IN FLAMES Frontman: 'I Don't Wanna Write Political Songs Or Fantasy Songs'

A Music Blog, Yea! recently conducted an interview with vocalist Anders Fridén of Swedish metallers IN FLAMES in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. You can now watch the chat below.

Speaking about the title of the new IN FLAMES album, "Battles", Anders said: "Well, I can't really write… I probably could, but I don't wanna write political songs or fantasy songs; I wanna deal with things that I deal with every day and, for the most part, our fans deal with. I mean, we have battles from a really young age up until the day we die, and it's important, I think, to deal with those things. You've gotta take care of your past so you can embrace the future. I think this is something that everybody can relate to."

Asked what it was like recording "Battles" in Los Angeles after tracking 2014's "Siren Charms" in Berlin, Anders said: "It was an awesome experience, 'cause it was so much more relaxed and easy-going than in Berlin. That was a stressful recording [session]. It was supposed to be like that, 'cause I wanted something out of that whole experience, and I think that 'Siren Charms' turned out exactly how I wanted it to be. But this one was recorded in the sun. Of course, not outside the studio, but it was the California sun, so, for us, it was, like, barbecue, beer and heavy metal 24-7. And it was just an awesome expeience. It was the first time we worked with a producer like Howard Benson, and he wanted us to do demos for all the songs, so everybody knew exactly what was gonna happen when we started to record them, and that's something we haven't done in the past. It's been music in one corner, vocals in one corner, and we sort of met up in the mix, and it's a surprise to everyone. But now everybody knew, and I think that made it a better experience for every member."

IN FLAMES drummer Daniel Svensson announced in 2015 that he was leaving the band to focus on his family life. He has since been replaced by Joe Rickard, who played on "Battles" as a session musician.

More recently, bassist Peter Iwers issued a statement in November saying that he was leaving IN FLAMES at the end of the recent U.S. tour "to pursue other endeavors." His replacement is Håkan Skoger, who has previously played with PASSENGER and GARDENIAN.