In a recent interview for Rave TV in Milwaukee, Anders Fridén, the vocalist of In Flames, and, guitarist Niclas Engelin, stated that they feel music discovery today is just not as special as it once was. Blabbermouth transcribed some of what they both had to say on the issue:
"I think the magic is gone somehow. Because when I was a kid, you had to search for [new bands and records]. And then you could see an ad. For example, [if] Dio was releasing a new album, The Last In Line… Oh, it will be out during the fall. Then you went for the whole summer just waiting for it. And then you could some ads, you could see how it looked, the cover artwork. You were building up something. That's a little bit gone."
Anders agreed with these statements, saying that,
"I skipped school just to be there when [Metallica] released …And Justice For All. It was so, so important. And you couldn't get it in advance. You might have heard some songs on the radio. Being Swedish, we didn't have that many radio shows anyway. At the same time, I must say, it's hard for us to get into the minds of the young people today. I mean, they have a different way. I mean, fuck, we started before the Internet [existed], which is pretty crazy to say. It doesn't say anything about our age, but… Nah, but it's… Kids today have a different way, and for them, that's their way. I remember I could go to record stores and stand there for hours and hours, with piles of vinyls and just listening through. I bought one [album], maybe two [albums at a time], if I was lucky. And it was such a great feeling going home with that vinyl, instead of today when everything is there; it's out there for anyone to grab. And also, what [Niclas] said, the magic is gone somehow… according to us."
In Flames might be showing their age with this one, but it's a totally fair assessment that being able to stream music in advance of the date does take away some of the dazzle of getting a physical copy on release day. It's funny to see this coming from a band who haven't even been around that long in the grand scheme of things; pretty soon, even the aging metal bands will have come up during a time when illegal downloading, iTunes releases, and viral music videos are the norm.
