The Jester Race

Let me begin with a trio of funny things about how I think of In Flames. Firstly, and most generally, this is the band I think of when you say "Gothenburg melodic death metal", yet if asked to play you an In Flames song that really represents this mid-'90s style of Swedish melodeath I would almost certainly pick one of their instrumentals - maybe 'Dialogue with the Stars', more likely 'Man Made God', which goes right the fuck up there in terms of all-time great instrumental tracks. Note that neither of those songs appear on The Jester Race, which despite continuing the string of early releases that included non-vocal pieces actually hits a much more coherent overall feel than the ridiculously messy but intriguing Lunar Strain or the gradually less creative Whoracle and Colony. Also, 'Wayfaerer' is good here, but not fully representative. The second funny thing I wanted to share is how I always thought of the title of this second full-length as meaning a running competition between clowns. Obviously that's stupid, but bear that in mind as colouring my experience of the album. By the way, I've decided that you'll have to wait until the end of the review for the third thing.

Probably the most helpful thing I said in the first paragraph relates to how the musical parts of In Flames often feel very conventionally Gothenburg, and that's the reason I consider The Jester Race to be the pivotal album both for band and scene. Sure, Slaughter of the Soul has made greater waves over time, but it had moved on from the idea of "death metal plus melody" to something more of a synthesis. The songs here absolutely unite both sides of that original formulation, with even brief cuts like 'Graveland' shaking that choppy melodic riffing style alongside more flowing lead accompaniments without skimping on harsh growls, gritty lower grooves, and some punishing drum work. Unlike Lunar Strain, second time out In Flames cut down on a lot of the extra baggage (violin, ballads, female vocals), only retaining the acoustic guitar as an element of variety, and frankly that does wonders for the consistency of the album, as well as the overall atmosphere. 'Moonshield' comes across as totally classic with its twinkling intro of acoustics that develop into the foil for the first riff: no Opeth problems here, just straightforward mood-setting and riff-like specificity, not to mention placement and pacing that aids the energetic thrust of this 40 minute listen. With the acoustics and a few stripped-back sections providing dynamic shifts in most songs, going at it hammer and tong with lead melodies becomes a pretty viable tactic.

What always strikes me as interesting when listening to genre classics like The Jester Race is how many of the ideas got picked up by later bands and how many were discarded or remain largely unique. Those acoustics have extremely strong Opeth vibes (and were used on In Flames' debut too), while I can absolutely visualize the members of Amon Amarth growing erect as they hear the marching riff near the end of 'Dead Eternity' for the first time, not to mention the scratching of pens as a thousand aspirant melodeath outfits scribble notations of the catchy rhythms in the title track. Oh, and Anders Fridén's vocals (along with those of Tomas Lindberg from At The Gates) quickly turned into the standard reference for what groups wanted in their melodic death. However, that those enormously prominent phased guitar leads (the actual solos) still seem like a particular In Flames thing puzzles me a little. Perhaps they were just too melodic for bands coming from death or thrash metal backgrounds to consider; anyway, the slightly staccato emphasis of portions of the solos remains for me one of In Flames' defining characteristics, even if the best example I can find on The Jester Race might be Fredrik Johansson's guest solo on 'December Flower', which also sounds partly like a Children Of Bodom keyboard lead. Anyway, all of this to say that I spot a great deal of inspiration stemming from The Jester Race and not so many obvious predecessors. Moreover, like a lot of those classic albums with something new to offer, this never dwells on the fact that it's innovative, just recklessly throws everything out there with little regard for any startled listeners.

All the while I'm calling this a classic, I understand the criticisms thrown at it. One of the most repeated complaints centres on the fact that the melodies used here tend to be: (pick one or more of) a. overbearing, b. simplistic, c. repetitive, d. flowery. On this point I agree in part, because all 10 songs have similar kinds of melodic movement in similar positions, namely backing up many of the middle or upper-paced verse and bridge riffs, plus plenty of deployment around anything notionally chorus-like. The melodic refrain in 'Artifacts of the Black Rain' strikes me as problematic in terms of choices b and c, what with a simple transition up a scale and back down that resurfaces several times in a fairly short song. Besides, notwithstanding the heavy brunt of certain sections in 'Dead God in Me', 'Graveland', and 'December Flower', fans of less melodic fare will have their ears sorely taxed by The Jester Race, since there is just so much lead and melody work across the album. Another issue I've been tussling with stems from the consistency of In Flames and the fact that they had very much cracked "their sound" with this effort. Like At The Gates on Slaughter of the Soul, finding an identifiable sound means that the songs feel kind of similar to one another, a problem exacerbated by the overloaded melodic character and high pace of progress throughout the listen, though mildly saved by the acoustics, instrumentals, and some memorable hooks. However, not to put too fine of a point on it, you're an idiot if you think this all sounds the same, but I can see how you'd argue that the range of material is fairly narrow.

I neither came to review The Jester Race in an attempt to laud it or trash it, but actually to read what I thought of it, at which point I realized that I hadn't written that review as I had planned about 5 years ago. (Yes, this is the third thing I promised.) I'm not sure whether I had started a draft once, but seeing as I don't often start one to later delete it I'll assume that I couldn't work out how I thought the review would go. Honestly, I'm still not sure how completely I like this album, but listening to it for the first time in ages today reminded me of how influential it has been, and the subsequent couple of spins have just confirmed that feeling. What I can say for sure is that The Jester Race comes from the period of melodic death metal that still resonates with me, where nothing had been cleaned up too much and no one was worrying about who could sing a pop chorus, because in metal we have guitarists that can sing with their fingers, and fuck you if you disagree. You probably only like Gnaw Their Tongues or something. I didn't expect that to be the conclusion, but man the tasty licks in 'December Flower' got me wired and thinking of lick-related insults.

With their first stable lineup, In Flames have released what might be considered a melodic death metal masterpiece, but not for the reasons most would think. This isn't your standard, aggressive melodic death metal record in the strain of their Gothenburg colleagues At The Gates. This record is the ultimate play on melancholy, melody, and the listener's emotions. It has so much depth, yet manages to stay so simple and untechnical. It seems that a lot of critique this album garners is for lacking the aggression that a handful of other melodic death metal albums (especially from the Gothenburg strain) seem to have.

While this record isn't articulately aggressive, especially when put up against albums like "Slaughter Of The Soul" and "Skydancer" by fellow Swedes, At The Gates and Dark Tranquility respectively, so many folks miss the point of it, which isn't just to be heavy. This record is the ultimate experiment in melodies and feeling, and this was the point to begin with. Who cares if it's not as heavy as a regular death metal album? It's not supposed to be, and rather than defining a record by the genre it belongs to, it should be judged for what it is.

The melodies in The Jester Race are dynamic and almost neoclassical which makes them extremely enjoyable to listen to. The soaring harmonies that switch between guitars are written remarkably well. The way Jesper's leads blend into Glenn's rhythm guitar is truly the mark of exceptional songwriting. It's almost as if the rhythm guitars are the clouds and rain in a thunderstorm, and the cutting leads are the lightning. The wall of sound in the background using big chords works exceptionally well with the melodies being played over. This is definitely the most present on track 3, "Artifacts Of The Black Rain" (ironically, my previous analogy references this title!). The leads cut through those walls of extended power chords and create an inescapable, dark, melancholic atmosphere.

In addition to the distorted guitars, acoustics are a beautiful inclusion to this record without becoming too gimmicky. They cut in at appropriate times and really help set the mood and tone of the album. They work especially well in the title track, with the distorted guitar cutting over the acoustic guitars in the intro. Something similar can be seen in "Moonshield" and the sudden changes really add an almost heavy element to the music in their own strange way. The sharp contrast between the two makes for a perfect songwriting tool, without dragging the tracks out.

Noticeably, there isn't any insanely difficult or technical guitar work; nothing with the intent of being flashy or extra. The melodies and riffs are all necessary and relatively simple, but it's through the combination of all these simple elements such as acoustics and big chords that lead to complex and well thought out songwriting. The passages all flow seamlessly into each other and the drumming works well to bring you from breathtaking choruses to cold riffs. It is neither too technical nor too simple. The drumming works harmoniously with all the other instruments to deliver clean transitions in each track. Nothing extra is added and nothing necessary is taken away. Every track delivers amazing melodies and great performance on each individual instrument.

The lyrics and vocals in this record tie in perfectly with the instrumentals to create a moody contrast to the melodic instrumentals. All the lyrics are written very poetically, which is of great surprise considering Anders translated the lyrics from Swedish to English. He seems to be illustrating some dystopian civilization of the future, which reflects a lyrical trilogy across The Jester Race, their 3rd album "Whoracle", and their 4th album "Colony". The way these three records connect is the perfect artistic expression through thematic elements. The way this record illustrates the future in a dystopian society from the perspective of the past, and the other two describe the present and future of that dystopia, it's all just so well thought out and dark. This album pretty much serves as the first chapter in a trilogy written by the band. Ander's piercing growls have become refined on The Jester Race, since his work with Dark Tranquility on their debut. He almost over pronounces every word and his signature growling sound is incredibly unique and full of depth. The vocals really help bring the brutality to this album and his voice is oftentimes enough to add that element of brutality and aggression to this record that so many people complain it lacks.

