The Jester Race
| The Jester Race | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by In Flames | ||||
| Released | 20 February 1996[1] | |||
| Recorded |
1995 (Studio Fredman) | |||
| Genre | Melodic death metal | |||
| Length | 40:12 | |||
| Label | Nuclear Blast | |||
| Producer |
Fredrik Nordström In Flames | |||
| In Flames chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |  [2] |
| Chronicles of Chaos |  [3] |
The Jester Race is the second studio album by melodic death metal band In Flames. It is the first album to feature Anders Fridén as the band's vocalist and Björn Gelotte as the drummer. A video for the song "Artifacts of the Black Rain" was also released. It was also the first album to feature the Jester Head, the band's mascot.
After releasing The Jester Race, the band then toured with Samael, Grip Inc. and Kreator.[4] The album was the band's second full-length album released following the more mainstream success of the 1995 EP, Subterranean. The Jester Race was recorded at Studio Fredman by Fredrik Nordström, who also contributed keyboards for the album.
This album ranked #79 on the website Metal Rules' list of 100 Greatest Metal Albums.[5] It is also considered a classic album of the Gothenburg style of metal,[6] along with At the Gates' Slaughter of the Soul and Dark Tranquillity's The Gallery,[7] exhibiting the dual guitar leads, growled vocals and acoustic sections typical of the genre.
There is a remix of "Moonshield" that is on In Flames' future release Trigger.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Moonshield" | Jesper Strömblad | 5:04 |
| 2. | "The Jester's Dance" (instrumental) | Strömblad, Johan Larsson | 2:11 |
| 3. | "Artifacts of the Black Rain" | Strömblad, Björn Gelotte | 3:17 |
| 4. | "Graveland" | Strömblad, Glenn Ljungström | 2:48 |
| 5. | "Lord Hypnos" | Gelotte, Strömblad, Ljungström | 4:03 |
| 6. | "Dead Eternity" | Ljungström, Strömblad | 5:03 |
| 7. | "The Jester Race" | Ljungström, Strömblad | 4:53 |
| 8. | "December Flower" | Strömblad, Ljungström | 4:12 |
| 9. | "Wayfaerer" (instrumental) | Strömblad, Gelotte | 4:42 |
| 10. | "Dead God in Me" | Strömblad, Ljungström | 4:19 |
Bonus tracks
| 2002 and 2008 re-releases (These tracks are from Black-Ash Inheritance) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
| 11. | "Goliaths Disarm Their Davids" | Ljungström, Strömblad, Gelotte | 4:55 |
| 12. | "Gyroscope" | Strömblad | 3:23 |
| 13. | "Acoustic Medley" (instrumental) | Strömblad | 2:32 |
| 14. | "Behind Space" (live) | Ljungström, Strömblad | 3:36 |
| Japanese Edition (Some tracks are from the 2007 re-release of Subterranean) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
| 1. | "Dead Eternity" | Ljungström, Strömblad | 5:03 |
| 2. | "The Jester Race" | Ljungström, Strömblad | 4:53 |
| 3. | "Graveland" | Strömblad, Glenn Ljungström | 2:48 |
| 4. | "Moonshield" | Jesper Strömblad | 5:04 |
| 5. | "The Jester's Dance" (instrumental) | Strömblad, Johan Larsson | 2:11 |
| 6. | "December Flower" | Strömblad, Ljungström | 4:12 |
| 7. | "Artifacts of the Black Rain" | Strömblad, Björn Gelotte | 3:17 |
| 8. | "Dead God in Me" | Strömblad, Ljungström | 4:19 |
| 9. | "Wayfaerer" (instrumental) | Strömblad, Gelotte | 4:42 |
| 10. | "Lord Hypnos" | Gelotte, Strömblad, Ljungström | 4:03 |
| 11. | "Dead Eternity" (demo) | 5:02 | |
| 12. | "The Inborn Lifeless" (demo) | 3:22 | |
Personnel
In Flames
- Anders Fridén − vocals
- Jesper Strömblad − lead guitars, acoustic guitars & keyboards
- Glenn Ljungström − lead guitars
- Johan Larsson − bass & backing vocals
- Björn Gelotte − drums & lead guitars
Guest appearances
- Fredrik Nordström − keyboards
- Oscar Dronjak − vocal appearance on Dead Eternity
- Fredrik Johansson − lead guitar on December Flower
- Kasper Dahlqvist − keyboards on Wayfaerer
Production and composition
- Produced by Fredrik Nordström and In Flames.
- Lyrical concept and song titles collaborated by Niklas Sundin and Anders Fridén.
- Lyrics on Dead Eternity by Jocke Göthberg.
- Engineered by Fredrik Nordström and Patrik Hellgren.
- Mastered by Staffan Olofsson.
- Logo by Glenn Ljungström.
- Artwork by Andreas Marschall.
- Photos by Kenneth Johansson.
- Layout by M&A Music art.
References
- ↑ http://www.metal-archives.com/albums/In_Flames/The_Jester_Race/187
- ↑ "Jester Race - In Flames". Allmusic. Retrieved January 2, 2012.
- ↑ "In Flames - The Jester Race". Chronicles of Chaos. Retrieved January 2, 2012.
- ↑ [4]
- ↑ "The Top 100 Heavy Metal Albums". Metal-Rules. Retrieved January 2, 2012.
- ↑ "In Flames". BNR Metal, Version 3. Retrieved January 2, 2012.
- ↑ "Melodic Death Metal". About.com. Retrieved January 2, 2012.