In Flames, 21st June 2025, Heviti, Copenhell Festival

Photo: Goran www.facebook.com/UrbanMescaleroPhotography

In Flames are one of those bands whose main achievement is often cited as co-creating the Gothenburg sound—or melodic death metal, as it’s commonly known. Since then, the band has, however, constantly grown and evolved. At times, they’ve adapted to current musical climates while still maintaining the core DNA of the band in their sound. More or less.

These days, the band no longer includes any original members, with only vocalist Anders Fridén and guitarist Björn Gelotte remaining as consistent members since 1995. Earlier this year, drummer Tanner Wayne departed after about seven years with the band. For the current tour, he has been replaced by Jon Rice of Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats. In recent years, In Flames have truly elevated their lineup by adding former Megadeth guitarist Chris Broderick and Dillinger Escape Plan bassist Liam Wilson.

When Broderick and Wilson were announced as members, it felt similar to when Jeff Loomis joined Arch Enemy—it just seemed like they could be doing more creatively elsewhere.

But In Flames have become a big name in metal, and as their performance yesterday proved, both Broderick and Wilson work extremely well within the band and bring their own unique energy to the live show.

With such a vast and diverse back catalogue, In Flames have plenty to choose from. But for better or worse, they opted for a fairly safe setlist. It’s a bit of a pity, but considering they played the 18:30 slot on the main stage just before Slipknot, it may not have been the ideal moment to dig out deep cuts or experiment with the show’s pacing.

That said, it all worked very well. From the opening “Pinball Map” to the closing “Take This Life”, In Flames delivered an entertaining and high-energy performance. There’s a real sense of positivity in their stage presence—especially Gelotte and Broderick, who looked like they had giant smiles painted on their faces the entire time. Fridén’s gratitude and warmth may have come across more laid-back, but they were no less sincere or impactful. That’s just his style.

It was a pleasure to see Wilson add some of that Dillinger Escape Plan explosiveness to the mix. His fingerpicking style fit the music extremely well. Fridén’s way is very suiting and balances out the more direct approaches from some of the other band members. There is a certain underplayed honesty to him, although he and just about the rest of the band’s at this year Copenhell could try to find another way to say “Scream for me Copenhell”. What do I know – try “Bruce Dickinson for me Copenhell” or something.

There may not have been many surprises, but when a band performs with such tight execution and the energy flows so naturally between them and the crowd, that’s often more than enough—especially in a festival setting. Exodus and Kreator have shown the same this year.

SETLIST:

1. Pinball Map
2. The Great Deceiver
3. Deliver Us
4. In the Dark
5. Voices
6. Cloud Connected
7. Trigger
8. Only for the Weak
9. Meet Your Maker
10. State of Slow Decay
11. Alias
12. The Mirror’s Truth
13. I Am Above
14. Take This Life