The vocals and all the other instruments sound huge in the mix and the production brings them each out perfectly. It essentially adds heaviness with a full, but old school sound. It works phenomenally with the guitars and really brings out every melody and lead. The production and mixing is just another small factor that adds to the brutality of this album, which is somewhat masked by the melodic sensibilities and somewhat poppy guitar parts, that the "death metal" in melodic death metal appears to have been forgotten. It is in fact all these small elements; the production, Ander's vocals, the lyrics, the full sounding guitars, that all contribute to the brutality and death metal elements of this record, thus sealing the album as a part of the Gothenburg melodic death metal scene. The energy and aggression in Ander's voice paired with the melancholic instrumentation really completes this record and makes it brutal in such a subtle way.

Each track seems to carry all these elements while still remaining fresh and melodic. What In Flames have done with this record is truly masterful. It is without a doubt the highlight of their career and one of the most powerful melodic death metal albums to ever have existed. To think an album so simple, yet so well thought out and layered could even have been written is still hard to process, but it will forever be cemented as an essential of not just melodic death metal, but Swedish metal as a whole.

Highlights: Artifacts Of The Black Rain, December Flower, Dead Eternity, every track is perfect.

I've seen power metal and trad doom that sounds harsher than this, wtf Stromblad? "Man with 6 uncles and 6 brothers" sounds darker and more varied than this (SSOASS by Iron Maiden if you don't get the joke).

There is so much hype regarding this album, and it is the most well received Gothenburg trio album after TRITSIO, but after listening to this, I honestly wondered if these people have actual functioning ears. This is one of those albums that are not just unfairly put on a pedestal where it is not even remotely deserving of it, but also misleading.

This album is very overloaded with harmonies, to the point where it sounds very inoffensive for a melodic death metal album. And not just that, it also deceives the listener with its first track "Moonshield'' that promises greatness, only to utterly let down by its mediocrity of the rest of the album. The rest of the album has this poppy, bright riffing that does not belong in a melodic death metal album, it's like Stromblad was trying to sell out to the corporate overlords in making a hit (well, they did it, so mission accomplished?). Honestly if you remove the vocals, this album becomes inoffensive radio rock that hits the listeners with hook after hook without any breathing room, as if fearing that if they put something that is not a hook, the listener will tune off and switch channels. As a result every song here besides Moonshield has a predictable structure that utilizes the dreaded verse-chorus structure (except Wayfarer and The Jester's Dance, but they still sounds too poppy and bright without anything to offset it), but it's even more exacerbated compared to Slaughter of the Soul due to how everything is mid-tempo, and never tries to go faster.

The instrumentation is pretty boring too, plagued by a really bad rhythm guitar that accompanies an honestly really good lead guitar (at least Stromblad is good at something), and as a result it further removes the album's sound from "melodic death metal". The drums aren't even death metal material too, the fills and rolls are simple, no blast beats, no intricate drum patterns, it's almost like the drums are done by a drum machine set up by someone who never knew what thrash metal drumming sounds like, much less death metal. At least the bass is audible, and surprising considering that this was released under Nuclear Blast who likes to turn every album released under them as soulless as possible, just like the rest of the instruments.

For the production, it's very sterile outside of the bass, similar to most melodeath under Nuclear Blast, everything is tuned to be as inoffensive as possible while cutting out every bit of harshness that comes with being a melodic death metal album. The vocals also got shafted too, with the growls being pretty buried under the instruments, but still audible if you pay attention. It's like every second of the production process made sure to make the lead guitar as prominent as possible at the cost of the rest of the band, like a shred album, if the shredder is utterly shit at shredding.

This album is very overrated and frankly does not deserve the hype behind it, just avoid this album, there are better ones out there even before this album, Heartwork for example.

I feel like I have to be extra strict because of how hyped/overrated this is and therefore making listeners subject themselves to unrealistic expectations.

Highlight: Moonshield, avoid the rest of the album

When I reviewed In Flames' debut album, I commented that I didn't understand why there were so many people who gave value to that album when in my opinion, without being bad, it was just an average one. Well, getting back, many years after the last time I listened to it, to "The Jester Race" I can only rephrase the question to "What is so special about this band that I can't perceive?" Every time a new single from the swedish band comes out it seems that the world stops and thousands of people shout to the sky "Old In Flames is back! Old In Flames is BACK!" and aside from being a blatant lie, I don't understand why anyone would do that. Is it really the sound of this album that they are craving for? I don't understand what the appeal is.

Actually I think I should like this album much more than I really do, mainly because it improves a lot of things that I complained about in their debut, despite the fact that it ends up being a negative point for this work, though I'll get into that later on. Right off the start I can say that my favourite part of the album is the opener and the follow up to it, "Moonshield" is a track that integrates in a totally organic way those acoustic elements that I found so discordant in the debut album and manages to make that sound work, and the subsequent transition to the instrumental "The Jester's Dance" is also impeccably done, gracefully linking the two songs in a masterful way and enhancing my expectations. Unfortunately, as quickly as they came they left with "Artifacts of the Black Rain", not that it's a bad song, in fact none of the rest of the songs on the album are bad songs, but they are all reduced to the same template.

Silly me, on their debut album I stressed that I would have liked it if they had explored more the kind of sound that they had precisely captured in the song with the name "In Flames", what I didn't know is that the fact that they did that would turn this album into a very monotonous one. From the third song onwards all the songs lean only on the melodic and stimulating sound resource, they try in several of the songs to add several punctual elements so that there is some variation and the songs don't all sound the same and are more easily recognizable, but in the end everything relies on the same formula over and over again making it end up getting boring. Maybe if you're a big fan of that kind of sound you don't mind it in the same way that I enjoy an Obituary album where all the songs sound the same, but specifically this way of approaching melodic death metal seems to me exaggeratedly bland and I end up getting turned off when I listen to it.

It's no surprise then that the most enjoyable moment of the album has been with the instrumental "Wayfaerer", because by not being limited to following classical patterns in songwriting by forcing extremely melodic choruses, the song ends up being much more adventurous in certain aspects, allowing the band to play more with the inclusion of keyboards or with unusual structures, in this way even though it keeps its uplifting spirit, it becomes more interesting to listen to.

In the end I can understand that this style had its success in the 90's, and that it still has part of its niche, but the fact that there are people who almost 30 years later still have wet dreams about this band returning to a kind of sound that was so generational and concrete makes me think that they have some kind of Peter Pan syndrome. The Jester Race does a lot of things right and shows a very high level in the individual and musical techniques of its members, in fact you can tell they are better musicians than the music they make, but it's still an album that takes a formula that was successful in its time and that doesn't make sense to re-do it if you don't plan to evolve it like other bands did. People can complain all they want about the musical direction In Flames would end up going in, but honestly listening to this I don't think the world has missed out on something as great as some would have us believe.

...the comparatively banal sunny ecstasy that would follow in the later albums. Another perspective: this is a beacon of original melo-death warmth before the coming winter of a lifeless, formatted scene; which, ironically, this very band partially contributed to firmly establish. It's most probably not the greatest metal album of the decade but its intentions were pure. There's that heroic heart at the center of every track on here. It's honest in that it lives for the musical representation of gracefulness with its myriad of embellishing muse-like leads, through an aesthetic infatuated with the epic and an edifying spirit of nobility that's unrelenting with verve and passion. A bit of what goes on here can be found in sequences off 'Far Away from the Sun' (Sacramentum), Dissection's 'Storm of the Light's Bane' and that whole scene.

Although both those records generally feel less drunk with melodic harmonies, and were possibly deeper works, there is indeed that same atmospheric momentum to the rhythms and that lift in the leads. Also that borderline black metal vocal style, along with the odd acoustic break... ultimately, it's that same first wave, 1996-ish Swedish scene with bands cultivating the artful concept of nocturnal luminescence; that half-light/semi-darkness vibe, very pertinently characterized by the tight-knit collaboration of minor and major. One concave interlocked into the convexity of the other.

It's a bit interesting. At various points while experiencing this record, it might dawn on someone there's a naive quality to this music. After all, it is power metal with a slightly darker production and screams rather than operatic singing; roughly put; so a lot of that "dungeons and dragons" fantasy element is in this. Sometimes, one could almost hear that metal version of Zelda fighting off mythical creatures in the forest energy. There's that lively swinging motion in the rhythms, reminiscent of folk European music only printed onto a harsher and more abrasive texture. The balance in mood is quite peculiar, as the songs are almost all written in minor with a core at very least melancholic if not grievous at times; but with the standard harmonizing, a brighter and more optimistic drive joins the initial impetus of the tracks in a parallel symbiosis, that can almost be confusing at times (sad ? joyful ?) but generally brings about a distinct feeling of exhilaration.

This record is of course one of the influential ones for its style. It had to be, being melo-death royalty In Flames' second full length. A prototype of the "techno-riff" that would become so popular in later iterations of melo-death can be found on the second half of 'Dead Eternity'. You know the kind: bass-high/bass-high bass-high/bass-high, or mbizzum mbizzum mbizzum mbizzum. What this sophomore effort lacks that the debut had, is an ability to combine an overall aesthetic with memorable musical themes. It's a case of the album being better in theory than it is in one's headphones, tangibly song after song. This feels more evolved, bigger... but also more mild. This band has always had a tendency of lacking a bit of a backbone, undeniably being among the softer bands in that Swedish scene, and that tendency didn't at all exist on the previous 'Lunar Strain' but starts to show here. The albums would gradually lose more and more depth, and of that poetic element, turning to a brighter and more mainstream format with every release.

