Whoracle by In Flames

Whoracle is the third album by Swedish melodic death metal band In Flames. The album was released through Nuclear Blast on 27 October 1997. Apart from Everything Counts, which is a cover of a Depeche Mode song, all songs were composed and arranged by In Flames. The lyrics are translated by Dark Tranquillity guitarist Niklas Sundin, after Anders Fridén had written them in Swedish. Whoracle is the final album to have Johan Larsson & Glenn Ljungström. The album was recorded during the spring of 1997, and the title is a portmanteau of the English words "whore" and "oracle". Fredrik Nordström noted that this album was not easy to record at times, relating that the band members usually preferred drinking beer and playing Tekken 3 to recording the album. This is the last In Flames release with Björn Gelotte playing drums, as he permanently switched to lead guitar in future releases. Whoracle is a concept album which describes the past, present, and a hypothetical future of the planet Earth. Jotun is a foreshadowing of the main concepts where a society is crushed and broken after an apocalyptic event. Episode 666 seems to be the narration of this apocalyptic event which is, perversely, televised. The songs leading up to this tell a story of the rise and fall of a global society. The Hive and Jester Script Transfigured describe this technologically advanced society and an utopian world which is demolished by human nature in the next two songs. The inclusion of the Depeche Mode cover, Everything Counts, is a poignant way to imply that the people who built then destroyed their society realized their folly after it was too late. The first press vinyl edition on Nuclear Blast Records released in 1997 has a bonus track titled Re-Cycles which is Acoustic Medley from Black-Ash Inheritance with a new title. The second press vinyl, this time on Century Media Records, released in 2014 does not include Re-Cycles. ℗ 1997 Nuclear Blast