Andrew: How are you doing?

Peter: I’m doin good, thank you.

Andrew: Let me say that it is a great honor for me to interview you. You (In Flames) have been one of my favorite bands for a long time.

Peter: Thank you

Andrew: Well, I’ve got some questions so let me get right into them

Peter: Ok.

Andrew: Where are you calling from right now?

Peter: I am calling from Sweden

Andrew: This is my first interview so I’m kind of getting new to it. How’s the weather in Sweden?

Peter: Raining.

Andrew: Same here. So what got you into metal in the first place?

Peter: I think it was my brother. He would bring home albums and we would listen to them.

Andrew: What were the records?

Peter: It was bands like Iron Maiden and Def Leppard.

Andrew: That's cool. Do you remeber the first metal cd you bought?

Peter: I think my first metal cd I bought, well it was an album actually, was Iron Maiden’s “Live after Death”, but I can’t realy remember.

Andrew: Ok, so what do you like to listen to the most, what have you been listening to lately?

Peter: I listen to pretty much everything. From the softer music to more brutal things. I think the last thing I listened to was a band called “Soul Reaper,” but I only heard like maybe 3 songs.

Andrew: So what do you feel sets you apart from most metal bands today?

Peter: I think that we manage to combine like, the melodic music and harmonies with intensity. I don’t really hear much like that today.

Andrew: Yes. I have to say, you are much better than most metal bands today.

Peter: Thank you very much

Andrew: No problem. Well, you’ve played many concerts over he years. Do you have a favorite city/club to play in?

Peter: Well, I think I would have to say I like to play places such as Canada and North America. Sweden is also very nice to play

Andrew: Yes, I can imagine.

Peter: Yeah, I really like Europe. Like the southern countires. I think we get the best fan base there. Also, South America Is nice to play. Pretty much everywhere is my favorite place to play.

Andrew: Speaking of concerts, did you enjoy the tour with Earth Crisis?

Peter: I wasn’t actually on that tour. I know that In Flames enjoyed it very much. They thought it was a really great thing. They had their doubts, because it was kind of odd to play with that band. But it was really good.

Andrew: Yeah, I would assume so. Are you a big Earth Crisis fan, do you know their music?

Peter: No, I don’t know their music

Andrew: Oh ok, um...well, I kind of already covered this, but do you have a favorite country to play in?

Peter: I would have to say Canada.

Andrew: Alright. Um.....How long does it usually take to make an album? Just from the beginning?

Peter: Well, for the last album we went into the studio for pre-production. When that was completed, we took a few weeks off in the winter for recording, like 5-6 weeks. From start to finish, I would say it took about 2-3 months, the writing and everything.

Andrew: That was Clayman?

Peter: Yes.

Andrew: Ok, are you happy with the sales of the new album?

Peter: I actually haven’t seen any. But I think they are going in the right direction. I would say I’m happy. But I haven’t looked at them yet.

Andrew: Are you reading any good books right now?

Peter: No not really.

Andrew: No?

Peter: I don’t have much time, with tours and such to do much reading.

Andrew: Oh, so you don’t have much free time most of the time?

Peter: No, not much.

Andrew: Yeah I would think so.

Peter: Yeah, we’re goin on a Scandinavian tour soon, and we will be back to the US late this year.

Andrew: Who’s going to be on the Scandinavian tour?

Peter: Um, its Sentenced, To Die For, and Dark Tranquility.

Andrew: Ah yes, speaking of Dark Tranquility, do you like the new cd?

Peter: Yes it’s very good.

Andrew: Yeah, I’ve heard it many times and I like it a lot. It’s a good cd.

Peter: Yes it is.

Andrew: So I don’t think you have very much time to play video games. Are you a video game fan?

Peter: No, I don’t play many video games. Maybe a little bit on the tour.

Andrew: Yeak, ok, So what do you want your fans to know about you the most, if they could only know one thing?

Peter: I would like them to know that we are not sellouts. Just becuase a band sells more records doesn’t mean they are sellouts. We only make music that we like.

Andrew: Yeah, exactly. Beacause I’ve heard people say from the new album that you have “sold out.” And I don’t really belive that.

Peter: Yeah, like I said, It’s not how many records you sell or how many people know about the band. It’s the music, and we only write music that we like.