One of the most appreciated cds from In Flames - "The Jester Race". Where do these opinions come from? Well, from the fact that 2 years after their debut, Jesper Strömblad's band did not depart too radically from the sounds known from "Lunar Strain", i.e. they started improving the production, catchiness, reducing folk inserts and increasing melodious side, and at the same time managed to achieve much better promotion. So, from the perspective of the previous album, the changes are logical and in a sense quite necessary! Another important thing, the Swedes on "The Jester Race" have made a fairly stable line-up. In Flames was joined by: guitarist/drummer Björn Gelotte and - taken from Dark Tranquility - vocalist Anders Fridén (who was replaced in Dark Tranquility by...Michael Stanne - previously singer on "Lunar..."), that is as time has shown, two of the most important members in the direction taken by the group after 2000.

Returning to "The Jester Race" itself, this disc, as I mentioned, offers a progress of the threads from its predecessor - hence it's not surprising, although it maintains that level. So the dynamics, the "flesh" in the guitars and the sound of the drums were improved; on the other side, heavy metal melodies, melancholic atmosphere and general "delicacy". It's not that much (although for some it's quite the opposite), but I can assure you that despite the greater amount of melody, there is no excessive kitsch or boredom in this playing - even for them. A word more about the exchange of vocalist. Here I have no major reservations, Anders Fridèn neatly fitted the style of the band (even with a few "spoken" parts) and reliably replaced Michael Stanne - so it's a 1:1 exchange.

It was said that "The Jester Race" develops the ideas of "Lunar..." and does it to a similarly interesting extent as its predecessor. The confirmation here can be heard in the cool "Lord Hypnos", "Graveland", "Artifacts Of The Black Rain", the "prettier" "December Flower" or the more specific "Dead Eternity" (at the beginning there are even blast beats!), but honestly, due to the quite even coherent level of the whole, a significant part of these songs - which in the context of their later albums appears to be a huge advantage. However, to make it not too sweet, the Swedes once again stuffed two boring instrumentals here ("Wayfaerer" qualifies for crap at all), sometimes they focused too much on their melodic side and they too often exaggerates with the acoustic guitars. Without these disadvantages, "The Jester Race" would certainly be more compact and would have far less extreme opinions. After all, there are - contrary to appearances - many reasons to like it.

Originally on: https://subiektywnymetal.blogspot.com/2020/10/in-flames-jester-race-1996.html

The one thing that In Flames have proven with The Jester Race (and its similar efforts) is that it is possible to be too melodic. This record is stuffed and bloated with harmony after harmony, melody after melody, often with guitar parts so layered that they would need four guitarists to be reproduced live. On their own, the guitar riffs aren't bad. They sound a lot like power metal at times and are quite catchy. The problem is that they're way overused. They all try to stick in your head at once and thus become unmemorable, not to mention sounding the same. Run up and down a minor scale in the key of F or C, add minor 3rd harmonies (because even the dumbest riffs sound cooler with harmonies), layer everything like there's no tomorrow and you've got an In Flames riff. Rinse and repeat for the whole album. Again, this wouldn't be a problem if they weren't overused, but they are, and thus the more memorable parts of the album come when the band actually wakes up, starts putting the "death" back in "melodic death metal", and ditches the endless harmonies for something a bit more aggressive. Moments like this that come to mind include the thrashy section of "Graveland" (which tries to fool you into thinking it's a thrasher all the way through, but actually has a pretty slow triplet rhythm), a part in "Wayfaerer" where the guitars - unbelievably - stop harmonizing, and "Dead God In Me".

This album is the first to feature vocalist Anders Friden, the only band member left from this album's lineup who continues on his chosen instrument in the current incarnation of In Flames. His performance here isn't as atrocious as it is on later albums, or in a live setting (at least he doesn't try to sing here), but it still leaves a lot to be desired. He sounds like he's constantly out of breath, throwing himself at the microphone with whiny mid-range growls and occasional spoken word passages. I have to say that this is the only album on which Anders' spoken word passages actually worked - here they sound muffled and gloomy, applying themselves well to the music. On later albums where Anders attempted spoken word passages (it's obvious he wanted to sing, but couldn't and still can't), he sounds like a very tired old man trying to take a crap after eating meat for a week.

The Jester Race is an album whose style works only for the first few minutes you hear it. You think that In Flames really has something with all these melodies and their instantly recognizable style, but as you drag on past the thirtieth minute, still having your eardrums gently massaged by mid-tempo alternative drum grooves and the same layered harmonies that the album started with, you start to want some variation. An album that did the melodic death metal routine well is Soilwork's "Chainheart Machine", which emphasizes the speed and aggression of death metal without abusing melody and harmony, although those elements are still present. In Flames is just wasting a heap of ideas here, which wouldn't be bad if they were used more sparingly.

It can be difficult for me to find a melodic death metal album that hits just the right balance of melody and aggression. Sometimes I prefer the brutal, thrashy onslaught of something like "Slaughter of the Soul," and sometimes I want to listen to a synth-laden, ultra cheesy Kalmah song. "The Jester Race" takes somewhat of a middle ground, highlighting the gorgeous melodies and intricate guitar work, but never putting aside the aggression and power inherent in death metal.

"Moonshield," the album's titanic opener, is a perfect encapsulation of this album's musical style, and serves as a sort of mission statement. Delicate acoustic guitars open the song, but they soon give way to a wave of churning distortion, with the trademark guitar harmonies layered overtop. Even Anders Friden's growl has a different feeling than the typical death metal roar, it sounds more emotional than intimidating. I'm impressed by Anders Friden's ability to write lyrics with a very poetic feeling that are also somewhat abstract. I don't know what the hell a Moonshield is, but I believe every word he's saying.

From there, the album maintains a steady pace of the more melodic songs and the more aggressive ones. It's a bold move to make the second track an instrumental, but "The Jester's Dance" is a nice respite, combining elegant clean sections with chugging distorted riffs. Some of the harder, more aggressive tracks actually ended up being some of my favorites. "Graveland" is a devastating screed against the destruction wrought by humanity, but without forgoing the sugary melodies that set In Flames apart. And then there's "December Flower." Oof. What a fucking song. It's joyous, cathartic, angry, venomous, and just flat out gorgeous. It contains one of my all time favorite guitar solos in music history, one that leaves me hanging on every note.

Even without Friden, the band can still make a hell of a song, as demonstrated by the instrumental piece "Wayfaerer." This is possibly the only song on here that sounds downright happy. Maybe melodeath is closer to power metal than a lot of people would like to admit, but that's good in my book.

There are a few elements on here that I'm not too keen on. Friden's vocals are pretty low in the mix, and on occasion sort of dissolve into the rhythm guitar. It would be nice to hear his voice a little more distinctly. And of all songs to be the dud on here, the title track isn't too memorable. But these minor quibbles aside, this is a great album, and it's worth the listen for anyone into melodeath.

The Gothenburg sound. Swedish melodeath. This album defines and epitomizes both of these well-known terms in a way that no other record, sans perhaps “Slaughter of the Soul”, can. The melodic death metal ground was fertile, with seeds having been laid by At the Gates, Dark Tranquillity and In Flames themselves with debut “Lunar Strain”, and with “The Jester Race” they hit the jackpot. Less intense than “SotS” and more harmonic than DT’s “The Gallery”, In Flames’ sophomore effort is probably the most accessible and melodic album I still can bear to call a death metal record, and even that feels like a stretch. Amped up Iron Maiden-metal with twin guitars and growl vocals would be a more suitable description, but since this is what melodeath sounds like, let’s adopt the moniker for this review.

First and foremost: there are great hooks in every song. And I mean every. Fucking. Song. The melodies are all over the place, dragging you into the world of toe-tapping and off-key humming faster than you can say “ABBA!” There are fast songs, mid-tempo songs and calmer songs, so even though everything is sugar-coated by guitar harmonies in layer upon layer, there’s variation to be had. Effective breaks and tempo changes help to elevate the energy level when things get too repetitive, and the insertion of acoustic and clean guitars, so common to the genre, add a notch to the dynamic spectrum. The production is a fine testament of the Studio Fredman sound – everything is crisp and clear, with a reasonable punch and just a little hint of sharpness to the edges to avoid fluffy mushiness. Considering the probably ridiculous amount of guitar tracks used, it’s incredible how well-balanced everything sounds, and that all details are easily discernible.

The real selling point of this album is of course the guitar work. Heavy and thrash metal-inspired riffs alternate with the sweetest and most innocent of melodies, that could as easily be inserted into a folk melody, a pop song, or on “Powerslave”. The aforementioned harmonies are almost omnipresent, further thickening the six-stringed wall, as well as honeying/lubing the listener’s ear with bittersweet overtones that clash and caress each other like two lovers on the Reeperbahn. Why does all this overtly sweet stuff work so well in a metal context? The hooks, man, the hooks… The melodies are so catchy that even a lobotomy won’t save you from them haunting your dreams. Rotting away in your grave, you’ll still tap your toe to Dead Eternity, scaring the bajeezus out of the cemetery caretaker. Also, beautiful solo on December Flower by guest Fredrik Johansson (ex-Dimension Zero). The bass supports the guitars and nothing more. Nothing wrong with that, but nothing spectacular either.

