IN FLAMES Guitarist: 'Siren Charms' Is 'A Great Summarization Of Everything We've Done'

Steven Rosen of Ultimate-Guitar.com recently conducted an interview with guitarist Björn Gelotte of Swedish metallers IN FLAMES. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Ultimate-Guitar.com: What prompted you to go back into the studio and record the "Siren Charms" album?

Gelotte: It was a timing thing. For this record, we weren't even signed when we started recording. Firstly, we're extremely lazy — or I am — so when we're touring I don't write anything at all. So I kind of need to deadline to start. Like, "We're gonna record in October so you better start writing." I need that. We had some time off and we said, "Wow, it would be nice to have a new record to tour on."

Ultimate-Guitar.com: Did you have any song ideas at all?

Gelotte: I had a riff bag with ideas that I didn't use that much for the record. But I started slowly doing that.

Ultimate-Guitar.com: Why did you decide to record at Hansa Tonstudios [U2, DAVID BOWIE] in Berlin?

Gelotte: Anders [Fridén, vocals] was down there and he was visiting and got to see all the facilities and got to meet the people working there and he just fell in love. Today recording is not the same thing it was 10 or 15 years ago. You don't normally go to a studio like this. You don't need to go to a studio like this to sound OK.

Ultimate-Guitar.com: Now you can virtually record in your basement and sound amazing.

Gelotte: There was something in the atmosphere. Being in Berlin for six weeks and being in that fantastic studio where all these fantastic records had been made, it adds something to it. I can't really put my finger on what it is. I know it helped Anders a very big deal to be there and get the atmosphere and to have something to get in the right mood I think.

Ultimate-Guitar.com: Were you picking up on the atmosphere as well?

Gelotte: For me, it was more of a very cool place to be. I was at I don't know how many concerts because every band in the world seems to be touring through Berlin and I can live with that. And they have great food, great beer and a lot of awesome people. So I had a blast down there.

Ultimate-Guitar.com: IN FLAMES is one of the bands credited with creating melodic death metal but you're so much different than other bands in this style.

Gelotte: It is because we like what we do. I'm not saying other bands don't tour, but we tour a shitload and you learn so much from that. Not only by seeing other bands, but about yourself and your writing and how structures in the song could be and how it could help you and how the actual show could benefit from having more dynamics in there. And how when you listen and look at other bands, you learn from their good ideas and perhaps even from what you might perceive as their mistakes. I think it's very important just to play live. That's where you really distill your sound a little bit and also evolve it.

Ultimate-Guitar.com: IN FLAMES has gone through a lot of major changes so you must be really proud with what you've done on the "Siren Charms" album.

Gelotte: It's the best one we've done up to date, obviously, because it's the freshest. It kinda portrays us as musicians where we are right now, not only playing-wise but writing-wise. This is where we are right now, and it's a great statement and summarization of everything we've done without looking back to the roots. Everything we've done has put us here now in this mode and in this way of writing. So, of course, I'm extremely proud of it.

Read the entire interview at Ultimate-Guitar.com.