First, how is this new tour goin' on, with Sepultura and Dagoba ?
It's cool! Really good! It's really a big honor for us to have Sepultura supporting us, it's great! And it's goin' on really well, we're having lot of fun!

Have you heard about Dagoba before this tour ?
Actually no, a friend of mine works for a record label in which they are signed and he introduces them to us...

About " Come Clarity " how was in general, the response from the fans and the medias ?
It's been really good ! It's our 8th and i won't gona say that I was expected something bad. We never try never to expect anything too huge 'cos the market is strange, but so far the response's been awesome, it's goin' on really well with the record. Better than anything before, we could only be happy with it.

You invited Lisa Miskovski on " Dead End ". Could you tell us more about her?
She's a swedish singer songs writer, she makes melow pop music, she's really really good, and we met her on some festivals a few years ago after we heard she was into metal basically. We were introduced together by some mutual friends, and we talked about having her on the record. Usually when stuff like this happen, it's when you meet different artists or friends from some different bands. So we talked about doing a possible collaboration, it never happens due to lack of time. But this time, she was free when Anders was in the studio, so we called her and she came down and did these vocals for an already existant track, and it came up perfectly.

At the Fury Fest you told us that "Come Clarity" was nearly ready. Why did it take so much time be released?
A lot of record compagny politics you know! So that's the first, and also 'cos we changed our label in the US. We wanted it to be released everywhere at the same time. It took like november, december until the deal was done. There always stuff happening around. There was the same things for the last record, it took like 9 or 10 month before it came out. They need to do promotion and stuff like that, there's always something happening and we're changing stuff. Here you have it!

And are you now satisfied with Ferret?
Absolutely! We wanted a label that could have our record everywhere. When we did a support tour before in the US, people go to the stores and couldn't find our cds. I wouldn't say it's unecessary to do the tour but at the same time if you do all this and you can't find the record anywhere you gona bye something else obviously. So we wanted a label that has good distribution, beeing able to have our music everywhere. So far it's really working out overthere, you can at least find them, to have a chance to get it.

You didn't know that the artwork of the record looks like to Sepultura's "Roorback" a lot?
Yeah I heard that! But I didn't know, I've read about it in a paper like 2 weeks ago. Derek Hess is the same artist. It's like if he did all our stuff, when he does something else, obviously we could recognize his style...

But don't you think it's a mistake from Derek not to tell you that he already used that before another band ?
Actually I have no opinion about that as I still haven't seen it, I juts heard about it.

Have you already shot a video-clip for "Come Clarity"?
Yeah we already did one for "Take This Life", it's done and it's out.

Oh ok, we didn't heard about that...
You haven't?

No! And did you make it with Patric Ullaeus?
Yeah, the same producer! We're gona shoot a new one for another song, we'll see...

Even if " Reroute To Remains ", " Soundtrack To Your Escape " and " Come Clarity " are different, your margin of profit seems to be reduce today. I mean that it seems to be hard for In Flames do go to higher level as a band. What do you think about that?
Why would it be? No, we just keep on do what we do and so far it's goin' on stably, so hopefully we'll continue in the futur as well. I don't really think about it hopefully, we'll see...

For " Soundtrack To Your Escape " you've only done one show in France. Tonight it's the 2nd for the promotion of "Come Clarity". Do you wish to come-back here in France for a bigger tour?
Yeah, we would really like that! Last year I think I told you that the promotors didn't want to book our type of music. That's why we didn't come. But yeah, we'd really like to play more in France, absolutely! Yesterday in Paris, it was awesome, it was sold-out. I don't know about tonight how it's gona be, but I hope things gona be good!

Since "Clayman" some people compare Anders to Jonathan Davis from Korn because of his look, his attitude on stage and the way to sing especially with the last record, what's your opinion about that ?
I think it's bullshit! If he wouldn't have his dreads, nobody would say anything, so I think it's completly bullshit! His sing has nothing to do with Jonathan Davis, he's better than Jonathan Davis. (Laugh)

On your website "Crawl Through Knives" came head of the poll results favourite "Come Clarity" song. What's your opinion about that?
I think all songs are equally good obviously! (Laugh)
Maybe it's easier to take in on the first listening, I really don't know. I don't really watched the poll, I try to be as much objective as I can and I play what I like. I like playing "Leeches" live, but I wouldn't say it's my favourite song, it's one thing to listen to it and wanted to play, it's different!