The drums on "The Jester Race" are well-played, well-arranged, well-sounding…and safe. Very safe. There are cool double kicks, faster two-beats and even blast beats in one song, as well as some nice tom rolls, but all in all there’s not much that is special about the drumming on this record. It’s all tight and fitting and nice etc, but nothing out of the ordinary. At the same time, had Dave Lombardo played on “The Jester Race”, would it have been as good? I’m thinking no, as his playing would probably have taken too much attention away from the selling point of the album, which is…? The penis. Yes. Good dog. Here, have a boner.

Fridéns first recording with In Flames only shows one side of his vocal skill set, which has widened considerably during the last two decades. On “The Jester Race” we get to hear his growl game, which is quite nice, but limited. Fridén’s growls are raspy and mid-to-high-pitched and he delivers the lyrics with poise and rhythmic pregnancy, but as they are quite one-dimensional they tend to get a bit monotone over the course of a whole album. The lyrics are half-mysterious and metaphor-heavy, the album’s concept deals with the futile human race driving itself into extinction through ignorance, negligence and stupidity. Penned by Fridén and Niklas Sundin (Dark Tranquillity), the lyrics have a magniloquent and bombastic, yet poetic aura, which was very “in” by the time:

Gaia impaled on their horns and lances
to fumes from her body give case
as the throng of blind mind savour the scent,
dream-dead from prosaic and hate

In Flames’ finest moment, in my opinion, was definitely the “Subterranean” EP that preceded this album, but this is surely their best full-length effort. It further cemented the Gothenburg sound as the prevalent genre in the mid-90’s and lifted In Flames into the upper echelon of metal. If you’re ever in need of all-you-can-eat riffs and melodies, this is the album to spin.

Following the release of the underrated melodic death/folk metal affair that was "Lunar Strain" and the EP "Subterranean", In Flames returned with "The Jester Race", which is often cited as their magnum opus. Released in 1996, this album was, and still is, an essential within the Gothenburg melodic death metal scene. This album is considered among the "big three" in the genre, along with Dark Tranquillity's "The Gallery" and At the Gates' "Slaughter of the Soul". There is that group of people who blame these releases for the eventual birth of metalcore and while these releases may have influenced that style of music, they are definitely pieces of revolutionary art. In Flames was the first melodic death metal band I heard, although I got into them through "Come Clarity". After that, I began listening to their entire discography in order. So in actuality, "The Jester Race" was the third album I heard from these dudes. I was probably 14 years old at this time and to me, this was some of the most extreme music I had heard, at that point in time of course. Looking back, this is definitely not my favorite In Flames album, as that title goes to "Colony". However, it is still a great album and I have always found myself coming back to it over and over again.

Beginning with the acoustic introduction to "Moonshield", this album gives the listener a foreshadowing of what's to come. Beautiful melodies, accompanied with distorted electric guitar and Anders Fridén's harsh vocals. This is definitely a metal album, no doubt about that. Musically speaking, it is similar in melody and structure to bands such as Iron Maiden or Judas Priest. However, the death metal influence lies within the vocals. There is a lot of controversy with this band due to their melodic take on death metal and a lot of death metal purists are quick to show discontent with In Flames, and any of the other "melodeath" bands for that matter. However, they inject a vast amount of melody and acoustic beauty into this extreme style of metal, and it works quite well. I'm sure if In Flames didn't go down the alternative "modern" metal style that they began with "Reroute to Remain" six years later, they wouldn't be shunned nearly as much. I'm not going to write a review berating anything In Flames has done in the past 14 years or so, but this is definitely different from anything post-2000. Harsher tracks such as "Artifacts of the Black Rain" and "Lord Hypnos" still contain tons of melody and are instantly recognizable classics.

This album clocks in at 40 minutes long and none of the songs go over the 5-minute mark, with "Dead Eternity" being the longest clocking in at just slightly over 5 minutes. In Flames have never been a band to write long, progressive pieces, and they've always been effective with average song lengths. This band gets their message across in a swift manner, but I'm almost always left underwhelmed in this aspect. Why? Simply because they easily could have added a few more minutes to some of these songs and the album would have been much better at 45 or 50 minutes, in my opinion. "Artifacts of the Black Rain" is probably the biggest offender of this, as it is one of the album's strongest tracks, but is sadly a bit too short in my opinion, at only slightly over 3 minutes.

Vocally, this is probably Fridén's greatest performance of the band's entire career. There is no clean singing anywhere on here, just angry, pissed off death metal growls and grunts. The album's title-track is probably my favorite vocally on the album. You can really feel his energy all over the place. On later albums, he began using clean vocals, which eventually improved in skill. However, it's nice to just hear solid, extreme vocals without being interrupted by clean singing. In Flames was certainly not trying to land any radio airplay here.

So, while this is not my favorite album from In Flames, it is certainly in my top three. I don't resent these guys for changing their sound, as bands evolve. However, one cannot deny the impact, legacy, and overall importance of "The Jester Race".

Before they tarnished their reputation with relatively bland alternative metal, In Flames were a mighty force in realm of melodic death metal, being the most popular of the famous Gothenburg trio that innovated the style in the early 1990s. In Flames combined the aggression and atmosphere of extreme metal with the accessibility of melodic metal more seamlessly than any band before them. Some scorned the band for "polluting" death metal with their damned melodic sensibility and sugary hooks, but what they started on this album could not be stopped. The Jester Race, along with Slaughter of the Soul, inspired legions of imitators over the next decade and still today, but THIS album was the original - and remains a work of unique inspiration and quality.

The songwriting here is absolutely top-notch. Even In Flames' most ardent detractors cannot deny that the band had a knack for beautiful melodies. This shows up in the acoustic passages (Moonshield, Jester's Dance), the guitar riffs (Dead Eternity, December Flower) and solos (Wayfaerer, Dead God In Me). During In Flames' five-year heyday (Subterranean through Whoracle), literally every melody they crafted was solid gold. And even though Anders Friden probably isn't as talented as Subterranean vocalist Henke Forss, he sounds better on this album than he ever has since. He actually has a low register with some legitimately powerful death growls on this one! Now that my metalhead ears are more seasoned, I admit that Friden is not the best melodeath vocalist out there. Tomas Lindberg and Mikael Stanne are both better. But in no way does Friden detract from the music at all, and as I said, he's at his best here. Jesper Stromblad is one of my favorite guitarists and he is consistently great on this disc as well. The band is going at full force and you can just tell they were really enjoying writing and playing this music together. The production isn't as pristine and polished as on its successors, which I actually count as a plus. It lends the music a sort of mystique they would lose later, though I love the next few albums as well.

Moonshield is one of the best album starters ever with its folky acoustic intro and how it transitions into the sorrowful melodic riffing. The lyrics and vocal performance are heartfelt. And when the acoustic and electric guitars come together at the end, it's pure beauty. Other highlights include December Flower with its heavy tremolo riffing and blast beats, the winding guitar instrumental Wayfaerer, the haunting Dead Eternity with its spoken word intro, the twin guitar melodies of Artifacts of the Black Rain, and Dead God In Me with its unorthodox structure and epic climax. In truth, every song here is catchy as hell and could be listed as a highlight, which is why this album is a true must-listen. It may not have the progressive ambition of The Gallery, but it's unrelentingly FUN - an enticing listen at any time, place or mood. The Jester Race was pivotal in the development of death metal (for better or worse), but it's also a true classic of the entire Metal genre.

I probably should have discovered In Flames earlier than I did, what with being a fan of Arch Enemy and all. For whatever reason I didn't though, and here I am only reviewing the album 'The Jester Race' now, a long, long time after it was first recommended to me.

They do have a very likable quality about the sound that comes with this album, from the strange melodies on the opener 'Moonshield' that sound almost medieval to the heavier riffs on 'Lord Hypnos' and 'Dead Eternity' (although all the tracks are a nice mix of heavy and melodic). You can quite clearly tell that a lot of bands have taken heavy influence from this album, and it's no wonder that this band are considered one of the pioneers of melodic death metal.

I liked the track 'Artifacts of the Black Rain' more than the others, possibly because it was more in my comfort zone than the other tracks (which basically means it sounded more like Arch Enemy's style). The hooks come fast, but not thick to the extent that nothing else can be heard. The drumming isn't sensational, but it does provide a solid beat in the background. Most of the emphasis seems to be on the two guitars, the rhythm guitar making the general sound while the lead provides some melody to the song. Vocals are okay, nothing special but they're far from poor.

'Dead God in Me' is a little more confusing and less likable, the drums just pounding along at parts in a way that feels more black metal than death metal (not that I'm some kind of expert on that). For the most part the melodies are gone, but when they return they're nice (even if they sound a little reminiscent of pirate metal at parts, which is a bit out of place). I don't really get the fade out near the end for twenty or so seconds before the music returns to play the album out, which just adds to the confusion of the track. I really feel like I sit on the fence with this track.

The title track takes a more death metal type approach to it, but the melody is still there. The vocals on this track are better than the others, sounding deeper and more like Johan Hegg from Amon Amarth (which is always a good thing). The song as a whole is a great example of what this band can do, as they quite clearly demonstrate between this song, 'Dead God in Me' and 'Artifacts of the Black Rain' that they can come up with a variety of different ways to play melodeath.

Now, something that I don't like is that there are almost no signs of warning before some of the songs end. Besides the fact that they've been going on a while, some tracks just leave you to guess whether they're almost done or not. It's not the worst thing imaginable, but it does get a little bit annoying.

