Whoracle

After the highly commendable "The Jester Race," In Flames began to craft a new artistic niche for themselves. One of the more visual changes was the transformation into the new logo, which is more straight-forward than the old version but logos aren't everything. In addition to this, In Flames began to craft their sound more to a wider appeal, which continued exponentially with every release on up until the modern day. This new change in sound isn't necessarily bad, nor is it ever inherently bad so long as the artist in question makes it pleasing to listen to. By most means, "Whoracle" is a great sounding album, as it takes on new directions while also making a logical step forward from the previous album.

The production issues present on "The Jester Race" have been taken care of, the drums are more present in the mix, giving the album a driving edge. The drum work itself still isn't very impressive, but it fulfills the job at hand. The leads and guitar work are very catchy, making the good share of these songs highly memorable but they don't rely solely on infectious melodies to capture one's attention. Most everything here is finely tuned Swedish melodic death metal, and "Whoracle" is definitely one of the best albums In Flames has ever gotten around to putting out.

There are a cache of good things to enjoy here, from the sheer catchiness of the majestic works on "Jotun" and "Gyroscope," to the incredible solo present on "The Hive." Of course there is also "Episode 666" which remains an In Flames concert staple and a fan favorite. Yet these alone aren't all that bear mentioning. "Dialogue with the Stars" is a nice little instrumental, that reminds a little of "Wayfarer" from "The Jester Race." There isn't as much classic guitar work here as before, seen on songs like "Moonshield" but they do occur, particularly within "Gyrocscope." There is also the speedy "Morphing Into Primal," which seems to be overlooked sometimes, despite being a highlight in my book.

While most of this album listens very well, I found some songs to be something of a downer. "Jester Script Transfigured," despite working well in its seemingly experimental territory, is an odd choice on this particular album. "Whoracle" isn't exactly firmly grounded in a singular mode throughout its duration, but that song took me by surprise. "Worlds Within the Margin" starts off pretty well but its a bit too slow and begins to grow tedious as it nears the five minute mark. While both of these are not necessarily bad and both are listenable, the Depeche Mode cover in "Everything Counts" is a serious mis-step in covers. I don't know why it was included or how it relates to the topics at hand (which I understand revolve around a utopian society destroyed by human nature) but it seems really out of place and could have been left out. Aside from this one song, none of these are throwaways and all listen well to some degree.

While there will forever be the contest of "the" In Flames album, divided up between "The Jester Race," "Whoracle," "Colony," and a small minority who advocate "Clayman," my vote goes with this one. Its a close tie with "Colony" and slightly over "The Jester Race" but all three of these are necessary listens for fans of ear-friendly melodic death metal. Of them, however, "Whoracle" stands out as the uniformly best of them. The music here isn't awe-inspiringly technical nor progressive, its mostly traditionally inspired songwriting meant to please the ears with some gracious melodies and lead work. Despite its singular misfire in the Depeche Mode cover, and fairly mundane drumming that's going on, "Whoracle" is a respectable album and absolutely necessary for In Flames fans. Anyone who praises newer In Flames but has not heard the old, is in desperate need of experiencing just how good this band really was at one time.