IN FLAMES Drummer: 'We'll Never Release Something That We Can't Stand Behind'

Giorgio Mustica of The Aquarian Weekly recently conducted an interview with drummer Daniel Svensson of Swedish metallers IN FLAMES. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

The Aquarian Weekly: It seems like the band has been coming to America pretty often the past few years. Is there something about coming here that you guys really enjoy?

Daniel: We enjoy playing anywhere, but it's convenient touring in North America and we have a solid fan base that we've been building up since we started. We don't really mind touring; we can go wherever, basically. As long as there is a scene, we'll go. The U.S. and Canada have been treating us well, so we're happy to be back.

The Aquarian Weekly: Your latest album has been received very well from both fans and the press. Have you paid attention to what the reaction is like?

Daniel: Of course. We're really grateful that people are still supporting us, even though sometimes we experiment a little bit with the music, but our fans are really staying loyal to the band and we're really happy. But we try not to think too much about what people would think about the album while we're writing. It's most important that we can stand behind it and be proud of it. And we'll never release something that we can't stand behind. If people like it, that's a bonus, and they do, so we're happy.

The Aquarian Weekly: Speaking of experimenting with the music, do you think the bands sound has changed much over the past few years?

Daniel: Yeah, if you compare the first album with the last one, there's a big change, of course, but it's been a smooth transition in between every album. And we're not a band that wants to record the same album twice. We're not like AC/DC or IRON MAIDEN — they basically sound the same all the time, which, it's them — but we want to experiment a little bit and work in different ways when it comes to production and everything. We don't want to stagnate, we want to try new stuff all the time and of course, this album would change with that but it's not really any drastic change though, I would say.

The Aquarian Weekly: What are your own personal thoughts about the album? Do you listen to it all in your spare time?

Daniel: No, I don't listen to it. I did before but now when were touring and were playing the songs every night, I try to stay away from the songs when Im not playing them. But I'm really happy with the album and how it turned out. We put in a lot of work on the album, and since we have our own studio back home in Gothenburg, we can really sit and work 'till we're really satisfied. We don't have the time pressure that other bands can have when they record because they're renting time in the studio. But yeah, I can't be [happier] with the album than I am.

Read the entire interview from The Aquarian Weekly.