In Flames - Jester Race Black Ash Inheritance (14 tracks) +Album Reviews

Wow...better than their new stuff...

opy666 | Salt Lake City, UT | 07/01/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The first two albums I owned by In Flames were STYE and RTR. I enjoyed both of them greatly. But I read many reviews from long-time fans who did not seem to appreciate the change of styles. So I went out and got Jester Race because I wanted to hear some of their old stuff. I now have all their CD's and can see where the depressed fans are coming from. Don't get me wrong, I still love Soundtrack and Reroute, but they are certainly more mainstream and less stellar than their earlier works. Jester, Whoracle, and Clayman are simply AMAZING. If you have only heard their newer stuff, you are missing out. If you are a fan of Reroute and Soundtrack, but don't like the older stuff, then you are obviously just a pathetic MTV watching pansy. If epic, melody-driven metal is what you like, GET OLD IN FLAMES!!!! Oh, and Moonshield is one of the best songs EVER by the way."

In Flames I reside

mysanthropyk_overlord | USA | 09/09/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"One of their earlier albums, The Jester Race/Black-Ash Inheritance (a combination of a full-length album and an EP) remains my favorite in my now-complete In Flames collection. From the acoustic beginnings of the stunning song "Moonshield" (in my opinion, In Flames' best song to date), the five Swedes deliver an undeniably damn-near flawless performance with this one. It keeps one's attention through a balanced mix of heavy melodic "death" metal (I really hate calling it that, because death metal is such a bland, boring, and unimaginative subgenre in general) and mellow acoustic tunes, in a vein similar to fellow Swedish metal masters Opeth. But where Opeth makes long, epic songs with many tempo changes, In Flames' songs are typically average length with more predictable switches from the heaviness to the softer parts. The Gothenborg sound, originated by the band, may be a little difficult to get into, as it is somewhat of a primitive sound (deliberately, enhancing the atmosphere created by the music). In contrast to Opeth, In Flames concentrates more on heavy parts, whereas with Opeth, you often get a nearly equal balance of heavy & acoustic. Both schemes work well, and it's hard to decide which scenario is more appealing. Lyrically, In Flames is one of the more introspective bands, not focusing on satanism or killing religious people or any of that overdone and cliche [stuff]. Their lyrics make you think, and most people can relate to them. It's almost like a narration of life, albeit with somewhat of a dark twist thrown in at points.So now, my faithful review-reader, I invite thee... open thy mind and check out In Flames today! If you're not a complete bonehead, you'll probably like what you hear (of course, if you don't like it, that doesn't necessarily make you a complete bonehead by default...)."