To conclude, I did like the album a lot, but it's not perfect. Of course no album is, but this one feels a lot further away than some others. Ultimately some of the tracks do drag it down a bit, perhaps stopping me from giving it a score in the nineties rather than mid-eighties. Still, they practically came up with the genre along with Dark Tranquility and At the Gates and this is very much a prototype for the rest of the genre to take on board, something that later bands would do with the best possible outcomes.

Few artists could ever claim to have left such a lasting stamp on a genre as In Flames have on the melodic death metal genre since their inception in 1990, and not without good reason. This was the band that released Clayman, the mighty Whoracle, Lunar Strain, Colony and their opus The Jester Race. The band was initially formed as the side project of then-Ceremonial Oath bassist Jesper Stromblad as an outlet for his more melodically-oriented writing style that did not fit his primary band of the time. Come 1993, the situation had changed and Stromblad had quit that particular band and recruited a line-up to write and record a debut album under the In Flames band. Following this the band grew tired of using session musicians for vocals and Jesper playing drums on the album, and so they recruited the final members of their line-up and set about recording and then releasing The Jester Race in 1995.

This is an album that has no intention of taking its foot off of the listeners throat despite its melodic nature. The guitar tones are exceedingly heavy and the vocals are aggressive; the riffs bludgeoning and the drumming cool and calculated but still carrying a lot of rage behind it throughout. As far as complete band performances go The Jester Race ranks right up there among the best albums, with every member of the band consistently contributing something good that adds to the overall mood of the album. The guitars create a dark atmosphere that the demonic vocals from new recruit Anders Friden perfectly compliment with a lot of aggression behind them. Jesper also contributes acoustic guitars on this release which add a lot of diversity to it and draw up a gloomy picture, particularly on the opening song Moonshield. This five minute masterpiece was the perfect way to open up the album, with the acoustic guitar being used more than once to great effect including as the introduction to the song. The way the band transition from accompanying acoustic guitar work to electric guitar work is also something to marvel at; with the acoustic sections feeling suitably relaxed whilst the heavy parts are barbaric and yet somewhat restrained, keeping to a slow pace.

Each and every song on The Jester Race is one that leaps out with its own characteristics and yet still contributing to the overall flow of the album. The instrumental number The Jester's Dance shows off just how well the band can nail the soft to heavy dynamic, whilst Graveland shows off a much faster side to the band at times. The guitar work varies from the slow and sludgy to the lightning fast and the vocals aggressive whilst the drums constantly adapt to the meandering pace. This album makes great use of slightly more progressive song structures than what some death metal fans may be unaccustomed to with some frequently altering tempos and it is clear that In Flames really strived to make their mark on metal music with this release. This is arguably their most ambitious and complete-sounding release, although some might give that title to any of their first five releases. The pacing and flow of The Jester Race is completely unmatched, with every song feeling complete no matter what the length whilst the longer tracks (of which non stretches far past the five minute mark) never feel over-stretched, such is the genius behind the song writing.

The Jester Race is the perfect example of flawlessly executed melodic death metal with some angry vocal work, thought-provoking lyrics and great riffing and the cool use of acoustic guitars mixed perfectly among the heaviness. The production job is crisp and the drumming and bass work merely completes the rout. If you have not heard this then I highly recommend it as In Flames proved on here that they are more than a cut above the average Gothenburg band.

Somewhere lodged in the midst of metal’s alleged death in the mid 90s stood this, a member of Gothenburg’s famed melodeath trinity, now fully formed and unleashed upon the unbelieving masses, or so the story goes according to In Flames’ most avid of early fans. In truth, the first so-called true offering with vocalist Anders Fridén at the helm is a fairly decent offering, though it carries the unfortunate status of having Fridén on the album. Had the services of now swapped front man of Dark Tranquillity Mikael Stanne been retained, I can’t help but speculate as to how much better this consistent collection of somber and melodic tunes might have turned out. Nonetheless, amongst the crop of early Gothenburg offerings, this is a decent release that can be enjoyed by anyone who seeks a middle ground between the consonant character of early NWOBHM and the viler tendencies of death metal.

In many respects, “The Jester Race” represents one of the first true melodeath offerings, as it breaks ties with the chaotic song structures and rapid shifts in feel often associated with the style it grew out of. Instead of an utterly jarring collection of tuneful yet violent sections as typified in “Lunar Strain”, the principle thrust at play here is melody and atmosphere. When following the various incarnations that Death went through in the early 90s, the death metal roots of In Flames and others in the Gothenburg become immediately apparent, though anyone who was raised on the more dissonant and morose bands drawn out of the Cannibal Corpse and Deicide camp will probably dismiss the scene as being power metal with harsh vocals (which is about as big of a stretch as comparing it with Cannibal Corpse), or try to label it a distant cousin of black metal (which is a little less tenuous).

Dealing with the divergence between this album and its 1993 predecessor is actually a pretty large affair, despite both being almost identical in overall quality. “The Jester Race” comes across as much more focused and mellow, rather than being dry and detached; perhaps being best analogized as being a shift from being trapped in a block of ice versus being buried in snow. Instead of a bouncy set of folksy acoustic breaks and classical interludes, the quieter sections are much more droning and distant sounding, almost like the echoes of a massive cave. This can be best observed in the short instrumental “The Jester’s Dance”, which is a pretty good representation of why the band is often compared to Iron Maiden. The acoustic themes, in contrast to the bouncing ones before, have almost a crooning character to them, despite being layered on top of a driving bass and drum line.

In the midst of a very consistent album that balances out blasting tremolo sections with steady, down tempo grooves with layers of slow moving melodic lines is Anders, attempting to be the beast in agony in the midst of so much somber beauty. Suffice to say, he does an adequate job, but largely drags down the rest of the album. His sound could be best described as a somewhat whinny and weak rendition on the Chuck Schuldiner and John Tandy approach to old school death growls, being largely in a flat baritone character with a lot of strain and throat thrown into every syllable. It is still better than the ultra-whinny take on this style that most metalcore bands would bring to the table later, but it is pretty apparent that Anders is one of the sources of this well known and utterly annoying vocal style.

Nonetheless, in spite of a few glaring flaws, this is an album possessed of several early melodeath classics and largely avoids using filler to complement the killer. The band really starts off on a positive note with “Moonshield”, which takes an extremely beautiful folksy progression and obscures it into a droning acoustic line that eventually makes way for a massively memorable yet largely mid-paced song. “Graveland” and “December Flower” show the band able to kick up the aggression a little and yet still maintain that overriding character of wintry landscapes and hopeless endeavors, essentially merging this mellow sounding style with a solid bit of thrash elements. The only area where the album breaks character a little bit and almost turns into a happy sounding power metal album is a few minutes on the other instrumental “Wayfaerer”, but against everything else, it is barely noticeable in spite of being painfully different from the rest of the album.

The sad truth is that in many cases, the person doing the vocals tends to be the person who makes the biggest impression, even on an album loaded up with instrumental breaks like this one. This is the sort of album that I can break out on occasion and really get into, but then have to shelf for a while both because of the somewhat annoying vocal performance, but also because of its utter simplicity. The biggest reason why this band and this style became so popular is because apart from the earliest incarnations of both, there is not much experimentation going on except for the basic concept of consonant melodies alongside a harsh vocalist. Basically speaking, if you want consistency then this is the album to get, but those who want an album with a few surprises will want to look to the debut. Speaking for myself, I like them both about equally, but for very different reasons.

Yes that's right people, the same band that today is releasing those terrible metalcore-influenced albums actually had a point in their career where they actually managed to release some pretty damn good albums. The Jester Race happened to be released in the peak of the Gothenburg metal scene in the early 90s, along with classics such as Dark Tranquillity's The Gallery and At the Gates' Slaughter of the Soul. This album was really the album that got me completely hooked with the early Gothenburg melodeath scene, and if you have a listen you will probably understand why.

One of the most outstanding elements of this album to me is the guitars. What really appealed to me with the guitar playing on this album was the amazing harmony sections that were created by Jesper Stromblad's and Glenn Ljungstrom's incredible lead-guitar work. These harmonised melodies were what really brought out and supported the vocal line laid down by Anders Friden. In fact, the guitar parts on this album stood out so much for me that I had all the lead guitar melodies stuck in my head after each listen instead of the vocals/lyrics, which is a really good thing! I also really enjoyed all the acoustic guitar passages that were included throughout the album, as it added a lot more character to the overall sound.

Even though I wouldn't say the same about his vocals today, Anders Friden's vocals on this album were some of the best raw melodic death metal vocals I have ever heard. Although I have always preferred the likes of Mikael Stanne to him, he really does an amazing performance on this album, and his voice really blends in with the music quite well, which you definitely could not say the same for on the band's later and more horrible releases.

I can't really say much about the bass parts (as most of the time I was blinded by the sheer might of the guitars), however it seems that it really plays its part in the album and does well to blend in with the other layers of sound. The same could be said about the drums, as Bjorn Gelotte really is consistent behind the drum kit on this album.

This album really is one of my favourite albums of all time, and the more I listen to it makes me just love it even more! I recommend that anyone wanting to give In Flames a little taste should not sit and suffer through their later stuff, but rather indulge in their earlier musical masterpieces, such as The Jester Race.

