87. In Flames - The Jester Race (1996)
Before they soiled their reputation with 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 heavy 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, but THIS album was the original - and remains a work of unique inspiration and quality. This is the crown jewel of the In Flames discography and perhaps of the entire Gothenburg scene.
Aside from the gorgeously sinister artwork (which is what originally drew me to the album back when I was a metal noob in 2010), 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! 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 here and you can really tell they were just enjoying writing and playing this music together. The production isn't as pristine and polished as on successor albums, which I enjoy. 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 intros ever with its folky acoustic passage 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, the twin guitar melodies of
Artifacts of the Black Rain, and
Dead God In Me, which is just epic throughout. In truth, every song here is catchy as hell and could be listed as a highlight, which is why this album is a 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, but it's also a true classic of the entire heavy metal tree.