Bjorn Gelotte: Usually it’s really boring and either very cold or very warm. It’s not really hard work, but it’s not so entertaining and we’d rather not do them, but we understand it’s necessary from a media point of view. This time around was much easier. We went up to North Sweden. There’s not much of the band in it, so we didn’t have to stand around for hours on the set. They were really experienced, knew what they were doing, and knew what they wanted us to do. It wasn’t as bad as it usually is.
Are you looking forward to playing on Gigantour?
Yes, we’re really looking forward to it. Two of the bands we’ve never toured with, Job For A Cowboy and High On Fire. Children Of Bodom we’ve toured with several times and know those guys really well. Megadeth has had some highly influential albums for me guitarwise. Some of their songs are as good as it’s ever going to get. It’s going to be a great tour.
Since you have so many albums, does it keep getting more difficult to put together a setlist?
Even a full headlining set is getting complicated these days. We have 9 albums and do an hour and a half on a headlining set. It’s not possible to do all the songs we want to do or need to do. We did Ozzfest a couple years ago and got to play for 20 minutes. That’s five songs. How do you distill all your albums into 20 minutes? You can’t. We’ll get more than 20 minutes on Gigantour, but it will still be hard. It’s going to be the first tour we’re doing for the new album, so we really want to play a couple of the new ones. Some of the older stuff, sadly, has to suffer.
When you headline do you change things up and switch songs from show to show?
It depends. We always have a bunch of extra songs, but those switches are usually made at the beginning of the tour, because you have production going around it. Certain songs need to go into other songs and you have to plan it. Putting together the setlist is important. You have to keep yourself interested and focused. It’s complicated.
When you first joined In Flames you played drums and then later switched to guitar. What instrument did you play when you started in music?
It was guitar. It’s always been my main instrument. I’ve never felt really comfortable as a drummer, because I know there are so many way better drummers. With the guitar I feel I have my own sound and can write my own music with it. But at the time I joined In Flames they needed a drummer. The possibility of writing music was there, or I wouldn’t have chosen to join the band. I was able to join in on the writing right away, and that was very important to me.
How did you become a member of In Flames?
It’s my cousin’s fault. He was friends with Jesper. They grew up together and went to school together and shared the same music tastes, like thrash metal and hard hitting stuff. I was also into that, but in a totally different area of town. I never knew about Jesper until my cousin told me about a friend who was starting a band and needed a drummer. I didn’t know if I wanted to do it. I got there and we jammed a bit and tried out some ideas. I thought it really wasn’t my style. It was a bit too hectic for me. They recorded the first album, and I got really pissed because I missed the opportunity. It sounded great. It sounded really melodic. It was nothing like we had tried out in the rehearsal space. I was really into the album. Then I got offered to do it again, and this time I wasn’t going to let it go. I understood how to combine this aggressive drumming with all the melodies in the music.
If a guitar slot hadn’t opened up with In Flames, do you think you’d still be the drummer today, or would you have left to go to a different band?
I think I would have gone somewhere else. Nobody was happier than me when we found a drummer. Daniel (Svensson) had an audition, picked up the drumsticks and played two songs. He played them way better than I ever did. I was just laughing at how good he was. I was happy to go to the guitar and do what I feel comfortable doing. It was a great day for me.
In Flames, along with groups like Dark Tranquillity and At The Gates were pioneers in melodic death metal and the Gothenburg sound. Did you know at the time you were creating a new genre of metal?
People tell me this, but at the time we didn’t really think about it. We were in the middle of it, playing our music in front of a hundred people a night, which is amazing when you’re first starting out. You don’t think about starting a trend or putting Gothenburg on the map. Back then there was no media attention whatsoever. Nobody was interested in any of these bands. There were a lot of talented bands who had the opportunity to play these venues. Everybody wanted to play. It’s hard to see that you’re starting something new.
What do you think about the At The Gates reunion?
From a personal point of view I’m stoked. It’s going to be awesome. I love At The Gates. Slaughter Of The Soul is one of my all time favorites, ever since I heard it for the first time. It really sets the standard for what’s possible studiowise and musicwise. It’s going to be awesome to see them kick ass again. I never got the opportunity to see their original lineup. On a professional level, it feels like it’s a bit too late. They should have done this earlier. I hope they try to stay together for a longer period than just this summer.
What do you think is the most underrated In Flames album?
There was a period when we all of a sudden became sellouts in people’s opinions. We didn’t change anything musically, the only thing we did was go on a tour with a band called Slipknot. It changed everything. Perhaps the Reroute To Remain and Soundtrack To Your Escape didn’t get the credit that they deserve. But I don’t really pay attention to that, because I’m super happy with both of those albums. It’s hard enough for us five to agree on what’s good or not. We’ve been constantly growing, more people are coming to the shows and are interested in the band. We tour more than we ever did, and we’re doing something right.