Most standout songs for me: Moonshield, Lord Hypnos, The Jester Race, Dead God in Me

Long has it been since I first heard this and was floored by its magnificence. Back when I first heard In Flames, I thought they destroyed all the radio rock bands I listened to at the time. Reroute To Remain was then their biggest attraction, and Soundtrack To Your Escape was going to hit the market, too, but it’d take me another year to take a dive into the archives of metal. The Jester Race looked the most attractive, so I took a gander and I was never the same again. After hearing this album, I knew damn well that metal was the music genre I’d swear my life by… but not in any Manowar sort of way.

I’ve grown up a lot, endured tougher experiences, and encountered more metal that destroys In Flames. Still, this album has its appeal, but I don’t consider it that grand masterpiece I once loved. To me, it’s a great full-fledged Gothenburg album, and that’s sad since it could have retained it's scene superiority. If it was between the lowest level of awesome and the highest level of great, then it's the highest level of great. The band dropped a good number of tracks, juiced it with the sweet tone of melodic death antiquity, and achieved a sense of identity – kind of like the Subterranean EP, but with more songs.

By this point, Jesper and Glenn were pulling heavy / power metal leads so wrought with slickness that the guitars, with a tone so cut-throat it could shred a warp hold if need be, take on that role. To a degree, this would make this a heavy / power metal album with screams / growls, and while I do agree with that, it’s the core that counts. Songs like the enigmatic “The Jester’s Dance,” the majestic “Lord Hypnos” (with that breathtaking bridge section), and the imposing solo-tsunamis of the title track and “December Flower” all support this case (that this is a power metal-leaning album), and the other thus far unmentioned tracks do the same to their respective degrees. Not only that, but none of them are sappy or half-assed like the ones found on Lunar Strain or on later albums like Whoracle; a lot of them don’t slay, either, but a good lead will have to do.

With the guitar tone it’s a certain sound that I will never forget – a very historic, ancient tone, especially with the leads and cleans. The keeper though is the burly, thicker, artillery-precise tone complimenting the rhythm riffs – much clearer and thunderous than previous In Flames releases. Backing up the guitar tone even more this time is the bass, doing the same rhythm backing as always and fluctuating between fairly clear and normally not. Between the depth of the guitar tone and the lower end of the drum kit, the bass does get firmly crushed. Nonetheless, thickness in this regard still forms a solid base, since the drums are taken on by Gelotte who, while not kickass, sure does a better job than Jesper. Gelotte, now on a grand kit with doorknob double bass and non-hollow snares, doesn’t mess around with inoffensive, consistent beating. No, it’s bashes and blasts for this guy, much like Svensson later in the band’s career.

The frontman I’m not a huge fan of – for the record, Anders Fridén is a horrible vocalist, but here he’s decent. Of course when I first heard this I thought he was a demon, but time and experience among far better vocalists has made Fridén tame to my ears. His growling is like the growls you do after you get fired from your job – strong exhales with a bit of upper throat power that scrape the growl into a barked scream. It works much better than Stanne on Lunar Strain and I’d take it second to Henke Forss’ performance on the Subterranean EP; thin vocals couldn’t have worked on this album, although I’m not imagining hard enough to convince myself, either. Now the one problem I do have with these vocals is that they get fairly redundant – I hear them enough and they just become passive noise attached to the song, eventually tugging on it before dragging it down and making the whole album a bit boring.

Even without his vocals, I do end up going for another album because, while entertaining, I’m not gripped as emotionally by this music. Like I said before it’s great, but not impactful anymore. "Graveland" flat out meanders on its own level unlike the rest of the album. Every song but that one rules. Even with the Black Ash Inheritance EP, which includes an extra cool track (“Goliaths Disarm Their Davids”), I’m not thoroughly convinced that this is a gem from the older years. Putting it on In Flames terms, this is a classic, but zooming out once more lets me see that there are better fish out there in the sea…

The In Flames you probably know today is absolutely nothing like the In Flames about a decade and a half ago. Back in 1996, no In Flames fan in their right minds could have predicted that the same band would later release Soundtrack To Your Escape. So please, don't run away when you hear the words 'In Flames.' This album really is almost as worthy, if not AS essential to the Gothenburg genre as The Gallery by Dark Tranquility, Slaughter of the Soul from At The Gates, or Stigmata from Arch Enemy. This album may be power metal influenced, but make no mistake it is indeed dark while still being very atmospheric and beautiful.

"Moonsheild" is an appropriate prologue into "Jester's Dance," and sets the tone for the rest of the album quite accurately. "Artifacts of the Black Rain" is basically everything I would want from he Gothenburg scene, but with a unique power metal twist. Amazing, catchy riffs, kickass solo, drumming that doesn't blow, and pretty cool vocals. This never lets up throughout the remainder of the album.

Yes, some people may not be a fan of the power metal twist, and that is understandable. What this does though, is it differentiates themselves from the rest of the scene. They took melodic death metal and made it their own, not unlike At The Gates or Dark Tranquility. Every single song on The Jester Race is filled with unbelievably catchy melodic death/power metal riffs that will bring you to tears. Strömblad and Ljungström are incredible at what they do, as is Fridén. Fridén's vocals are indeed melodic death metal vocals. There are no shitty clean emo sections like in Reroute to Remain or A Sense of Purpose, so once again, don't even worry about that.

Basically, avoid new In Flames (and for that matter, Soilwork and Arch Enemy, as well) and sink your teeth into some classic melodic death metal. Enjoy your time travel back into the 90s Gothenburg scene!

Highlights: Moonsheild, Dead Eternity, Jester Race, December Flower

In Flames get talked about a lot. From their early underground Melodic Death Metal days to their later days as a cocky, goofy, streamlined Alt. Rock band, they are a very popular band - for better or for worse. They were at the forefront of the Melodic Death scene and pretty much set the blueprint for the style, along with Dark Tranquillity and At the Gates. This was their celebrated sophomore effort The Jester Race, and while I don't worship it like some people do, I can still testify to its quality.

Let's just get one thing straight: this is not a Death Metal album. Melodic Death Metal is pretty poorly named, I think, because there isn't much Death-y about it, aside from the fact that the vocals vaguely remind of the old school bands like Entombed or Death. The only reason that this genre of music is called Melodic Death Metal seems to be because there isn't anything else to call it. So, a bit of a misnomer, but whatever.

Now, with that out of the way, let's move onto the music itself (gasp). The music on The Jester Race is not that heavy or extreme, rather focusing on simple riffs and ear-pleasing melodies wrapped up in a tight package of mystical intricacy, not complex or involving at all, but still perhaps needing a few listens to really sink in. While I admire the band's ability to create simple and solid melodies, a lot of the time this just isn't too exciting, with most of the songs just sort of blending together into one solid mass of riffs and growling and solos. The guitar tone is a bit weak, but most of the time the band sounds tight and sober here. It's just that they never get you headbanging or staring in awe at your speakers. The music is competent and well played, but not stirring, emotional or even any fun. "Moonshield" is cool, with its acoustic intro bit, and "December Flower" has some very colorful melodies amidst the drolling, pounding riffs, but pretty much everything else, while played well, just isn't anything special.

My problem with this album, and this band as a whole is that a) they have no longevity and b) they are too plain.

When I first heard The Jester Race, I thought it was a great album, but ever since then, it has just been getting more and more bland to these ears. This is due to its simplicity. As is the case with many things that are so simple, its pleasures may not last forever, becoming stale or tepid after hours of listening. Hours of familiarity and intimacy with the material. The Jester Race is a pretty good album, but it lacks any sort of oomph to make it memorable or worth playing more than a few times. This is very plain music, lacking any real sort of ambition, and while bands like Omen or Grim Reaper could make "plain" music work well by adding some fiery pep and kicking energy to the mix, In Flames are trying at a more moody and esoteric style, and they need a little bit more flair to their music for that. Perhaps more weight on the atmospheric side with their acoustic guitar melodies would make this album more interesting. This...this just doesn't really do anything, as it is.

Listening to this is oftentimes like looking at a blank white wall. It might be well flourished and smooth and inoffensive, but it won't provide you with much excitement in the end. I haven't heard all of In Flames' albums, but that analogy seems to sum the band as a whole up pretty well.

Originally written for http://www.metalcrypt.com

The Jester Race is, by far, an essential Göthenburg album. It stands next to The Gallery, The Red in the Sky is Ours, and In Flames' own Subterranean as a member of the pantheon of strange melodic goodness that, somehow, ended up screwing up completely. But this isn't about 1995-on (Jester Race was recorded in '95), this is about The Jester Race.

Anders Fridén, the well-known vocalist for In Flames, made his debut with this album. His mix of shriek and growl was either well received or not, and I, frankly, am one of the few who take it with either viewpoint. On one hand, I thoroughly enjoy the shrieks in black metal -- the fact that I can stand Virkernes' vocals is a testament to that. The other: I love growls, the sheer brutality and Power that is inherent in such a guttural and strong vocalization. The two combined, therefore, should be a recipe for greatness, but it is not.

Unfortunately, Fridén continues to degrade as the years go by, but his vocals were decent and fun to listen to in the beginning, even if it was mostly from novelty. I still have qualms with the majority of vocals in the Göthenburg genre, but it's something I can live with thanks to the pure musicality of the songs produced by these bands.

Speaking of musicality, listening to The Jester Race is like listening to different songs -- for the most part, though The Jesters' Dance and The Jester Race share thematic similarities, but that's intentional, I believe -- each one is different than the last. Go ahead, listen to Dead God in Me, and then Artifacts of the Black Rain; it's an incredible change in mood.

