(Rated this album with 8 out of 10) Reviewed by
aiylyn
from Washington, Mi United States
I held out from the whole Gothenburg movement for the longest time, somehow ignoring all the talk and praise that bands like In Flames and others from the area were getting. I finally bought this CD after countless recommendations. The first thing that struck me is the cover. "Otherworldly" art in CDs always draws me in. The music itself was something of a surprise - the first two songs on this re-issue are marked more by clean guitar than they are by any death metal trademarks. I have been told that the original release had a different (and better) tracklisting. Nevertheless this album picks up big time as it progresses, and even though I was a little nervous about it at the start, by the time The Jester Race was over I knew this was a keeper. It's angry, it's melodic, it's loud, and the musicianship is grade A. A perfect combination to revitalize a death metal scene beginning to stagnate. This is definitely a modern classic.
