CHRIS BRODERICK Says He Has More Artistic 'Freedom' In IN FLAMES Than He Did In MEGADETH

As part of Jonathan Montenegro's "My 3 Questions To" series, Chris Broderick was asked if he found the "artistic freedom" he wanted in IN FLAMES after he left MEGADETH a decade ago or if he is "pursuing those interests in some other way". The 54-year-old guitarist responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think they [IN FLAMES singer Anders Fridén and guitarist Björn Gelotte] definitely give me a lot more freedom because I can pursue them in my own ways. I think, though, at the end of the day, they're going to always write an album that is IN FLAMES. And so they're going to be the ones really kind of scrutinizing what that will be. And I understand that to no end, because they are one of the original bands of that sort of Swedish sound, and nothing I could do could really create that. I would love to add to it, and they've already allowed me to do that, and I love that. At the same time, they're, like, 'Oh, if you wanted to go and write a solo album or anything like that,' I have the opportunity to do that as well."

Only hours after drummer Shawn Drover announced his exit from MEGADETH on November 25, 2014 to "to pursue [his] own musical interests," Broderick revealed he also quit the legendary metal band, saying that he was leaving the group "due to artistic and musical differences."

Seven and a half years ago, Broderick spoke to Ultimate-Guitar.com about the circumstances that led to his decision to exit MEGADETH. He said: "I wouldn't say it's necessarily artistic and musical differences as much as it is the ability to express my musical and artistic choices. Everybody knows that MEGADETH is really Dave [Mustaine] and that's fine."

He continued: "I knew that [Mustaine was captain of the ship] going in. But there comes a time where you're like, 'I've done this and it's great but I'm a musician and artist at heart and I need to express myself that way. So I need to have that outlet for myself and not just do it in support of another person.'"

Regarding how MEGADETH was run, Broderick said: "It wasn't a democratic or an equal band in terms of the decision-making process. And again, I was totally fine with that at the time. It was awesome for my career and it was great playing for all those fans but at some point, when do you decide you're gonna be a musician and really create your own music or are you just going to record what somebody else wants?"

Asked if he would stayed in MEGADETH if he had been given more input and creative freedom, Chris said: "Oh, yeah. Definitely."

Broderick previously told Zombitrol.com about the three MEGADETH studio albums that he played on, 2009's "Endgame", 2011's "TH1RT3EN" and 2013's "Super Collider": "Ultimately, I didn't feel the freedom to be able to express myself musically on those CDs. So, for me, I have fond memories of really, more [than] anything, getting out and meeting the fans and being a part of that live culture, where they were so nice, they were so welcoming to me. You know, when you fill in somebody else's shoes, not everybody's gonna be there to congratulate you. And I felt like, overall, the fans really did, and I appreciate that to no end. But as far as the discography goes, I don't feel like I really had a lot of creative input on that end."

In a 2015 interview with Guitar World, Broderick said that "there definitely was a dress code that [Mustaine] wanted to maintain for a MEGADETH look. For me, with everything in this camp, I saw very early on that Dave is the owner of the company and he is the one that has the right to say how the company is presented and how it should look. The only time we had any issues was when I didn't know a specific thing about how he wanted my appearance to be, and then I would find out as we went along. I saw it very early on as a job requirement and I felt that if the job is worth it to me then I would make those changes."

Regarding whether he had considered leaving the band in the past, Broderick said: "I was constantly weighing the positives against the negatives. I likened it to a lawyer that's working for a firm and finally wants to break out and start his own firm or a chef that wants to open up his own restaurant. You have to deal with the corporate mannerisms from the company you're working for. And once it gets to a point where you feel like you would be happier on your own, that's when you finally to cut the cord. I had been thinking about what to do for a long time, but up until I decided to leave, I always felt the positives outweighed the negatives."

Asked when that balance tipped, Broderick responded: "Not until the last quarter of 2014. I was dwelling on my lack of musical creativity in the band. Dave was getting ready to go in and do another CD and my heart just wasn't in it because I knew I wasn't going to have any artistic say in the definition of the album and the music. He was calling, saying, 'Hey, I want to get you guys down there.' The last thing I wanted to do was go down there and work on a partial CD and then say, 'Hey, this isn't for me.' It was just the right time to leave."

In a 2022 interview with Sweden's RockSverige.se, Broderick was asked what he learned from the time that he spent as the lead guitarist for MEGADETH. He responded: "I took a lot away from it, because it really showed me that there is a lot more to music than the music, which I both appreciated and hated at the same time. Prior to that, I was just, like, I'm a musician. I'm a guitarist and I play the guitar.' And when I joined MEGADETH and got into that camp, it really showed me how interested people are in your personality and who you are as an individual, and that was shocking to me. How you present yourself and stuff like that. So that's like one of the biggest things I learned from my time in MEGADETH."

Broderick joined IN FLAMES in early 2019 as the replacement for Niclas Engelin.