In Flames are dead. Finished. Buried. That’s what the critics said after founding member Jesper Strömblad departed in 2010 and the less-than-memorable impression that 2008’s A Sense of Purpose left on the metal world.
Rising from the ashes
However, the Swedish metallers didn’t quite tap out. Rather than throw in the towel or say to their fans, “Adios! It’s been real, yo!”, they locked themselves in the studio, channelled their inner Nigel Tufnel – turning up the dial to 11 – and dropped a scorcher of an album, titled Sounds of a Playground Fading (2011).
Despite not being able to call on Strömblad, who was a primary songwriter on their previous studio albums, guitarist Björn Gelotte stepped up to the plate and found an opportunity to prove his worth. “There’s a huge difference in how the songs were written this time. Jesper quit, so I wrote all the music. It was very strange not having him around, but at the same time we had the opportunity to do things a little bit differently as well. It was a good challenge for me,” Gelotte says.
Adding his two cents, vocalist Anders Fridén admits that he’s actually surprised the band is still around today. “This is number ten… album number ten! That we’ve even made it this far – that is amazing. Then, to deliver the album of our career, that is something else.” Maybe Fridén is being a bit presumptuous by proclaiming SOAPF as the album of their career, but it certainly proved to be the required injection to kick-start the Jester wheel. Realising that they needed to replace Strömblad, in order to continue delivering the dual harmonic guitar attack that they’re famed for, the group rang up an old friend, Niclas Engelin, who had been in and out of In Flames over the years, to take over the guitar duties left vacant by Strömblad – and, as they say, the rest is history.
Prepare for the inferno pit
South African music fans always whine that bands visit our shores long after their prime and we see more pensioners than titans. Also, proving that complaining is our national sport, we bitch that the bands who come out here just aren’t “metal” enough. Yet, when RAMfest announced that In Flames would be rocking the festival in 2012, there was a unanimous “f**k yeah!” shouted across the country (bar the 2 trolls who complained that “in flamez iznt rel metal!!! ur ghey!! brng anal blast n skullfuxxers!!!”), as local metal fans did a little dance of joy at the thought of an inferno pit to the sounds of Only For The Weak, Deliver Us or Cloud Connected.
Inevitably, fans want to hear all their favourite songs at a concert, and the forums have been raging with what sort of set list we can expect from the band. Well, no-one can really give you that answer, except the band (and they normally stay tight-lipped about setlists) – but, when discussing Sounds of a Playground Fading, Gelotte was quoted as saying, “I always like having dynamics in a song, on an album, in the setlist. That’s what keeps things interesting. Your ears and your mind will only take so much of the same thing before tuning it out completely.” Take from that what you will…
Open the Jester’s door to a world of metal
Touted as one of the pioneers of Gothenburg sound, which is now more commonly referred to as melodic death metal, In Flames have inspired a generation of musicians and music fans.
So, it goes without saying that the announcement of their impending arrival has single-handedly ensured that RAMfest 2012 is one of the hottest and most anticipated events of the forthcoming year – but if you still have any doubts about the potential awesomeness of In Flames at this event, just read what the band recently said about their live shows: “Expect riffs, sweat and beers so tasty that [you’ll be] ready to give up everything and move to Gothenburg – just to have another fix…”
Well, better brush up on your Swedish and get your passports ready over the next few months, boys and girls, because you might be moving to Sweden after RAMfest.
Tack för er uppmärksammhet!
For more information on In Flames
For more information on RAMfest
Connect with Muse