Customer Reviews

Ancient Dreams

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Candlemass are without a doubt one of the most important doom metal bands in the world. Ever since their incredible debut Epicus Doomicus Metallicus they've gone a long way paving the way for other bands. They're among the founders of modern doom metal and while I enjoy each and every Candlemass record I consider the first 4 absolutely essential.

Ancient Dreams is the second album with doom metal vocal god Messiah Marcolin and the third Candlemass album. It picks up where the classic Nightfall left off. Leif Edling's songwriting and bass playing is at its best and Marcolin's voice is simply incredible. The guitar solos are brilliant. It is hard to believe this was released back in 1988 when almost everyone was into glam, hard rock or thrash metal. I appreciate and respect Candlemass for their courage to stand up for themselves and make the music they believed in even though they knew it would never sell millions. That is why they have lasted all these years and are considered fathers of doom. They always remained true to their roots be it with Marcolin, Vikstrom or Flodkvist. My personal favourites off this record are "Cry from the Crypt", "Darkness In Paradise", the title song, and "Bells of Acheron". There's not a single filler on Ancient Dreams though.

You might also want to check out Memory Garden, Solitude Aeturnus, Abstrakt Algebra and some other bands.

On this third release by Candlemass the band had already effectively carved their own niche as a respected metal band. Not as impressive as their previous album "Nightfall", this is still a strong album. Vocalist Messiah Marcolin has vocal power rivaling opera singers with incredible range and vibrato. "Epistle No. 81" is a shining example of his versatile style. Bassist and chief song writer Leif Edlin wields his pen like a surgeon crafting songs of sorrow, fear, pain and mourning. "Darkness In Paradise" is a song of woeful despair and darkness delivered with gothic melodies. The guitar work is a combination of sludging Sabbath riffs and dark melodies delivered with less low end and more melody than the metal masters. Lead guitarist Lars Johansson is a blitering soloists employing a variety of techniques in his solos. "Mirror Mirror", "Bearer of Pain", and "A Cry From The Crypt" are energetic thrashers while songs like "Incarnation of Evil" are more plodding and slowed down. "Ancient Dreams" is an album higlighted by memorable choruses, dark melodies, and epic compositions all in the seven minute range. Fans of "Nightfall" will enjoy this album. New fans should start with "Nightfall". If you don't like that one you won't like this one. If you are looking for doom and depression look no further.

Aaahhhhh... the bittersweet smell of death. This album introduced me to those guys, IMHO, the best swedish band ever, back in '91. I can clearly recall my first impressions when I first heard Mirror Mirror, Epistle No.81, and the really spooky Darkness in Paradise, IMO, the greatest highlight in this gothic masterpiece. They had a lot of trouble during the making of this album, which included the loss of their former producer, which didn't prevent them from producing a classic, however.

Candlemass is an interesting band. Ancient Dreams is the third full-length album from this Swedish group. Originally released in 1988, this is a remastered edition with a bonus disc of material. What makes Candlemass remarkable is singer Messiah Marcolin. This one-of-a-kind singer vocalizes in an operatic style--I like his vibrato, too. Candlemass reminds me of Black Sabbath. They sound like a cross between hard rock and metal. Most of the songs on Ancient Dreams are slow in tempo--nine tracks are included. I also like the gothic-sounding atmosphere of this album. The composition that I favor the most would be "Mirror Mirror." Candlemass shines on this well-constructed, memorable piece; in addition, the main guitar riff is nicely crafted and indelible. Another cut that I like is "A Cry from the Crypt." "A Cry from the Crypt" sports a pleasing, principal guitar riff. "Black Sabbath Medley" is also an enjoyable track. The disc is just over 58 minutes. As for the bonus disc of material, it contains live tracks, an audio interview, and a video of "Mirror Mirror." A nice job was done with the CD booklet. Bass guitarist Leif Edling provides commentary on all of the material that is on the two discs. Plus, the song lyrics are included along with color and black-and-white photos of the group. Ancient Dreams gets the job done.

Not a bad recording. Clear vocals as well as good solid lyrics made this album one of their best. It is very clear to me and others that Messiah Marcolin is the right man for thie job. I would highly recommend this album to the true doom metal fans.

My vote for best cover art of all time, the painting on the front is "Voyage of Life: Youth" by Thomas Cole. The music here is more of what you expect from Candlemass' classic period: somber doom metal with excellent deep-pitched vocals courtesy of Messiah Marcolin. I would rate this below "Nightfall" and "Epicus" simply because the songs are not as compelling. Still, this is absolutely essential 80s metal, especially for those who have a soft spot for doom metal a la Solitude Aeturnus, later My Dying Bride, and so on. Favorite songs: "Mirror Mirror," "Ancient Dreams," "Bells of Acheron," and "Epistle No. 81."

It's a opera singer who sing songs about dragon, elves and other fantastic thing on a very good elect. guitar . very good

This record is a bit of a disappointment. After their popular Nightfall record, the record label they were on made them rush another record out to try and capitalize on the bands new popularity. So they had to rush production to get this out and it is my least fav Candlemass record. It is still a decent effort, but not as good as their first two or Tales of Creation. But it is still better than anything they put out after messiah left the band. True Candlemass fans should get this but if you are new to them get Epicus or Nightfall first.

This band must make the first family of metal Sabbath proud. Çåñðlémåss is what a metal band should sound like. There isn`t a week link in the band. I love jamming to this CD on my guitar. Unlike alot of Death Metal & Dark Metal bands not one of Candlemass`s songs loose there heavy malotic sound. I`d love to hear them do Hand of Doom. If your into the Sabbath sound you should get all of Candlemass`s CD.

I couldn't find any band that sounded like Candlemasse. They are one of a kind. Try it!