Whoracle

Whoracle is a fulfilling third album on which In Flames pulls together sharply chopping riffs, fluid, beautiful twin guitars and fiercely roaring vocals at extremely high density. It further refines the Gothenburg sound established on the previous The Jester Race. The songs, while fast and heavy, keep their melody beautifully flowing ceaselessly, so a clear, sure emotional line is firmly kept even within the violence. A record where the band’s maturing ability shines. From the power of the speeding opening classic “Jotun” and the drama of “Food for the Gods” to a cut like “Gyroscope,” every song is engaging, while cuts like “The Hive” and “Dialogue with the Stars” convey the work’s fullness. Ambitious content that also includes a cover of Depeche Mode’s “Everything Counts.” Fantastical, beautiful introductions and deft connections between songs let the whole album be heard like one grand world. A record that showed extremely vividly the coldness and beauty melodic death metal holds. Aggression and lyricism fuse at a high level, and its polish is one of the early peaks. A powerful, engaging masterpiece symbolizing the fullness of the Gothenburg sound — a record where the band’s fullness shines.