In Flames - The Jester Race (1996)

 

 The Jester Race is the second studio album by Swedish heavy metal band In Flames, released in February 1996. It is the first album to feature Anders Fridén as the band's vocalist, Björn Gelotte as the drummer, and Jester Head as the band's mascot.

The Jester Race was recorded at Studio Fredman by Fredrik Nordström, who also contributed keyboards for the album.

The song "Dead Eternity" was originally on their 1995 EP, Subterranean. "Dead God in Me" was also originally on Subterranean but with a different title, "The Inborn Lifeless", as well as different lyrics, a different ending, and a slightly different solo.

A remixed version of the song "Moonshield" was released on the EP Trigger. A video for the song "Artifacts of the Black Rain" was also released. 

In Flames, along with At the Gates and Dark Tranquillity, pioneered what is now known as melodic death metal, or the Gothenburg sound (since all of them came from that city).

In 1990, Jesper Strömblad founded the band to write music that combined the melodic guitar style of Iron Maiden with the brutality of death metal, something which Jesper stated he had never heard any band do.

In 1993, In Flames wrote, recorded, and self-produced their debut studio album, Lunar Strain. Since In Flames did not have a vocalist yet, Jesper asked Mikael Stanne (Dark Tranquillity) to provide vocals. In Flames would eventually need another vocalist for the recording of the EP Subterranean; this time Henke Forss would do the job. However, it wasn't until 1995 that the current vocalist Anders Fridén (Dark Tranquillity) joined the band.

Björn Gelotte originally joined as a drummer, then switched to guitars a few years (and albums) later.

The Jester Race was recorded and became a classic melodic death metal album. Afterward, In Flames got to tour with bands such as Samael and Kreator. 

 

 

 

Tracklist:

 1.     Moonshield     04:58
2.     The Jester's Dance     02:09       instrumental
3.     Artifacts of the Black Rain     03:17
4.     Graveland     02:46
5.     Lord Hypnos     04:01
6.     Dead Eternity     05:01
7.     The Jester Race     04:51
8.     December Flower     04:10
9.     Wayfaerer     04:41       instrumental
10.     Dead God in Me     04:15

40:09

 

Line up:

• Anders Fridén : Vocals (lead), Lyrics
• Björn Gelotte : Guitars (lead), Drums, Songwriting (tracks 3, 5, 9)
• Jesper Strömblad : Guitars (lead, acoustic), Keyboards, Songwriting (tracks 1-10)
• Johan Larsson : Bass, Vocals (backing), Songwriting (track 2)
• Glenn Ljungström : Guitars (lead), Songwriting (tracks 4-8, 10).

 

 

 

 

 Label: Nuclear Blast Records. NB 168-2 / 27361 61682.

 Original release licensed to Nuclear Blast Records by Wrong Again Records.
The band was under contract to WAR, but WAR never released their own edition of this album - early editions bore both labels' logos and stated "Licensed from Wrong Again Records".

Quotation in "Lord Hypnos" taken from William Wordsworth's "Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood".

The release date of the album is uncertain. Nuclear Blast cites February 20, 1996 while it may not have been distributed widely until August.

Recorded and mixed in November, 1995 at Studio Fredman, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Co-produced by In Flames.

Artwork: Andreas Marshall.
Logo: Glenn Ljungström.