Andrew: Yeah. So of course you can tell that the new album “Clayman” has a much different sound than older material, like “Lunar Strain.” So what direction do you think the band is headed?

Peter: I think the progress we made from the older sound is more melodic. We are kind of developing naturally. It’s just a natural progression that we are going through. But we will just continue on making albums with what we feel is a good sound.

Andrew: (laughs) This is kind of a funny question, but what do you think about Napster?

Peter: Ah, I actually got this question earlier today. I won’t really put my opinion on the whole Metallica part. But I will say that I have nothin against Napster or mp3s, as long as it isnt bootleg stuff, like concerts and things. because if someone Records a concert and it wasnt a very good concert, someone would download the song and they would judge us by the live performance and it wouldnt be very good. But if it’s a record or something then I like it. I think it’s a good way to discover us and our music, you know?

Andrew: Yes, that’s what I say becuase if you are a small band and you have mp3’s napster is a very good way to promote your band.

Peter: Yes, it’s a very, very good way to do that. I know, I myself have quite a few songs from there. I’m a big mp3 fan, I like to have a lot of songs.

Andrew: Yeah.

Peter: And even if I downloaded a whole cd, I would still go out and buy it.

Andrew: Yes, well, I should of said this earlier, but who are some of your biggest influences in metal, to make you who you are today.

Peter: Well, mostly things like Maiden and Def Leppard, stuff like that. More traditional metal. Helloween, Blind Guardian things like that. But yeah, Iron Maiden a lot.

Andrew: What do you think of the new Iron Maiden?

Peter: I think it’s, uh, really really nice. It’s good that Bruce and Adrian are back, and I think it’s cool to hear them. But I think the old material is much better. But Brave New World is really really good, but it doesnt have what it did.

Andrew: Like the old Iron Maiden feel?

Peter: Yes. I can remeber when I was a kid and the music was awesome. But no, I think it’s a really good album and it’s cool that the band is back, but it’s just not quite what it once was. That comes from a very big Maiden fan.

Andrew: Ok, so do you have your one favorite In Flames cd, your personal favorite?

Peter: Yeah, Clayman.

Andrew: Clayman, yes it’s a very good cd. It’s got the Colony style music, but it’s more melodic. It’s sound very good.

Peter: Thank you very much. I’m very pleased, we all are. It’s actually very nice to be able to listen to your own music, and enjoy it, you know?

Andrew: Do you have a favorite song off of Clayman?

Peter: Um, I have a few, um I think it might be “Brush the dust away.”

Andrew: Yes, all the songs are good, but I think my favorite is the title track, “Clayman”.

Peter: Ok good.

Andrew: Ok ,so after the new album came out, did you have a release party?

Peter: Yes we did.

Andrew: Where was that held?

Peter: We had a party in Gothenberg. We had the party with a few hundred people in a small place.

Andrew: Did you play there?

Peter: Yes, we played about 6 songs.

Andrew: That must have been nice.

Peter: Yeah it was really cool, like all the Gothenburg people were there. We just played and had a good time.

Andrew: So since the new album has come out, what have you been doing, like your average day?

Peter: Its has been mostly touring-

Andrew: Boring?

Peter: No, touring.

Andrew: Oh, (laughs) I’m sorry

Peter: (laughs) No, its been touring and at home we do a lot of relaxation. Enjoying ourselves.

Andrew: Sounds like a lot of fun.

Peter: Yeah, it’s been really really great, that’s why I want to make sure that nobody feels that we are sellouts, like I said earlier.

Andrew: (laughs) Yeah I don’t think I’ll be seeing In Flames on MTV anytime soon!

Peter: Yeah, and even if we would, I don’t think we would be sellouts, it’s just that more people would start to enjoy us, that would be good, I guess.

Andrew: Yeah you could get more promotions, and be better known.

Peter: That’s the thing I don’t understand: You get more attention and you’re a sellout. I don’t understand it.

Andrew: Yeah, well as I said this was my first interview and that;s pretty much all the questions I had.

Peter: Ok.

Andrew: So it was very nice talk to you.

Peter: Nice to talk to you too.

Andrew: And hope you have a good time with touring and such.

Peter: Thank you!

Andrew: So, goodbye!

Peter: Bye Bye!