Style: melodic death metal
Thoughts: What a time to be alive. I never thought I would have this album in my collection... ever. The nearest pressing was over a decade ago and cost well above what I was comfortable paying for a single record. Luckily St. Anders decreed that the entire backlog would be repressed, and Whoracle was among the second batch of that decree.
There are important albums in my history as a metal fan. There are some albums that dictated my taste for forever more. Then there are albums that formed the bedrock of my musical taste. Whoracle is one of those bedrock albums. It's not the singular most important metal album in my history, but it certainly is in the top ten.
Melody is a concept that few death metal bands had. Brutality is a concept that few melodic bands ever explored. Melodic death metal was the perfect combination of those two forces, and by the time Whoracle released the band had refined their sound down to an instantly recognizable monolith.
Out of all the bands out there I can't think of a singular one that has a more recognizable riffing style than early In Flames (and by extension Iron Maiden). The dual harmonies mixed with the near death metal riffs... it's enough to make a grown man cry. The melodies bore their way into my head and simply will. not. leave.
Every moment of this album is flushed with melody. Every riff has melodic accents. Even melodies have melodic accents. The instrumental portions are especially great, working in layer up on layer of melodies for minutes on end. It's one thing if the band had a good song here or there, but man this whole album is chalked to the brim with amazing riff after amazing riff.
Anders is also in top form. Before he lost his ability to growl in any significant way we got several albums where he sounds absolutely fantastic. He matches the ferocity of the music in a way that few could. His deep and powerful voice drives the music forward in a commanding manner. The chaotic moments of his early days are now gone and we have a refined growl that shows a controlled rage that few can match.
I feel like I could write about this album for forever. How Jotun starts the album off with an instantly recognizable riff. How Jester Script Transfigured works in some of the trademark acoustic work of the early albums. How Episode 666 and Everything Counts create some of the most powerful moments of the album towards the end. About how the instrumental tracks enrich the album to no end. I could go on and on for nearly forever about how much I love Whoracle, but I wont. Instead I'll simply say that this album does not get enough praise, and I know how much praise its gotten in the past. It's simply not enough.
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