A Groundbreaking Band and a Groundbreaking Album

themusicprofessor | NJ | 09/04/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Back in the mid-90's metal was going through a bit of a dull period (not that it's any better now, come to think of it). Nothing was really special anymore, grunge had run its course, the intensity of death metal had came and went, and melody and technicality in rock music was already becoming a thing of the past. Something new and different was needed to give metal that extra punch that it once had. What could be done to do this? Apparently, five guys from Sweden had found the answer, giving birth to In Flames, and the now trademark melodic death sound. While their first album, Lunar Strain, showed great potential, it was a bit too unpolished to really be considered a classic. However, when their second full-length LP, the Jester Race, was released, it proved to be everything In Flames first album could and should have been, and a lot more.The Jester Race is a brilliant album in every sense of the word, from the crunchy rhythm guitar riffs and melodic lead guitar interplay, to the throaty, thought-provoking lyrics. Like many great albums, it'll probably require more than a few listens before you grasp the full scope of the music, but once you do, you'll realize just how much effort was put into this release. One minute you'll be listening to a brilliant acoustic melody, and the next you'll be treated to some of the greatest melodic guitar since Iron Maiden's prime. Hats off to Jesper, the main songwriter and lead guitarist, he truly has a gift for melody and catchy riffs. Each time I listen to this album, I find something new to appreciate and enjoy.The album has many, many highlights, from the unique and beautiful instrumental The Jester's Dance, (I've never heard ANYTHING like that before!) to the perfect balance of beauty and heaviness in the title track, this album just blows you away track for track. If there's anything that could really be considered disappointing about this album, it's that the band never does anything really epic here, nor have they ever afterwards (their songs all average about four minutes, and they have yet to exceed five and a half minutes in a song!) but that's really a small complaint and is only really based upon my own personal tastes anyway.I'll finish the review off with a track-by-track synopsis of the album:1.Moonshield-a pretty good song, but probably not the best suited song for an album opener. Many people consider it one of In Flames best songs. I don't, but it's still pretty good. It only gets better from here. 7/102.The Jester's Dance- one of the most unique instrumentals ever crafted. It's a bit short, but that's probably why it's so good; it definitely leaves you wanting more afterwards. 9/103.Artifacts of the Black Rain- a faster, more rocking song with an addictive riff and great melodic guitar. Has everything you could want in an In Flames song; one of my favorites. 10/104.Graveland- a heavy, pounding, track. Not as good as the previous, but definitely a song that gets you moving with good rhythm. 8/105.Lord Hypnos- another awesome song. Starts with an extremely catchy lead riff, then gets very heavy, then towards the middle there is a great, chugging rhythm. 9/106.Dead Eternity- my personal favorite of the album. This song is just totally incredible from start to finish. It starts off fast, chances to a nice chugging riff once again, then fades away into the main lead riff. From there this song just goes all over the place, and every second of it is amazing! An In Flames masterpiece. 10/107.The Jester Race- another one of the best songs on the album. The interesting thing is this song starts off with a catchy melody somewhat resembling the melody from The Jester's Dance. The song is dominated by a very catchy and heavy main riff. One of the only songs on the album with a real chorus, and probably the catchiest song on the album. 10/108.December Flower- starts out with very speedy drums and guitar, at first sounding a bit like the beginning of Dead Eternity. It then changes track with great rhythm and lead guitar swapping, and a catchy melody. The lengthy solo halfway through is pure bliss! Excellent song. 9/109.Wayfaerer- the albums second instrumental, and much longer than The Jester's Dance. Starts off great, with some awesome tempo changes in the beginning, and a good lead riff. Once the keyboard comes in, however, it starts to get a little bit cheesy, and loses some appeal, but it's still pretty good. However, it is nowhere near as good as In Flames' later instrumentals. 7.5/1010.Dead God in Me- some people love this song; I think it's okay. The last minute of the song, where they improve the main riff a bit, is what saves it for me, but the rest of it could have been a bit better. Overall, a decent song, and fitting for a closer, just needed a bit more fine tuning. 8/10Buy this album whenever you have the chance. It gave birth to a whole new sound and style and is definitely one of the best albums of the 90's."

The Answer to the Question 'Does Metal Require Any Talent?'

Nick Watkins | New Albany, Indiana | 05/15/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In Flames is truly an amazing band. While you could really say that any band you like is amazing, I believe that the statement is honest when referring to IF. No band has reinvented themselves as many times as these masters and still stayed amazing with each album. From the raw, primitive sounding melodic death of "The Jester Race" and "Whoracle" to the more modern-metal well-produced melo-death of Colony and Clayman, and even to the simpler and more rhythm-based efforts of Reroute to Remain and Soundtrack to Your Escape, IF have found ways to amaze and touch fans, old and new, with their lyrics, music, songwriting, and Anders' always intense and emotional vocal delivery. I believe that everything has to be perfect to make a band "amazing". And I believe that is the case with In Flames.

This is one of IF's most respected works, and it's quite clear why. The musicianship is nothing short of phenomenal. The dual guitar team of Jesper Stromblad and Bjorn Gelotte is unmatched by all I can think of but Hammet and Hetfield. The two blaze through beautiful riff after beautiful riff like it's nothing, truly, for the lack of a better word, an aspiring guitarist's wet dream. I have nothing but praise for the two on this album, as riffs featured in tracks such as "Artifacts of the Black Rain", "Moonshield", Lord Hypnos" and "Dead Eternity" have the ability to captivate me every time. If you're a guitarist, or even a bassist, you're going to have a hard time not dropping your jaw while listening to this album. Stromblad and Gelotte also play acoustically quite a bit on this album. The album starts off with the IF classic "Moonshield", featuring the two harmonizing beautifully (as usual) before kicking into a powerful electric riff. There are also acoustic bits here and there throughout the album, which adds greatly to the melody.

