Black-Ash Inheritance

In Flames are maybe a little misrepresented in the metal world, because their genre has never been scrutinised carefully since their inception. We know that they were there at the start of the melodic death metal movement, when they mixed death metal and the lead style and twin guitar stylings of more classic acts, but when the aggression started to fade (first in 'The Jester Race', then more so afterwards), they became nothing to do with death metal. 'The Jester Race' had folk melodies and very melodic riffs for the most part, but this EP doesn't have almost any death metal influence. The riffs are heavy and twisting, but certainly not extreme. The music, however varied, is mostly good.

The first song, 'Goliaths Disarm Their Davids', probably has the most content. The riff is a medium chugger and the solo flies out from Friden's decisive vocals, which makes it a heady listen. 'Gyroscope', which also has an acoustic opening, is made of the same stuff, but the other tracks are very different. The poorly named 'Acoustic Medley' is exactly that, a combination of several tracks' main themes in acoustic form. It's relaxing and folky, capturing a recognisable In Flames vibe. The live version of 'Behind Space' is great, with a vitriolic energy that is missing from this laidback release. It's maybe the highlight, though of course is inessential, not being a new piece of music.

The playing style is not noticeably different from 'The Jester Race', barring the decrease in intensity. The melodic side of the band is mostly displayed, with only 'Behind Space' showing any extreme tendencies. The two main tracks are rocking and loping, with steady riffs and simple drums, while the vocals are extreme but never dangerous. The whole EP is decent, but a much more relaxed version of In Flames, which signposts the way ahead.

Though it may be hard to fathom today, there was a time when In Flames wasn’t synonymous with pandering to nu-metal brats and trying to beat them at their own game. Opinions vary as to where the band started to go wrong, but it is definitely clear to any and all with even a slight interest in Gothenburg metal that things were at their peak before “Whoracle”. While some might shy away from the band’s second EP “Black Ash Inheritance” due to its close proximity to said third album, the truth is that this is clearly a release firmly rooted in the short span when the music surrounding Anders Fridén’s somewhat sloppy vocals was top notch, ergo it is in the same vain as “The Jester Race”.

Anyone who was familiar with the positive aspects of the band’s sophomore full length, the non-album songs found on here are an even more effective reassertion of that same winning formula. For the most part, the name of the game is atmospherics and melody, while the riffs tend to be consonant and easy flowing and the rhythm section is somewhat looser and slower, as opposed to the driving feel that came in with the new lineup on “Colony”. They differ a little in scope, notably that the featured opener “Goliaths Disarm Their Davids” is among the busier and more technical of In Flames’ offerings and features a very picturesque clean electric guitar intro, while “Gyroscope” is a bit more compact and comes with an acoustic intro, but they ram the same general point of catchiness and majestically grim landscapes home.

The contents that round out the duration of this little afterthought aren’t necessarily slouches either. The all acoustic instrumental number, while not having a terribly compelling name, the dreary atmosphere and droning harmony lines that are reminiscent of several ballad sections on “The Jester Race” (particularly that of the first two songs on said LP) and work perfectly even when in a small sub-3 minute package. The live rendition of “Beyond Space” is well accomplished and surprisingly well mixed, particularly given the band’s tendency towards poor live recordings, and only come up short in Anders’ vocal performance. In truth, the only thing holding this back is the weak renditions of the extreme-thrash/proto-death metal shouts of the vocalist the band has saddled itself with.

While standing on its own this is the best offering of In Flames’ career after “Subterranean”, the prudent buyer will simply pick up the 2002 reissue of “The Jester Race” which also has this EP. Put together, they represent the only utterly essential purchase of the Fridén era, though the next 3 albums aren’t necessarily throwaways if sought at lower than introductory prices. It might not ascend to the level of the early classics of At The Gates, but it represents a very viable companion to any quality release by them or Dark Tranquillity for any newcomer to Gothenburg who have qualms about this band given their recent output.

