In Flames rekindled old flames with the release of the 2023 album Forgone. This fiercely aggressive album ignited in fans the prospect that the traditional In Flames had returned. But the band dismissed this speculation quicker than I have just written it, stating that fans have been on a different leg of their musical journey over the years and that the staples of In Flames were never extinguished.
The band has undergone multiple line-up changes over the years. Not uncommon. With changes come different styles, techniques, and approaches, which are also not uncommon. Yet when a band is pressured to veer away from the styles of previous albums, it’s safe to say the fans were right.
And boy, are we eating it up.
Catching up with Drummer/Foodie Tanner Wayne
BMA caught up with In Flames’ latest recruit, drummer Tanner Wayne, to chat about the band’s monstrous 2023, Forgone’s success, and the future.
“What the fuck did we do?” Tanner ponders in disbelief. “It’s crazy that we’re returning to Japan and Australia twice in one year. That is unheard of.
“We usually frequent America and Europe, so it’s nice to be able to ‘frequent’ Australia and Japan.
“Mind you, we’re also heading to China, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, and India we’re going all over the place.
“And I’m such a foodie!” he beams. “It will be an incredible time. Funnily though, I’m naming all these Asian countries, yet I’m most looking forward to Australian food!” Yes, there’s nothing like a 7-11 pie…
Finding a nutritionally passable and fiscally responsible meal is harder than getting a smile out of a Mayhem fan. After all, touring is brutal. Long days, longer roads, and physically demanding back-to-back shows. Yet Tanner approaches this a little differently than your average touring muso.
“For years, I was into this show called Bizarre Foods,” he declares. “The host ate some real gnarly shit. This fuelled my fuck-it-ness approach to food on tour.
“The weirdest thing I ate was probably a 1000-year-old egg in China, apparently buried underground for that long, I think. Who knows. It comes out of the ground purple. It’s really weird.”
And the culinary crazy doesn’t stop there.
“We ate Guinea Pigs in Ecuador about ten years ago. I didn’t order it! But I was like, well, I’ve got to have a bite of this little girl’s pet. Right, that’s fucking weird.
So yeah, I’m definitely down with the weird, exotic shit. And as much as it will be delicious, I want to remember that I ate that thing there. Even if you’re a big drinker, you will never look back and think, ‘Oh my god, that Gin and juice blew my mind’.
“So we’ll be hitting up the street vendors on the Asian leg of the tour, that’s for sure.”
The Music of Now
Talk turns from morsels of the past to music of the now. Forgone represents In Flames’s past, present, and future. With Tanner’s place in the band solidified, his goal is to create freedom.
“Bjorn is the sole writer of all the music”, Tanner begins. “There was pressure on him to write something more aggressive for this record. And for me, I like that – I like to go in and throw my own seasonings on everything. I was lucky to have no one in the recording room except the engineer and me, so I had a tonne of freedom to do whatever the fuck I wanted.
“I like to do my thing, get into a flow where I’m not in charge of what comes out. I’m honoured that I wasn’t dumbed down and was allowed to show myself on this record. I was excited and proud to be a part of this record instead of just being a puppet or keeping the drums super vanilla.
“I tried to push the pace and the aggression, but at the end of the day, I’m shooting for tastefulness. Bjorn provided a lot of guidance. He would edit my drum tracks, which was great; I was a pitbull off the leash and had no idea where the fuck I was going.
“I was learning the tracks on the way to the studio every day, so I only had a little time to plan, create, critique, and refine – I just went for it. There was a lot of shit on that record,” he laughs. “So I was stoked that Bjorn had a vision and was able to pinpoint what he needed, and from that, I’m really proud of what we made.”
Tanner confesses he isn’t a seasoned metal drummer, making the trust placed in him with Forgone an enriching experience. But with freedom of creativity must come a degree of self-discipline.
“It’s about the project as a whole, as one piece of art – it isn’t my time to shine, go crazy, go off,” he exclaims. “It all has to fit. I will be pushed to the breaking point of this creative freedom for future albums. I’ll go super weird with it if needed!
“The freedom to be your own musician, though… I mean, when we’re live, the band allow me to do whatever the fuck I want. We’ve been having a blast. In Flames on stage is the band in our rehearsal space, but we’re taking risks, doing stupid shit, and going off-script. Bjorn and Chris are known to rewrite a harmony just before we hit the stage; I’m doing fills I’ve never tried before. It loses that rigidity that creates negative vibes.”
What influence do you feel you have had on In Flames?
“The past drummers of the band were absolutely incredible, but I feel like they did what was necessary, both when recording and live. I’ll give it to anyone who can do that – because I don’t have it in me. I don’t know how to explain it without sounding like a prick – let’s say I’m a Michelin Star Chef at a McDonald’s. I want to throw some micro greens on that burger, you know. I don’t have it in me to cookie cut.
“I’ve always been a drummer who wants to mix it the fuck up, especially on stage. I’m constantly learning, and I’ve been given the freedom to do that. As such, the band can push towards a vast place in music.”
And with the style you’ve mentioned – how did you approach integrating within the band?
“Yeah, so I can come here and scream about being let off the leash and claim I’m a Tasmanian Devil. But fuck that. You go into an established band with respect. Absolute respect. I was compliant to a fault; I was doing what was expected of me for the first eight months: commit the material to memory, master every snare, roll and beat, and stay on script.
“At that time, too, I didn’t know what they wanted – the band were still trying to gauge who I was as a person and musician. So, I stayed within the lines. There are horror stories of musicians coming into a fold where expectations were not defined. I played how it was recorded; this is music I have loved my entire career; these are core musical moments I love so much.”
Integrating, influencing, adapting: Tanner Wayne has slotted into the Swedish troupe with the right amount of crazy and control. Life for a professional drummer is no easy feat.
“I have mentioned to people in the past that I’ve had to learn to become a metal drummer with In Flames; the closest I’ve been in previously was Metalcore, which was more breakdowns, so I’ve had to learn how to go faster on my feet, faster on my hands, maintaining a blast beat.
“Weirdly, I was nominated for best metal drummer of the year,” Tanner states humbly. “Which is fine, I guess. But I’m not just a metal drummer. I’ve developed new styles throughout my career, so I can bring in all types of fusions right now, which is rad.”
Given his evolving style, will Tanner commit to metal drumming long-term?
“Yeah, for sure,” he quips. “The only downfall in metal drumming is keeping it physically viable. Health is a significant factor. I can’t headbang anymore. The money I’ve spent on massages and physical therapy alone would make your eyes water. Destroying yourself on stage, sleeping four hours a night and then flying ten hours; balance and even compromises are necessary.
“That bang-over? Wow.”
In Flames join Kreator for the epic double-header that is Klash Of The Titans. It’s going down on Thursday, 15 February at UC Refectory. Tix are $99.90 (with VIP options) via Moshtix.
