In Flames "The Jester Race + Black Ash Inheritance"

The Jester Race is the second studio 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 Jester Head, 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 1995 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.

There is a remix of "Moonshield" that is on In Flames' future release Trigger.

Track listing

1. "Moonshield" Jesper Strömblad 5:04
2. "The Jester's Dance" (instrumental) Strömblad, Johan Larsson 2:11
3. "Artifacts of the Black Rain" Strömblad, Björn Gelotte 3:17
4. "Graveland" Strömblad, Glenn Ljungström 2:48
5. "Lord Hypnos" Gelotte, Strömblad, Ljungström 4:03
6. "Dead Eternity" Ljungström, Strömblad 5:03
7. "The Jester Race" Ljungström, Strömblad 4:53
8. "December Flower" Strömblad, Ljungström 4:12
9. "Wayfaerer" (instrumental) Strömblad, Gelotte 4:42
10. "Dead God in Me" Strömblad, Ljungström 4:19

2002 and 2008 re-releases (These tracks are from Black-Ash Inheritance)

1. "Goliaths Disarm Their Davids" Ljungström, Strömblad, Gelotte 4:55
2. "Gyroscope" Strömblad 3:23
3. "Acoustic Medley" (instrumental) Strömblad 2:32
4. "Behind Space" (live) Ljungström, Strömblad 3:36

Japanese Edition

1. "Dead Eternity" Ljungström, Strömblad 5:03
2. "The Jester Race" Ljungström, Strömblad 4:53
3. "Graveland" Strömblad, Glenn Ljungström 2:48
4. "Moonshield" Jesper Strömblad 5:04
5. "The Jester's Dance" (instrumental) Strömblad, Johan Larsson 2:11
6. "December Flower" Strömblad, Ljungström 4:12
7. "Artifacts of the Black Rain" Strömblad, Björn Gelotte 3:17
8. "Dead God in Me" Strömblad, Ljungström 4:19
9. "Wayfaerer" (instrumental) Strömblad, Gelotte 4:42
10. "Lord Hypnos" Gelotte, Strömblad, Ljungström 4:03

2007 re-release (These tracks are from Subterranean)

1. "Dead Eternity" (demo) 5:02
2. "The Inborn Lifeless" (demo) 3:22

Original release licensed to Nuclear Blast Records by Wrong Again Records.

The band was under contract to WAR, but WAR never released their own edition of this album - early editions bore both labels' logos and stated "Licensed from Wrong Again Records". 

Quotation in "Lord Hypnos" taken from William Wordsworth's "Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood".

The release date of the album is uncertain. Nuclear Blast cites February 20, 1996 while it may not have been distributed widely until August.

Recorded and mixed in November, 1995 at Studio Fredman.

Co-produced by In Flames.