The Jester Race

The Jester Race is the second 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 Jesterhead, the band's mascot. After releasing The Jester Race, the band then toured with Samael, Grip Inc. and Kreator. The album was the band's second full-length album released following the more mainstream success of the 1994 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. It is also considered a classic album of the Gothenburg style of metal, along with At the Gates' Slaughter of the Soul and Dark Tranquillity's The Gallery, exhibiting the dual guitar leads, growled vocals and acoustic sections typical of the genre.