In Flames Joined by Matt Heafy and Mikael Stanne

Special Guest Appearances in Gothenburg

The performance at the Frihamnen venue in Gothenburg marked a significant homecoming for In Flames. During their headlining set, the band welcomed Trivium frontman Matt Heafy to the stage to perform "Artifacts Of The Black Rain", a track from their 1996 sophomore album, "The Jester Race".

The evening featured another notable collaboration when Mikael Stanne of Dark Tranquillity joined vocalist Anders Fridén for a performance of "Behind Space". The song originally appeared on the band's 1994 debut LP, "Lunar Strain", an album on which Stanne served as the lead singer. Following the concert, Stanne shared his enthusiasm for the event on social media alongside a photo with Fridén and Heafy.

"Such an amazing time last night Göteborg Brinner. Sharing the stage with Anders Fridén was awesome and hanging with the lovely Matt Heafy didn't hurt either. Fantastic show and the most incredible hometown crowd. The emotional hangover is real. #inflames #darktranquillity #trivium"

— Mikael Stanne

Setlist Highlights and Rarities

The 21-song performance included the first live rendition of "Gyroscope" since 2012. According to Setlist.fm, the full setlist for the Göteborg Brinner performance was as follows:

• 01. Colony

• 02. Deliver Us

• 03. In The Dark

• 04. Voices

• 05. Paralyzed

• 06. The Quiet Place

• 07. Meet Your Maker

• 08. The Chosen Pessimist

• 09. Cloud Connected

• 10. Artifacts Of The Black Rain (with Matt Heafy)

• 11. Gyroscope

• 12. Behind Space (with Mikael Stanne)

• 13. Trigger

• 14. Only For The Weak

• 15. Foregone Pt. 2

• 16. State Of Slow Decay

• 17. Alias

• 18. The Mirror's Truth

• 19. I Am Above

• 20. Take This Life

• 21. My Sweet Shadow

Fridén on Melodic Death Metal and Genre Influence

In a recent interview with Paolo Phoenix of Magenta TV, frontman Anders Fridén reflected on the band's role in pioneering the melodic death Metal sound. When asked if the band realized they were shaping the genre three and a half decades ago, Fridén noted they were simply fans of the music.

"No, no, no, no, not at all. We were just fans of music, and we just wanted to create our way of what we thought heavy metal was… We were just having fun creating what we loved and took inspiration from tons of other bands. I'm really honored and humbled to hear those things, but I don't let it get to my head. It's not good for you."

— Anders Fridén

Fridén also discussed the evolution of the genre and the influence bands have on one another, admitting to his own inspirations:

"If IRON MAIDEN is listening right now, then we stole some of your riffs. And that's just the truth. It's so difficult to be super, super, super original. And then that's how this music evolves, too. You take bits and pieces, and you throw in some of your own ideas and it just keeps the music moving forward. And I think that's wonderful. It should not be, 'This is ours, this is ours, this is ours.' And, to be fair, when we create an album, and when we're done, we give it to the fans, and it's out of our hands. We can't do anything anymore. It's just up to everyone else. We can't control it. It's yours. And if someone wants to take those ideas and be inspired to create their own band or in an already existing band, feel free."

— Anders Fridén

Regarding the passion and critical nature of heavy metal fans, Fridén added:

"I love that people are passionate. I mean, heavy metal fans, they will judge you left and right, but they're also super passionate, and that's what I love about the genre. That's why I wanna be in it. It took me by surprise that, all of a sudden... 'Cause I wanted to be part of heavy metal because I thought there were no rules whatsoever. You can do whatever you want, right? Like, scream and play lloud music, and that's fine. And years later, I found out, 'Oh, you can't do this, can't do that, can't do that.' But fuck that. Do whatever you want."

— Anders Fridén

New Album Recording and Lineup Changes

In Flames recently spent time in Los Angeles recording their fifteenth studio album with Grammy-nominated producer Howard Benson and engineer Mike Plotnikoff. The band has worked with Benson since 2016's "Battles". The upcoming release will mark the recording debut of drummer Jon Rice, who has been touring with the group since May 2025. Rice has previously played with BEHEMOTH, JOB FOR A COWBOY, and THE RED CHORD, among others.

The transition follows the departure of Tanner Wayne in May 2025. Wayne, who joined in 2018, succeeded Joe Rickard. Rickard later handled mixing for the band's 2023 album, "Foregone", which featured the debut of guitarist Chris Broderick and bassist Bryce Paul. Paul was replaced in 2023 by Liam Wilson, formerly of THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, who made his live debut in Athens, Greece.