In Flames Control Issues

In Flames guitarist Jesper Stromblad is a fan of adages. There's an old one that says musicians tend to treat their songs like children, watching them grow and blossom and protecting them from harm.

That's a particular favourite of his because he knows it's true, and admits he had to loosen the apron strings when dealing with the Gothenburg, Sweden-based death metal band's ninth studio effort, A Sense Of Purpose.

"The original song ideas were very different than how they ended up on the album," he says. "In the past, I've been a stubborn person to work with.

"People may have had an idea for the song, but I was, like, 'No. This is my vision. It's my song.' But then I realized that some of the other guys have their own vision. I'm narrow-minded, and their fresh ears help. Sometimes too many chefs can be a good thing."

While Stromblad is great at maximizing — and warping — his axioms, he's obviously not a fan of conciliation. But throughout the year-and-a-half the band (completed by vocalist Anders Friden, guitarist Bjorn Gelotte, bassist Peter Iwers and drummer Daniel Svensson) spent writing and recording A Sense Of Purpose, he begrudgingly grew accustomed to the notion. He now concedes the collaborative writing has provided stellar results.

"I decided to have an open mind and give my babies over to them for dissection. It's a group effort, and we've never worked like that before. We used to fight more about what we wanted to do, and sometimes I'd compromise, even though I hate doing that. With the results in my hands now, though, I wouldn't change anything. It was weird in the beginning, but it worked out well."

Admitting faults isn't easy for anyone. Stromblad grits his teeth while owning up to the fact that relenting control was worthwhile, but smiles proudly when discussing how A Sense Of Purpose continues to garner acclaim in the metal community. Heralded as being forthright and aggressive while still maintaining In Flames' melodic capabilities and technical boldness, he backhandedly divulges to coming around on this whole "mutual cook" concept.

"After the record came out, we could see that in the midst of the record business going downhill each day, we're still selling more albums and our European and Canadian tours are sold-out. We've had some great shows when we worried that people might not accept us, but things seem to be working out. We're not growing huge all of a sudden, but we're continuing on a solid path. I guess people really like the album... That's a good thing."

Here are In Flames' Canadian tour dates:

Nov. 14 Calgary, AB @ MacEwan Ballroom
Nov. 15 Edmonton, AB @ Edmonton Event Centre
Nov. 17 Vancouver, BC @ The Commodore Ballroom