Each song follows a structure, but it's not a bad thing. In metal, we usually see what some call a narrative structure, where there isn't a coherent ABAB etc. arrangement of different pieces. In The Jester Race, we see an ABAB with slight variations, but it's done to good effect: it emphasizes motif in each song, which In Flames was definitely not shy about in later albums.

The lyrics are beautiful, not nonsense like Whoracle and Clayman, and not whining like recent release Come Clarity. Understanding Fridén's vocals is a task, but when you do, the lyrics he releases from his throat are outstanding. December Flower is a great example of beauty and brutality mixed.

The production is clear, but not overly so. It still maintains a degree of atmosphere, while the guitars have enough fuzz to grate the ear a little, but still retain tone. Tone is everything in a melodeath album.

Overall, it's a wonderful album to listen to. In Flames once did masterpieces, and now they don't. It's unfortunate that Colony marked the tragic end of this once-amazing band, but we still have Subterranean and The Jester Race.

Describing something that is perfect is much more difficult than you would think. The word ‘perfect’ itself has become largely overused today, however it’s one of the only words that comes to mind when I think about In Flames’ utter masterpiece which is The Jester Race. Never before have I become so entirely attached to an album.

A stunning acoustic harmony is what you will first hear when you begin to listen to this album. Moonshield is the best introductory song imaginable. The acoustic intro is actually mesmerizing and surreal and when the heavy riff hits in at 49 seconds you still haven’t woken up from this dreamland. Stormblad is truly a musical genius and why he doesn’t write melodies like this anymore is completely beyond me. What else is beyond me is the fact that this song has become a rarity at their live shows. When the music fades on Moonshield, we get some more beauty from The Jester’s Dance which serves as a great instrumental interlude between the opener and Artifacts Of The Black Rain. It is at this point in which the album picks up speed. The tight guitar riffs and fast paced vocals make this track a headbanging highlight. They also made a music video for this track, but that’s nothing special. The Jester Race flawlessly combines harmonies and beautiful melodies (the title track) with crushing anger and aggression (December Flower, Dead God In Me).

In the album sleeve it states that Jesper Stormblad wrote the majority of the music on this album and I believe that he still writes most of In Flames’ music today but I can’t understand why it was so much more inventive and stunning back in the day. Anders Friden belches out one of the best vocal performances he’s ever done. Each lyric drips with despair and anger as he screams them out. Although I think Colony calims the best vocals from Friden, I think The Jester Race is the most emotional. The drums are excellent as always and were performed by Björn Gelotte, who is now a guitarist in the band along with Stormblad. The lyrics may be the best the band has to offer, mostly incorporating themes of depression and human weakness.

The Jester Race is a journey of an album not to be missed. It is considered by many to be In Flames’ masterpiece, and I think I might agree with that. The music is truly timeless and can be listened to over and over again. If you appreciate creative music in general, you better look into this album, as it helped develop the genre of what is now known as classic melodic death metal.

Before the release of their recent disc-shaped faeces (Read: everything after "Clayman"), before the times of Maiden-goes-accessible-and-harsh ("Colony") and even before the lacklustre charm of "Whoracle", In Flames released recognizable classic upon the unsuspecting crowd of Sweden's most recognizable rainy town.

This is great old Gothenburg: a healthy mixture of death metal’s fast drumming, tremolo riffing and harsh vocals with power metal’s melodic elements, acoustic breaks and occasional clean vocals. We are talking about the years when the so called “Gothenburg scene” was still strong, fresh and unique. Much like the thrash boom in the 80’s, this was a time when young musicians were yearning to show every metalhead their youthful creativity, energy and their strong musicianship, and thus, a new and still controversial metal genre was born. As of 1996, landmark albums such as Dark Tranquillity’s "The Gallery" and At The Gates’ "The Red in the Sky Is Ours" have already been released, so it was time for Jesper Stromblad’s crew to step up their game and write another hard-hitter after the acclaimed "Lunar Strain". The chance was theirs to write a follow up to the marvel that was "Subterranean", that had the sole defect of being too short. Did they pull it off? Well, obviously no, silly. But hey, at least there was a distinguishable ATTEMPT made, and when you consider how fast and how far this group would soon fall, you can count that as a compliment.

Songs here range from somewhat campy (albeit catchy) growl-along power metal esque tracks ("Artifacts of the Black Rain") to stronger, faster and more visceral heavy rockers ("Dead Eternity") to create a varied and interesting experience. Acoustics are used with welcome sobriety, riffing is akin to power metal with the occasional tremolo racket to emphasize the aggression or sometimes the melodic theme of the songs, and the clean vocals are, fortunately, used sparingly. Why? Well, let's get that out of the way, then.

The most underwhelming performance stems from Friden’s vocals. While still retaining a small trace of his unhinged persona from “Skydancer”, this album’s slower and more focused nature allows Anders little space to dwell on ferocity alone as he struggles not only with diction issues, but also with interpretative ones. Having proved later on to be able to sing in different voices and tones (whether these are any good, however, is up to you) and perform a modicum of competent multitracking, his decision to carry this whole album in a boring, hoarse and never-changing rasp is strange at best and catastrophic at worst. To sing about Greek gods (“Lord Hypnos”), age-old earth deities (“Artifacts of the Black Rain”) and vivid, disturbing recollections of molestation (“Dead God in Me”) with the same monotone succeeds only in making me nervous, like watching Keanu Reeves sleepwalking through an amazingly written script.

To state that the Zeitgeist is the sole responsible party for such a dry performance is only half right. It is safe to assume that by that time, most death metal vocalists didn’t really give a shit about fruity clean singer stuff like interpretation, diction and intonation. However, Friden’s closest contemporaries Stanne and Lindberg were already seeking ways to evolve just by trying a little bit more. Fresh from a screeching performance in “Lunar Strain”, the former landed on Dark Tranquillity’s “The Gallery” with equal craziness but absolutely adapted to that album’s pace and identity, while the latter quickly realized it could be possible to sound maniacally Swedish AND understandable at the same time, thus giving a less agonizing performance in commercial landmark “Slaughter of the Soul” than he did on ATG’s previous, more accomplished works.

His finesse for writing lyrics used to be, however, surprisingly brilliant. Yes, his nonsensical warbling on "Whoracle" and his most recent alternative musings are far away from this album’s greatness, which is the closest In Flames ever got to emulating Arcturus' or Dark Tranquillity's penchant for abstract, over-the-top poetry. It comes as no surprise that Niklas Sundin helped him with the concepts, resulting in a really praiseworthy job, proving that Frid has (or had) a great talent with words, but unfortunately, that’s about it.

The Jester Race’s coolest assets are, as per expectations, Jesper’s and Glenn’s great guitar skills. The duet craft very nice leads and melodies through the album and accentuates them with tight and solid (although not overly technical) riffing. Soloing in here are also hits the spot, ranging from infectious and catchy power metal worship ("December Flower"; played by DT's Fredrik Johansson) to more melancholic and brooding pieces ("Dead God in Me"). Johann’s bass is somewhat hard to distinguish from the album’s thick guitar tone, which is sad, because his basslines on "Subterranean" were very nice and audible. Björn’s drumming is standard (for metal) and fails to impress or to stand out, unfortunately, although his taste for jumpy beats gets some spotlight in "Dead Eternity".

Well, every track here is very solid and diverse, some of them plod a little bit, but then they are saved by a powerful break ("Graveland", "Dead God in Me"). Others feature brief but very catchy guitar leads ("Artifacts", "Lord Hypnos") and cool acoustic breaks ("Lord Hypnos" again), but there is one song that I wish to highlight, that is one of In Flames’ most recognizable and beautiful compositions, the marvellous “Moonshield”. God, if this wasn't written in the "Subterranean" sessions, I'm changing my name to Jeff Goldblum. Soothing and incredibly well-written acoustic and electric folk melodies, melancholic lyrics, well-paced drumming, and even Anders’ screams sound fitting here. Yes, it’s that good. A genuine killer that shows the great capacity for creating atmospheres these guys had, only to later squander the whole lot of it penning insurmountable crap like “The Quiet Place”. Give me a break.

Yes, this is In Flames at the top of their game. An amazing mix between melody and aggressiveness, clean and harsh, light and heavy. I really miss the time when those guys knew how to do it right, because after this album, they only managed to screw things up, getting progressively worse and worse until their mallcore years, when they just pissed in their whole legacy. Sad, really sad.

This album's way too standard drumming and relentlessly morose vocals drag it down a bit, but not enough to take away its obvious merits. If you’re not a narrow-minded black/death elitist, you should check this out for its powerful melodies, thrilling lyrical content and the overall fun this release provides, you won’t regret it. There was a time when In Flames ruled, but most of us just don’t remember it. Well, neither does them, I suppose.

So it all begins here, this is technically In Flames’ debut album since their actual first album was more of a project featuring Dark Tranquillty’s vocalist Mikael Stanne and that was merely a favor granted by him. Apparently after that debut, two years later the band released this crown jewel. This album in comparison to LUNAR STRAIN has a better production, not to mention they have abandoned their former death metal style riffs. True, this is still melodic in a sense, but it is too melodic to even be considered in the category as melodic death metal. While this album shows harsh vocals and down tuned guitars, this is basically Iron Maiden with harsh vocals. Most “true” metalheads would consider this as blasphemy known as the Gothenburg genre of metal, I however think this is a grand sound presented by the former grand Swedish band, In Flames.


