning that we'd do some more dates around Milwaukee while we were over there, but now I don't know if we're going straight back to Sweden to do some more festivals, and then go back to the States and do both Canada and South America as well.  For now, it is only Milwaukee, which is going to be great because this is the first time we've played there.  I'm really looking forward to seeing how it is, you know.  You hear so much about how the metal scene is in the States and I'd like to experience that.

Going back a bit, how did you come up with the name 'In Flames' in the beginning?
Well…(laughs)  A former guitarist of ours, Glenn, who left after Whoracle was released, it's something which was in his head and I don't really know.  I wasn't in the band in that period, so I really have no clue.  I have some clue, but it's not worth to mention I promise you. (laughs)  But it's a good name - short, memorable.

In Flames have become kind of the standard by which all melodic death metal bands are compared lately.  How does that feel, to be in that band?
If people use us as an inspiration…  It's an honor to be recognized as the band that has been in the forefront because we always have done this, even if we've developed as musicians, we always done the same thing.  We haven't bowed to any trends.  If there was a trend, it definitely was because people talk about this New Wave of Swedish Death Metal and the Gothenburg style or whatever - the trend came to us and not the other way around.  It's nice to be recognized.  It's an advantage, but also a disadvantage because people get sick of the whole concept and if you're recognized as a one-dimensional band, then it's not good.  To be named as an inspiration, though, is an honor, of course.

What is your take on how the whole death metal scene has progressed over the years?
Well…everything comes and goes.  Here in Europe, we've had this big - and I think it's on its way down now - heavy metal revival, bands from the 80s, and also some new bands as well.  Like HammerFall have had great success over here.  I don't really know what happened to them when they were in the States.  I talked to them a little bit, but it was more about the (laughs) beer and the girls.  Seriously though, I don't know what happened over there, but over here, now there's a couple brutal death metal bands and I'm hearing about a revival for them.  But I feel it is healthy, that there are bands coming and going.  A lot of younger bands come up, take the old concept and make it a little bit…not more interesting, but they take it to another level and make their own thing from something old.  I listen to so much music, it wasn't so much before when I was into the whole underground thing.  The underground is good and we wouldn't be here without it, but nowadays it seems like the bands talk more shit about each other and before people helped each other.  Now, it's 'who is more evil than the other' or 'who is more brutal' - that's not my cup of tea.

The official In Flames web page is pretty good and I was wondering if you spend much time on the 'net?
Well yeah, we're out there, we're connected, all five of us.  There's a guy who is running that page and doing a good job and we try to keep it updated as much as possible.  Sometimes we have chats with fans.  We have had pages in the past and I've seen other bands where the news pages are really, really old, and that's kind of boring, so we try to be as up there as possible.

What are your long-term goals for In Flames?
Well, to tour as much as possible.  My biggest wish is that every person in the world should own an In Flames CD, but (laughs) I believe that is never going to happen.  To reach out to as many people as possible, be a good influence to other bands.  We do this our own way and if people become happy or angry or whatever, as long as we can touch people.  We love to do this, all five of us.  That's basically it.