Whoracle

To be honest, I didn't think much of this album at first (and judging from some of the negative reviews below, I wasn't alone), but it grew on me like no other. So much so, that I now consider it to be THE essential In Flames CD, and something that belongs on the shelf of anyone who loves the genre. It probably took a dozen listens for me to really 'get' this album, but it was worth the effort as I now consider it to be In Flames's masterpiece.

So why the negative first impression? Well, it isn't their heaviest work, nor does it have the instant, easy-to-get-into accessibility of many of their other CDs. This is In Flames at their most experimental, with the possible exception of their debut Lunar Strain. Tracks like "Gyroscope" and "Jester Script Transfigured" in particular really drive this point home: these aren't catchy headbangers, but weird musical landscapes that it takes some time for your brain to learn how to navigate. But once you get your head around them, listening is an intensely rewarding experience.

What I love most about this CD are its diversity and its sense of completeness. It's one of the few CDs that I regularly listen to from beginning to end without use of the skip button; every song feels like an important part of the whole, with its own vibe and emotions, and the tempo varies widely from track to track. Fast thrashers like "Food for the Gods" and "Morphing Into Primal" and midpaced tracks like the awesome "Jotun" are mixed with slower numbers such as the trippy "Worlds Within the Margin" and the darkly beautiful "Jester Script Transfigured". The constant changing of pace gives the album a great dynamic and makes it an engaging listen from beginning to end.

Whoracle is a concept album of sorts that tells the story of the world's disintegration due to man's greed, ignorance and depravity. The story is not told in a straightforward manner; the lyrics are intentionally obscure and very much open to interpretation. As a result of the abstract lyrics and the sometimes weird musical direction, the album has an strange, dreamlike feel, and one gets flashes of the story not in definite pictures but rather in hazy, dreamy impressions. The feeling one gets from the songs is often tragic and angry, and yet eerily beautiful at the same time. It's a hypnotic experience that is both compelling and unsettling for the listener.

Musically, the band sounds great. The guitars have a nice tone that is mostly clear but has just enough fuzz to add to the overall strange vibe. There are plenty of killer riffs and solos to be heard here - the main riff of "Episode 666" comes instantly to mind, as the does the solo that concludes "The Hive", among many others. The rhythm section is tight and competent, but doesn't exactly stand out, with the bass in particular being very low in the mix - but on an album like this, where the guitars are so dominant, it scarcely matters. Synths are used sparingly and tastefully and add a nice texture to the songs where they are present.

The much -maligned Anders Friden handles the vocal duties here, and whatever you may think of his sound on later albums, he gives a great performance here. The vocals are almost exclusively death growls, with a sprinkling of clean vocals, and absolutely none of the strangled shrieks that are present in In Flames's later work. Anders may not have as good a voice as, say, Dark Tranquillity's Michael Stanne, but here, his vocals are ideal for the music. He injects plenty of character and emotion into the growls, creating a sound that is equal parts fury, sadness and desperation. His unique sound is the final piece of this musical puzzle, and it's a perfect fit for the material.

In Flames would never sound this good again. Get this album, listen to it, listen to it some more, and enjoy an amazing musical journey.