The overall music itself is very unique in general featuring twin harmony guitars playing at a pace that is, well, rather fast. It’s almost as similar to speed metal in a sense, but it doesn’t sound like classic speed metal. Take for example the song December Flower, it is by far the best song on the album played in a speed metal tune with a great solo to match (even though their producer performed it for them). Other features on this album also include acoustic guitar. Moonshield proudly displays this kind of guitar work while not being the most interesting song on the album, it still packs one hell of a punch. Not to mention the instrumentals which feature both kinds of guitar tone. The Jesters Dance is a short instrumental that features some nice riffs while Wayfaerer is a power packed song with a lot of nice keyboard solos.


Basically what we have here is a modern form of maiden worship to the extent where one would think it’s death metal, but it really isn’t death metal at all. Its power metal with harsh vocals and in my opinion it is very well executed than the majority of Gothenburg sound based albums.


If you have a case of UltraBorism or just believe that this kind of sound “sucks”, then this album is obviously not for you. However if you do like the twin harmonizing sound that these guys play on their guitars then you’ll like this album and maybe their next few releases like, WHORACLE, COLONY, and CLAYMAN.
Take it from me, I bought their Japanese release.

Some people have contested this album’s worth as a Death Metal album. They claimed that the style of play found here is more akin to a power metal band. Yet, it is a mystery why no one has contested this album’s worth as a metal album, period. It is difficult to consider this metal at all, much less power metal, and certainly not death metal.

The only time In Flames truly shines is on the very first song, Moonshield. This song is a masterpiece, and it stands as a mountain among wee little mole hills, which is the rest of the album. Cleverly crafted folk melodies are interwoven throughout the track with such exquisite delicacy. If In Flames composed the rest of the songs in similar manner, it may very well be praiseworthy.

Unfortunately, they don’t. It seems as though In Flames spent all of their energies and efforts for the sole purpose of producing Moonshield. On the rest of the album, it just seems like they half-assed it. The brilliant wanderings prevalent on Moonshield are absent on every single other song. Instead, they are replaced with wimpy riffs whose melodies resemble that of commercial jingles. Every riff contains a happy bouncy feel; the kind of feel one experiences when listening to a pop album. In fact, it is safer to categorize The Jester Race as a pop/rock album, rather than a metal album.

Another attribute which makes this more of a pop/rock album than anything is the rather stale songwriting. All the do is layer riff after riff of sheer ineptitude. They are more bent on formulating hooks than any feasible songwriting. To make matters worse, these hooks are not very well supported. They’re overly consonant and devoid of any interesting contrast. The melodies are more prone to drive the listener up the wall with sappy sentimentality.

Why is this album praised? Why is it even considered metal? It is just a collection of bouncy riffs and malformed melodies which are miserable attempts at emulating Iron Maiden. The only time In Flames has been successful at emulating Iron Maiden is on Colony. That’s right, Colony is better. In fact, it is actually quite enjoyable. The Jester Race is not.

Looking back on the history of metal, it seems as though the early albums from many a band turn out to be that band's most popular, well received releases in their discography. This isn't always the case, yes, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to come up with bands where this is true. From the mainstream metal scene, you've obvious bands like Metallica and Megadeth, who've released successful albums like Master of Puppets and Rust in Peace early on and then largely disliked albums including Risk and St. Anger. Then there are bands like Cradle of Filth and Helloween, who each have had successes early in their career, but have been criticized by masses of metal heads later on, fairly or unfairly. But it's those early albums like Keeper of the Seven Keys and In the Nightside Eclipse where most seem to generally agree that a classic rating is merited. Another band which seems to receive similar treatment is In Flames. Though their last few releases, Reroute to Remain and Soundtrack to your Escape for example, have been met with less than stellar reviews, the influential Gothenburg powerhouse definitely has a very good past. They've got albums that are among Gothenburg metal's finest, albums like Colony and The Jester's Race. The latter in particular, is personally my favourite of the genre. Originally released in 1995, The Jester Race was re-released in 2002 with the Black Inheritance EP added to the run time, increasing the track list by four songs.

Anyone who knows my musical taste, knows that I love melody it my music. And In Flames definitely succeeds in meeting this craving. Every song is extremely melodic, both in the actual sound, and the mood of the music. Guitarists Jesper Stromblad and Glenn Ljungstrom combine their talents to craft beautiful melodies, harmonies, and solos. In this area, the band is not exceedingly aggressive, as a band like Arsis might be, but their main appeal comes from the, again, beautiful sound & structure, as well as the sheer precision in which Jesper and Glenn play. The melodic guitars, which are an important element in The Jester Race, snake their way through the release, and are one of the album's most enjoyable parts. In addition, these sections are enhanced due to the infectious tone on the guitars. Truly amazing and very fun to listen to, if I must remind you yet again.

But don't be fooled into thinking that The Jester Race is all melody and nothing else. Though it's no Scream Bloody Gore, the album still contains heaviness. Though perhaps largely overshadowed by the extreme melody, there are still aggressive riffs to be found, often holding up the rhythm of the music. The riffing is very well thought out, and does not take away anything from the music, only adding to it. Like the harmonies and leads, the riffing is precise and enjoyable. But the aggressive riffs found in the likes of Dead God in Me and the title track are not the only elements that make up the heaviness of The Jester Race. The brutal death metal growls of frontman Anders Friden definitely add to the heavy mood. Anders has what is arguably his best performance for In Flames. His growls are just as much of an instrument as the guitars. They are very effective and manage to add extra aggression to the music. Anders' performance on In Flames' second full length release is actually one of my favourite performances in the genre, as his technique has a real authority to it, and just has an all around excellent sound to it. Though it isn't as big of a factor as melody, is still find heaviness to be an important part of the band's formula, and an element which they make good use of.

In Flames is a band that has endured some harsh reviews over the last five years. Whether it is deserved or not is up for debate, but one thing that most can agree with is that The Jester Race is one of the band's top releases, and a classic in the Gothenburg metal scene, if there ever was one. The album contains the perfect dose of melody and aggression in a way that several bands have since attempted, but many have failed to do. The Jester Race is a perfect showing of In Flames' song writing skill, as well as the reason why they were at one time considered an important, innovative Gothenburg metal band. The album, their sophomore effort, is easily an essential metal release, and is definitely worth the money. Do not let albums like Reroute to Remain or Soundtrack to your Escape deter you from purchasing this album, as it definitely belongs in the collection of any metalhead.

(Originally written for Sputnikmusic)

This is the first album remembered in a discussion about “Swedish melodic death metal”, In Flames’ “The Jester Race”. It’s hailed as a masterpiece by everyone who listens to it, everyone who reviews it and by the end of the day, it got a lot of more of praise than it truly deserves. It’s not really that amazing.

The core of this album is, of course, the nice lead/acoustic guitar by Jesper Strömblad. In fact, he is the best member of this band. His soloing is, for most part, very nice and beautiful. At his best moments, he could even surpass guitarists like Jon Nodtveidt or the lead guitar player from Soilwork. For example, “Moonshield”. In the lead guitar department, this is one of my favorite songs ever. It starts with a really nice acoustic intro, and then is possessed by some of the nicest leads in the whole world of melodic metal. Although he can’t achieve the same level of success in the other songs, his work is well above average. “Jester’s Dance” is one little nice instrumental, which alternates the melodies with “heavy” parts. This song has even a “Wasting Love” rip-off riff in the start but oh let’s not get nitpicky. Jesper has a lot of influence here: When something goes bad, he comes to the rescue with some of his leads and solos. The solo on “December’s Flower” is indeed great.

One can also trace a comparison of this album with Agalloch’s The Mantle. Excellent lead guitar, poor rhythm guitar. This is exactly what happens here. Most riffs here are pretty simple, midpaced and without any punch or a decent level of complexity. The guitar tone is not that one we are used to: heavy, grinding. It really makes me wonder why this is called “death metal”. When at their best, the riffs are acceptable (“Jester’s Dance”). When they suck… Well, just listen to “Wayfaerer”. No need to worry. Whenever the songs start dragging, which happens often, Jasper throws out some sugary melodies, with his over-predominant lead guitar to save everything with his tried-and-true success formula. The album is mostly midtempo, with few exceptions like the nice Dissection-style break at 1:59 of “Graveland”. “December’s Flower” and “Dead God in Me” also feature some high-speed passages. The occasional good riff tends to pop up, though: The mentioned break in “Graveland”, the diverse “Dead Eternity” and some others. The drumming is pretty simple and the vocals are rough, but not straight death metal growls.

I’d choose as highlights the amazing “Moonshield”, “Jester’s Dance”, “December’s Flower” and “Dead God in Me”. The rest is not good enough or mediocre. The only song that truly deserves the title of “like OMG what a motherfucking walking abortion” is the instrumental called “Wayfaerer”. Nice talent for writing horrible riffs.

In the end of the day, this is very overrated. If you really like Gothenburg metal, there’s Soilwork’s “Chainheart Machine”, which is much more intense, heavy, faster and has excellent lead guitar work, comparable to Jesper’s, although their styles are somewhat different. Or if you hate Gothenburg, listen to anything by Necrophobic, amazing melodic death metal with a capital motherfucking D. This is just another album that received unfair godlike status.