Whoracle


Whoracle is the third studio album by Swedish heavy metal band In Flames, released on 18 November 1997. The title of the album is a portmanteau of the English words "whore" and "oracle". It is the final In Flames album to feature Johan Larsson and Glenn Ljungström. It is also the last release with Björn Gelotte playing drums, as he permanently switched to lead guitar in future releases.
In 2020, it was named one of the 20 best metal albums of 1997 by Metal Hammer magazine.

Overview

Apart from "Everything Counts", which is a cover of a Depeche Mode song, all songs were composed and arranged by In Flames. The lyrics were translated by Dark Tranquillity guitarist Niklas Sundin, as Anders Fridén was not confident in his English.
Fredrik Nordström noted that it was not easy to record at times, since the band members usually preferred drinking beer and playing Tekken 3.
While some regard Whoracle as a concept album, guitarist Jesper Strömblad denied this. He acknowledged reading reports that Fridén came up with a story around the end and rebirth of the world, but recalled events differently and said the album wasn't solely about that.

Track listing

All lyrics written by Niklas Sundin and Anders Fridén.

Personnel

;In Flames
;Other personnel