In music as well as in real life there has always been an ongoing clash between conservative and progressive ways of thinking. A general rule to be set is that old is not always bad, still not all good should be preserved in the given form forever. How should we deal with this fine line between traditions and modern progress? Well, In Flames from Sweden show perfectly how it's done with their wellrounded third album WHORACLE.WHORACLE is the ultimate testimony of a process of reconciliation and normalization in modern music... Death Metal as an underground phenomena obviously needed to celebrate disapproval to the elements of style used by the grand old brother Heavy Metal - best represented by the low grunting of their leading vocalists as opposed to the standard castrated squeaking of the traditional predecessors. But of course friends of the old sound could still be interested in the new, aggressive mutation of music and vice versa. It was predictable from the beginning that one day the Satan/Splatter/Thrash-movement would recognize its rather one-dimensional resources resulting in reorientation, including a wider spectrum of influences and ways of expressions to their creative pool. This development is well documented by the rise of those Gothic Metal bands all around the scene. In Flames have chosen a different path, going back to the beginning of Metal. The result is an excellent fusion of two Metal generation - and apart from that a fine collection of some of the greatest songs. To make a long story short: This album will appeal to both the old and the new fans...