For those of you who loved the old school melodic death metal days of the early 90s with great bands such as Dark Tranquillity and In Flames at their peaks, if you haven’t already checked out this little EP, you really have to. This is much more than your average EP, it’s a transition from The Jester Race to Whoracle, which is widely considered their finest era. Also, if you can’t find this EP, it is included in the re-release of The Jester Race, which is much easier to come by.

On with the music! Goliaths Disarm Their Davids is what opens up Black Ash Inheritance. This track sounds a lot like something off of Whoracle and therefore, amazing. It is an excellent example of where the Gothenburg melodeth scene was at this point. The guitars are what make this song. No fast riffage, only beautiful soaring, melodic melodies. The vocals sound like they did on The Jester Race but the production is better so they are completely audible. Also, the very catchy chorus will have you reading along with the lyrics. Gyroscope is a teaser as it would later appear on the Whoracle album. Needless to say, this is a highlight of Whoracle and thus is essential here as well. The opening melody is reminiscent of In Flames’ folk influences most present of their 1994 EP Subterranean. This is followed by crushing riffs and solos which we have grown to love in old In Flames albums. Te chorus also features the first clean vocals (kind of) that In Flames used but of course sounds nothing at all like the singing on several most recent albums. After this we get a beautiful acoustic interlude (appropriately titles Acoustic Medley) from Jesper Stormblad before we are ear-fucked by the raw live track of Behind Space. Of course, this song is not only a highlight of In Flames’ debut, Lunar Strain, but is also one of their best songs. The production is great and Anders’ vocals tear through your speakers with shrieks that he certainly hasn’t done in recent years.

In conclusion, Black Ash Inheritance is for anyone who is interested in the Swedish melodic death metal scene. Hell, it’s worth your money for the first song alone.

The Black-Ash Inheritance" EP is a spacial collector's item that clearly represents the In Flames sound from that particular "Whoracle Colony" era, their sound was about death metal vocals and catchy harmonized guitar riffs as an Iron Maiden influence, it wasn't about fast and complex guitar solos, but about melodic metal guitars with harsh vocals.

The first 2 songs are a perfect example of that sound: "Gyroscope" which can be found in the Whoracle album, and "Goliaths disarm their Davids" that is one of the main reason why the EP is deeply appreciated by some fans, it is one of the best songs from that In Flames era.

In Flames, just as other melodic death metal bands back then, used to introduce an instrumental track in every album, this wasn´t the exception, the EP includes "Acoustic Medley", an acoustic version that contains pieces of songs from "The Jester Race" Album. Unfortunately the EP ends with a live performance of "Behind Space", where Anders live vocals will make you beg for the original Mikael Stanne's growls.

For the ones that are thinking in getting this EP, I have to state that there was a re-release of "The Jester Race" album that included the same 4 songs from this EP as bonus tracks. So if you are the kind of person that is only interested in the music, I recommend you to not buy the EP and seek for that "The Jester Race" re-release. Only an extreme fan of the band would try to get the "Black Ash Inheritance" EP, not only because it is a special collector's item, but because the CD is actually shaped as Jester's head and it contains one of the best In Flames songs from that era "Goliaths disarm their Davids".

A short collector's EP released to satisfy fans before Whoracle, it contains one track unavailable anywhere else (Goliaths Disarm Their Davids), one song previewing Whoracle that later appeared on it (Gyroscope), an acoustic medley of songs from the Jester Race, and a live version of Behind Space from Lunar Strain. Goliaths Disarm Their Davids is typical folkish melodeath that could have just as easily been on The Jester Race, and is at the same level musically as that album (so it's pretty fucking great). Gyroscope is slightly similar due to the switch off of acoustic and electric, but has overdubbed clean vocals in the chorus, something new at this point for In Flames and they don't sound bad here. On Whoracle Friden's vocals slightly improve, although his attempt at death vocals is never actually good till he gives up and changes his vocal style on Colony. The acoustic medley is beautiful like all In Flames acoustic songs, and the live version of Behind Space is good for fans of live recordings, it's not bad quality, and I'd say that In Flames is just as good live, if not better, than in the studio. Get this packaged with The Jester Race, the stuff here is pretty good.