Customer Reviews
A Classic! - By: Hedon, 30 May 2008 
I'm always cautious when approaching hyped albums, albums which are labelled the best a band has ever put out & especially albums labelled as 'genre-classics'. Such albums tend fall flat on their facesin dissapointment or, as is more often the case, fall victim to their own hypein that, while not being bad, they cannot live up to their reputation. The Jester Race, however, lives up to it's reputation as In Flames best & a genre classic.
The beauty of the Jester Race comes from its simplicty;a heads down, riff heavy metal album of the finest calibar, which has, to my ears, an almost working-class work ethicin that it delivers solid, top notch metal tunes without being overly flashy or needlessly technical. Take, for example, the legendary opener 'Moonshield'. It begins with a beautiful yet straightforward acoustic section, building up to a nice into the hypnotic groove of its verse, a great bridge, & another clean break before ending. Nothing fancy, the band arn't trying to show off or impress anyone but themselves. And it shows, as the band blasts along like a freight train, sturdy, strong, & not about to move outa the way for anyone. All throughout the album, the Jester Race is characterised by this wonderful approach of thrash riffs, simple yet interesting chord progressions, stratospherically uplifting major-scale leads (sounds like someone was a Joe Satriani fan...) & some brilliant solos. The rhythm section, especially the drumming, is likewise nothing spectacular but solid, reliable & planting a firm base for the guitars & vocals. the song writing has something to be said for it as well, combining thrash, death & power metal with sublte touches of folk here & there. Other stand out songs would be the killer 'Atrifacts of the Black Rain, with some of the best leads on the album or 'Dead Eternity' with its neo classical intro & gloriously bouncy verse ("THIS PART I CONTROL") or the closing 'Dead Godin Me', the most technical, dark & brutal track of the album.
This 'simple yet effective' approach is mirroredin the production, which is fairly gritty but not so rough it makes them sound crap. The guitars have a great dirty crunch to them, the bass is surprisingly audiable, the drums tight & Ander's vocals, although sounding a bit all over the place at times, have a wonderful gargled rasp to them that puts a smile on my face any time of the day.
Also, i get the feeling that In Flames were taking a few risks here. For example, they start of with a mid-paced track (while most metal bands open with a fast number) & follow up with a chilled instrumental. The same with the other instrumental 'Wayfaerer' which sees In Flames realising their guitar hero dreams to their maximum extent. Not very deathy. but then again In Flames never were.
This is simply a solid album of great songs, great riffs, great songwriting & some of the most excellent leads on the planet. Nothing more, nothing less. You may find heavier, faster & more complex albums then this, but i doubt you will find many with such a wonderful sense of melody or such an unashamedly workman-like charm.
Essential
Brilliant - By: Naomi Moore, 25 May 2008 This is one of my favourite albums and,in my opinion, the best In Flames release. I enjoy the new stuff as well but this isin a whole different league. Melodic death metal, delving into acoustic & folk directions, creates such beauty & power... It's absolutely outstanding & I'd recommend it to any metal fan, or anyone who knows great music when they hear it!
In Flames Jester Race/Black Ash Inheritance - By: Seb H, 23 Aug 2006 In my eyes, this is probably the best In Flames album out. If you enjoyed Clayman, Whoracle or the new album (Come Clarity), then you will enjoy this. Although it is somewhat different to they're most recent offerings, Jester Race is a brilliantly produced album & more importantly beautifully performed by Swedish Melodic Death Metal's finest. A MUST buy for any metal fan.
A timeless masterpiece - By: A. Hughes, 02 May 2006 This album, to me, signifies one of In Flames' best. I've got every album so far including Come Clarity, & whilst I can see some of the fan's arguments stating In Flames have 'sold out' etc, it just doesn't ring true. Every album has it's strengths, it all depends on what your tastein music is really. Biased reviews annoy me, so i'll say that this album is among In Flames' best, showing a wider variety of musical talent than some of their albums. A must-have for any In Flames fan.
The Jester Race - By: , 01 Oct 2005 Like most of In Flames' earlier work this is a fantastic album. The songs generally aren't as heavy as the stuff on Whoracle, Colony or Clayman. But they aren't supposed to be. This is In Flames displaying their roots with the heavy influence of bands like Iron Maiden shining through, on songs like Lord Hypnos & Dead Eternityin particular (this influence is only as clear as it is here on Resin from Colony).
Best tracks are probably:
the instrumental masterpiece Wayfarer;
Moonshield with its experimentation into acoustic passages;
Graveland with its brutal riffing.
An excellent album by an awesome band.