With 8 albums how do you proceed to choose the songs of the set-list? Do you take this poll results into consideration?
That's a lot of fists fighting in the band! (Laugh)
That's really hard, I think we rehearse 30 or 40 songs before this tour, and we played them all. Sometimes we change, for exemple we do 5 shows with the same set-list and sometimes we change with the rest you know. It's going harder and harder for each record. But we don't take the poll into consideration, we try to have a good mix between all the records and obviously focused on latest 3 or 4 records with a mix from the laters. It's a long show, it's like 24 songs something like that.

Where would you like to play you haven't play yet? And with which bands would you like to hit the stage ?
I'd like to go to China, I've never been there , that's probably my biggest dream to go there. We'd like to go to Russia, we'd like to go to South America. There are still some place where we haven't play. So far as sharing stage with other bands, I wanted to play with Iron Maiden and Slayer and I have, so I won't say that I'm fulfil but... But obviously there are still some bands we really like but we wouldn't feet on the bill with those band like pop bands, so that's the nice thing about festival with so many different types of music, that's something we really appreciate...

About your DVD "Used And Abused... In Live We Trust", it's a very complete one. But why did you keep focus on the Live At Hammersmith and at Sticky Fingers for the DVD's and the bonus cd's and not tried to put some shows on the cds different from those on the DVDs ?
No because cds just came as a bonus thing, cds are just a bonus thing, it's an extra. I mean you can bye it without the cds as well. There's already plenty of stuff on it, so I have to say for some more for next time.

Still about "Used And Abused... In Live We Trust", those 2 shows are very different, 1 on a big stage with pyrotchnic, and another one on a smaller place... Which kind of place you prefer to play?
I like both you know. On big places, obviously more people could come and see us, it's great to see big audience of people just jumping up and down on some of the songs. But at the same time, if I had to choose what I prefer, it can be closer to the audience and then I can get the energy and people's expressions on the faces and just have a mutual energy trade basically. But it's hard to choose...

At the Fury Fest you invited a fan to sing with you on stage. Is it something you do everynight like a tradition ?
No! We do it when we feel it basically. That's not something we do on every show because obviously some people would expect it. So if it's a really good show and if we have the energy to do it, if we have the feeling, and if we're in the mood to do that... we do it! It's not like "We're gona do it here, and here and here...", it's whenever you know !

So before coming on stage you don't know that you're going to do that?
We have to talk about it on stage sometimes. I mean oftenly we had guys coming up onstage guitar solo, we had bass players, drumers coming and did some stuff...

Some personal questions now. What are you listening to at the moment?
I listen to My Chemical Romance, I usualy don't listen to a lot of new music, I usualy stay in the past with Iron Maiden, Def Lepard, Slayer and stuff like that. My Chemical Romance's probably the most I hear from a newer band. I also like a band called Dredg, it sounds really good. I tried to open my eyes a little bit but i still fond of the old stuff.

What do you think was you best show as a spectator?
Hum... I think Iron Maiden in 1988 on the "Son Of A Seventh Son" Tour.

And the most desapointed one?
Iron Maiden 2004, I was really desappointed. That wasn't really a crappy show but it wasn't as good as i'd like it.

So do you have other plans beside touring the all year?
Only touring! (Laugh) I have some plans when I'm time off but that's very limited. Just try to take one day at the time, like today I was in the city just walking around of it and I don't think about tomorrow basically. When I'll wake up tomorrow I'll be somewhere else and I'll try to do something there. So take it easy, relax!

And with In Flames, will you do the festivals this summer ?
Yeah, we'll do some of them. And after this tour we'll have 3 more weeks in Europe, then we have like 2 weeks off in Sweden and then we'll go to the States, then some festivals, and we'll do the "Sounds Of The Underground" Tour in the U.S. We'll also have more touring but we don't know exactly where, there will be South America, Australia, Japan... wait and see. Hopefully we'll come-back to do another European tour but we don't know really when that will be. Maybe this year or early next year. We have to wait and see.

Is there a band you'd like to tour with for this next european tour ?
There's always bands I'd like to tour with. It's already in plan but no names! (Laugh)

To finish, 2 small questions. If you could reunit a band, which would it be?
Hum... The Beatles.

And the one you'd like to split up?
(Laugh) No band! I keep that to myself! (Laugh)


Interview Nathalie, Manu & OS
Translation Manu