In Flames

In Flames is a metal band originating from Gothenburg, Sweden. Established in 1990 by Jesper Strömblad, the band aimed to create music that echoed the melodic qualities of Iron Maiden while incorporating death metal elements. This fusion played a significant role in shaping the melodic-death metal genre and the "Gothenburg-metal" movement, alongside bands like At The Gates and Dark Tranquillity.

In 1993, In Flames independently wrote, recorded, and produced their debut album, Lunar Strain. At the time, the band didn't have a vocalist, so Mikael Stanne from Dark Tranquillity provided the vocals. The band later needed a new vocalist for the Subterranean EP, turning to Henke Forss. It wasn't until 1995 that Anders Fridén, formerly of Dark Tranquillity, became the band's permanent vocalist. Due to his limited English skills then, Niklas Sundin assisted by translating his lyrics from Swedish to English.

Björn Gelotte joined as a drummer in 1995 and contributed both drums and lead guitar for The Jester Race and Whoracle. After the completion of Whoracle, Johan Larsson (bass) and Glenn Ljungström (guitar) departed, prompting the recruitment of Peter Iwers for bass and Niclas Engelin for guitar. They eventually became full-time members.

Following the 1998 tour, Engelin left, leading Gelotte to switch to guitar and the recruitment of Daniel Svensson as the permanent drummer. This lineup persisted for about 11 years (from Colony through A Sense of Purpose) until the 2009 Australia/South America/Japan tour when Strömblad was unable to participate due to his struggle with alcohol, which prompted Engelin's return to fill in for him. The UK/Ireland tour was canceled due to Iwers welcoming a new child and Strömblad undergoing rehabilitation.

Strömblad's permanent departure from In Flames in 2010 led to Engelin taking over as the rhythm guitarist. With Strömblad's exit, no original members remained in the band.

In 2010, Fridén, Gelotte, and Iwers collaborated with the drum and bass band Pendulum on the track “Self vs Self” for their album Immersion.

The band released two more albums, Sounds of a Playground Fading and Siren Charms, before Svensson left in 2015 to focus on his family, with Joe Rickard stepping in as drummer.

After the release of Battles in 2016 and an EP in 2017, Iwers left the band to devote more time to his family, and Rickard departed, succeeded by Tanner Wayne in July 2018.

I, The Mask, the band's latest album, was announced in December 2018 and released on March 1, 2019. Four singles preceded the album's release: “I Am Above”, “(This Is Our) House”, the title track “I, The Mask”, and “Burn”.

Discography: Lunar Strain (1994), Subterranean (1995), The Jester Race (1996), Black-Ash Inheritance EP (1997), Whoracle (1997), Colony (1999), Clayman (2000), Reroute to Remain (2002), Trigger EP (2003), Soundtrack to Your Escape (2004), Come Clarity (2006), The Mirror’s Truth EP (2008), A Sense of Purpose (2008), Sounds of a Playground Fading (2011), Siren Charms (2014), Battles (2016), Down, Wicked & No Good EP (2017), I, The Mask (2019).

Members: Anders Fridén: Vocals (1995–present), Björn Gelotte: Guitar (1999–present), Drums (1995–1999), Niclas Engelin: Guitar (1997-1998; 2011–present), Bryce Paul: Bass (2017–present), Tanner Wayne: Drums (2018-present).

Joe Rickard: Drums (2016-2018), Peter Iwers: Bass (1997–2016), Daniel Svensson: Drums (1998–2015), Jesper Strömblad: Rhythm Guitar, Keyboard (1990-2010), Johan Larsson: Bass, Backing Vocals (1993-1997), Glenn Ljungström: Rhythm Guitar (1993–1997).