The rhythm section of the group, while no doubt outshined by the guitarists, is still excellent. The drumming is very well done, as the drummer, whose name I cannot remember, can do his job without overplaying himself, which works in some bands, but not in a band like IF. He keeps the pulse going with steady metal beats, the occasional double bass, and every now and then some light-speed pummeling, which can be heard for example in the track "Dead Eternity". The bassist isn't mixed as loud as the rest of the band, and being a bassist, I wish it weren't this way, but sadly it is, which is the only low-point of the album. With a good ear you can distinguish what he's doing, otherwise it will just blend in too much and you won't even notice it's there.

Anders Friden is one of my favorite vocalists in metal. In this album, his lyrics deal with more fantasy-oriented themes, telling tales of "a lone silent warrior in a fantasy world" ("Artifacts of the Black Rain") and chaos-filled worlds of constant war ("Graveland"). What I like about Anders' lyrics is that no matter what he writes them about, they can still always find a way to touch me. On this album, it's like remembering those fantasy stories filled with castles, warriors and magic and the way they used to fascinate you. Anders delivers them through a raging growl of a voice, but he does it with such emotion that you can't help but feel moved (if you can understand what he's saying, that is-I always read along with the lyrics in the booklet). Fans of the Nintendo 64 who remember playing the game "Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time" will know what I'm talking about. Remember the feeling you'd get while playing that game? That feeling that you're really in this beautiful make-believe world? I get the same feeling while listening to this album. For those of you who haven't played the game, think of the feeling you got while reading the book or watching the movie "Lord of the Rings". The book / film just had the power to take you to this land, and for a few hours have you believe that it truly exists. Again, that's what Friden's lyrics in this album make me think.

The tracks on this album are all heavily melodic. Even the heaviest tracks have a huge sense of melody in them. My personal favorites are "Moonshield" (of course), the beautiful but short instrumental "The Jester's Dace", "Artifacts of the Black Rain", "Lord Hypnos", "Dead Eternity", and one of the best instrumentals I've ever heard, entitled "Wayfaerer". This best showcases the complexity and creativity of the group's two guitarists. A four minute and thirty second epic composed of breathtaking riff after breathtaking riff, only to go into an even more breathtaking solo, and then back to another riff. I still don't see why this song isn't more known in the metal community, as I truly believe it's a masterpiece.

So there you have it. All the reviews for this album I've read, not just on this site, but everywhere, are nothing but rave. The album also comes with the "Black Ash Inheritance" EP which features two amazing new tracks, "Goliaths Disarm Their Davids" and "Gyroscope", the latter of which was released again in exactly the same form on the "Whoracle" album. Then there's the "Acoustic Medley", basically an "Acoustic Medley" of tracks from "The Jester Race", including "Moonshield" and "Artifacts of the Black Rain". The EP ends with a live version of their song "Behind Space", but the sound quality is horrible, with the drums sounding shoddy, the guitars TOO loud, the bass inaudible, and the vocals too raw sounding. I still listen to the track sometimes, but I'd much rather hear it in a worthy quality, as a band like In Flames deserves it. Now, the answer to the question...DOES it take any talent to play metal music? Listen to any given track from this album, and listen closely, and decide for yourself."

Classic!!!!

Marcin M. Lewandowski | Salisbury, MD USA | 02/21/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"...and that should have constituted my entire review. If ever there was an album as perfect and engaging as Metallica's "Master..." or Megadeth's "Rust..." it is this one! (yes, I am aware of Dark Tranquility, but they have yet to release ANYTHING bad, so I skip them here)! The music is so good here that no wonder ANYTHING after would necessarily have to be a dissapointment from In Flames! Yes, "Whoracle" was great,ditto for "Colony" and "Clayman", but THIS is In Flames' greatest achievement, all else in their discography is mere shadows of this masterpiece (the same can be said of Metallica and their third album). Nothing they have ever done after and before will ever top that, period.The problem is: THEY SHOULD NOT HAVE MATURED SO FAST.Really, if you can only own 1 album of In Flames, this will suffice entirely. There is absolutely no confusion what kind of music is played here: Gothenburg death metal. No core, no thrash, just death! And a melodic grim reaper at that! The knack for melody combined with the sheer power and brilliance of execution could potentially start a third World War if used in a sinister manner. Perhaps that is where my favorite heavy metal bands Dark Tranquility and Opeth take roots. In any case, if you like your metal raw but melodic, this is one of these rare perfect albums you can't afford not to own! BUY NOW!!!!"

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