Band:	In Flames
Album:	Whoracle
Style:	Gothenburg metal
Release date:	October 27, 1997
A review by:	Herzebeth

01. Jotun
02. Food For The Gods
03. Gyroscope
04. Dialogue With The Stars
05. The Hive
06. Jester Script Transfigured
07. Morphing Into Primal
08. Worlds Within The Margin
09. Episode 666
10. Everything Counts [Depeche Mode cover]
11. Whoracle
12. Clad In Shadows '99 [deluxe version bonus]
13. Jotun [video] [deluxe version bonus]

Talking about an In Flames album is very difficult, most people hate Music like this because is not pure Death Metal and say all kind of elitist stuff, Well Yes In Flames is not pure Death Metal I am sure, In Flames is what we call nowadays Gothenburg Metal or Melodic Death Metal, I am going to put all those things aside and I'll review this album in the most objective way , let's start shall we?

The album is very good, The opener "Jotun" is in general extremely good if you like the Gothenburg sound, the vocals are melodic, The riffs are stretched and the solos are very simple (Gothenburg sound is not at all about technique and complexity) the drums barely use double-bass but when we can hear it it's really breathtaking, the entire album sounds quite similar to this song (I am not saying is the same thing at all, in fact this album has a lot of incredible twists and awesome textures).

Now let's talk about the best songs in "Whoracle" the first song that came into my mind is "Jester Script Transfigured" an almost acoustic song (The entire intro is acoustic) this song is what Melodic Death Metal is all about, a lot of melodic riffs, mellow drum beats, catchy composition, and every once in a while Aggressive music, this song is in fact very good, the guitar playing is not complex or anything but sure it sounds very good. The next song that pops into my mind is "Episode 666" a fast paced song with a violent intro, aggressive screams, very and I mean VERY catchy music (I still can't get that riff out of my head), the drumming is structured and has a lot of good moments, and then the real melodic part comes in (1:40) again stretched riffs and simple guitar leads, this song has also a lot of facets so that fills the song with awesome structures and great atmosphere.

The production is awesome, tremendous sound in fact, clear riffs and the vocals sound very good indeed, the instruments sound very clear and the music per se sounds amazing. The artwork is also very good, the cover shows a weird hot woman with tentacles instead of hands (well she has only one arm) so I guess that's the whore or something. So in the end you will love this album if you are a fan of the Gothenburg sound, the album in general is good, nothing spectacular or impressive just good.