In Flames
The Jester Race (Wrong Again/Nuclear Blast)
by Scott Hefflon
Even being the late-comer that I was, In Flames proved themselves to stand alone, not to mention, above others within their genre. I must admit the singer change between the Subterranean mini-CD and this full-length, The Jester Race, threw me for a bit of a loop. Gone are the snakespit vocals I so love, especially in contrast to the dueling guitars, majestically battling in mid-air like bloodthirsty hawks. In their stead, we’ve got Anders Fridén (ex-Dark Tranquility and Ceremonial Oath) and his huskier snarl, more death metal, really. While the vocals do skate the line toward the melodic power roar, hitting notes like vintage Kreator, perhaps, rather than belching or barking like the bass-heavy vocalists, it’s melodically thrashy death, unlike the usual best-of-both-worlds melodic just-shy-of-heavy-metal riffage with black metal vocals. Oh well, why mourn what no longer exists.
The Jester Race is infinitely more cohesive than Subterranean. Producer Fredrik Nordström pulled the various song segments together more this time around. Not that Subterranean was excessively choppy, it just switched from night to day more quickly than the flowing timeline of The Jester Race. Perhaps it’s also that In Flame’s guitarists don’t wander the scenic landscapes slowly, thoughtfully, and acoustically as they once did (except in the first two songs). And, if I may point out a horrifying moment, the guitar sing-a-long in “Wayfaerer” sounds like “Fallen Angel” by Poison! Look, I’m all for this melodic guitar thing, and I think it’s really swell how you can leap from shredding rhythms to twin-guitar action like Judas Priest (including the extreme difference in tone), and I’ll even go with you on the happy speedmetal stuff (ah, the glory days of Helloween with that puffy-haired, warbling falsetto fruitcake) but Poison is making a bit too much of a stretch, don’tcha think? And the winding Satriani-esque wanking is impressive, but just ’cause you can play it, doesn’t mean you should. Pul-leaze stop! I’m getting really awful flashbacks of hairspray, whammy bars, and pouting lips! Aside from those semi-excusable lapses in judgment (sorry, I refuse to accept the notion that the future of death metal, melodic or not, lies in fuckin’ glam rock), In Flames has produced a beautiful album mixing triumphant melodies, scorching hot leads, pulse-racing post-thrash riffing chaos, and the ability to meld that which is beautiful with that which is horribly twisted with rage.
