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In Flames - The Jester Race



8.8 | 1536 votes |
Release date: 20 February 1996
Style: Gothenburg metal

Owners:

1917 have it
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01. Moonshield
02. The Jester's Dance
03. Artifacts Of The Black Rain
04. Graveland
05. Lord Hypnos
06. Dead Eternity
07. The Jester Race
08. December Flower
09. Wayfaerer
10. Dead God In Me
11. Goliaths Disarm Their Davids [2002 re-release bonus]
12. Gyroscope [2002 re-release bonus]
13. Acoustic Medley [2002 re-release bonus]
14. Behind Space [live] [2002 re-release bonus]

Top 20 albums of 1996: 3
Top 200 albums of all time: 86

Additional info
Recorded and mixed at Studio Fredman, November 1995. Produced by Frederik Nordström & In Flames. Engineered by Frederik Nordström & Patrick Hellgren.

Re-Released in 2002 by Nuclear Blast with the Black-Ash Inheritance [EP] as bonus tracks.

Staff review by
Dream Taster
Rating:
8.6
The Jester Race is the best album from In Flames era pure Melodic Death Metal, unfortunately for the fans of this precise style, that would also be the last. The Swedish band was still playing a lot of acoustic almost classical music, and was still very close to its alter ego Dark Tranquillity. Honestly I love both "versions" of In Flames music and it's obvious for me that their "pre-Whoracle" work reached its climax with the album The Jester Race.

Read more ››
published 02.09.2003 | Comments (32)

22.02.2011
Nostalgic reminder: exactly fifteen years ago melodic death metal was still a respectable genre instead of a curse word, and we all thought In Flames were the tits!

Crazy times, crazy times... now get the hell off my playground!

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Comments page 2 / 2

Comments: 48   Visited by: 2285 users
15.11.2014 - 08:08
!J.O.O.E.!
Account deleted
Written by Ganondox on 15.11.2014 at 08:02


Yeah I got what you said, but Iron Maiden as Iron Maiden appeals to me more than Jester-Race-era In Flames, so I don't more from Jester Race.

I wouldn't say that new In Flames appeals to me as much as mid-era In Flames, Colony through Come Clarity.

Well Colony to Come Clarity covers a whole bunch of sounds from more traditional In Flames, to whatever Reroute was (some kind of alternative melodeath slash nu-metal) to the faux-industrial Soundtrack to whatever the current stuff is. I wouldn't even like to speculate on what In Flames are now. I'd take Clayman, Reroute and Soundtrack over Colony, so I guess there really is no accounting for taste in the context of In Flames.
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15.11.2014 - 08:20
Ganondox

Written by Guest on 15.11.2014 at 08:08

Written by Ganondox on 15.11.2014 at 08:02


Yeah I got what you said, but Iron Maiden as Iron Maiden appeals to me more than Jester-Race-era In Flames, so I don't more from Jester Race.

I wouldn't say that new In Flames appeals to me as much as mid-era In Flames, Colony through Come Clarity.

Well Colony to Come Clarity covers a whole bunch of sounds from more traditional In Flames, to whatever Reroute was (some kind of alternative melodeath slash nu-metal) to the faux-industrial Soundtrack to whatever the current stuff is. I wouldn't even like to speculate on what In Flames are now. I'd take Clayman, Reroute and Soundtrack over Colony, so I guess there really is no accounting for taste in the context of In Flames.


Come Clarity isn't really like the current stuff, whatever the hell In Flames is currently doing, it's somewhere between Reroute and Clayman. After Come Clarity the stuff is more alternative than Reroute or Soundtrack. I'd say mid-era In Flames is sharply divided into two groups, Clayman and Colony and Reroute and Soundtrack, with Come Clarity muscially falling between the two despite coming after them. Anyway, yes, the distinction is pretty arbitrary as I prefer Whoracle to Jester Race and A Sense of Purpose to Sounds of a Playground, I just like the stuff closest to Clayman/Come Clarity the most.
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21.04.2015 - 05:30
Rating: 8
LeKiwi
High Fist Prog
Finally listened to this in its entirety. Great record, but the excessive praise this album received - and continues to receive - created expectations that just weren't met.
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15.11.2015 - 01:10
Rating: 8
Joppe
Steelemeister
Classic IF
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My vision is augmented
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01.03.2020 - 09:11
Rating: 9
DeathMetal

Great music, not too big on the vocals though.
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02.08.2021 - 02:36
Rating: 9
F3ynman2000
Nocturnal Bro
This album has one of the best guitar sounds ever!
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03.08.2021 - 17:29
Rating: 8
AndyMetalFreak
A Nice Guy
It's a very Melodic and enjoyable album, I particularly liked the songs "Moonshield", and the title song most, and I really enjoyed the main riff on "December Flower".
In Flames best album Without a doubt Imo, but I always thought DT were overall the better band, but that's just my personal preference.
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20.01.2022 - 20:35
Rating: 10
Jared Archon

Flawless. the melodies In Flames crafted on this record are transcendent
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20.01.2022 - 20:54
Rating: 5
Roman Doez
Hallucigenia
Guess I'm in the minority again...
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20.01.2022 - 21:05
Rating: 7
RaduP
CertifiedHipster
Written by Roman Doez on 20.01.2022 at 20:54

Guess I'm in the minority again...

Never thought I'd die fighting side by side with a Frenchman
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Do you think if the heart keeps on shrinking
One day there will be no heart at all?
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20.01.2022 - 21:10
Rating: 5
Roman Doez
Hallucigenia
Written by RaduP on 20.01.2022 at 21:05

Never thought I'd die fighting side by side with a Frenchman

How about side by side with a friend ?
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20.01.2022 - 21:10
Rating: 7
RaduP
CertifiedHipster
Written by Roman Doez on 20.01.2022 at 21:10

Written by RaduP on 20.01.2022 at 21:05

Never thought I'd die fighting side by side with a Frenchman

How about side by side with a friend ?

Aye, I could do that.
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Do you think if the heart keeps on shrinking
One day there will be no heart at all?
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20.01.2022 - 22:27
Rating: 9
Redel

Written by Jared Archon on 20.01.2022 at 20:35

Flawless. the melodies In Flames crafted on this record are transcendent

I dont know about flawless but this one was my first touch with MDM back at the time of the album's release. I will always hold it up high just for that.
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21.01.2022 - 00:20
Rating: 10
musclassia

Absolue masterpiece of a record, amazing use of acoustics in the likes of Moonshield and The Jester Race and bangers from front to back
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03.05.2022 - 04:20
Rating: 9
Fred_P

I'm ashamed to say I had not listened to this album and I love MDM. After spinning it for the last couple of days, yeah, this is excellent. "Moonshield", "Graveland", "Dead Eternity", "December Flower" are all absolutely fantastic. Clayman and Come Clarity are the only IF albums I really checked out, time to check Whoracle and Colony.
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03.05.2022 - 08:59
Rating: 9
Redel

Written by Fred_P on 03.05.2022 at 04:20

Clayman and Come Clarity are the only IF albums I really checked out, time to check Whoracle and Colony.

Indeed, time to check out the latter two. If you turn out to like all these four albums you definitely need to try Reroute to Remain too. It is kind of the link between Clayman/Colony and Come Clarity, and it is a great album (their last one), though not as great as the former two, if you ask me.
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21.09.2022 - 14:22
Rating: 9
nonZero

Easily the best In Flames album IMO. Such a shame to think about what this band has turned into...Still, this is a melodic death metal masterpiece that will cement them pre-2002 as one of the greats. 'Artifacts Of The Black Rain' was one of the first songs my old band learned to play back in 2011

9.2/10 for me - 'Artifacts Of The Black Rain' is the standout song. 'Moonshield', 'The Jester's Dance', 'December Flower' and 'Wayfaerer' are all also great. 'Graveland' and 'The Jester Race' are the weakest songs on this album IMO.

I also covered 'Artifacts Of The Black Rain' back in 2012

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26.11.2023 - 20:57
Rating: 10
I don't give out a 10 on a whim. This album is more than worthy of such a rating. This is not only peak In Flames, it's a high point in MeloDeath as a whole. Killer guitar sound to go with beautiful harmonized leads, one of my all time favorite guitar solos(guest musician or not) in "December Flower", each song is memorable and brings something to the table from the acoustic guitar in Moonshield to The Jester's Dance soothing interlude to December Flower jumping right at you. I never feel like I want to skip any of the songs. It's a MeloDeath Masterpiece through and through.
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