Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Doom is back!, May 22, 2005
Candlemass are back. The godfathers of Doom do not disappoint with this release. They've taken all that Black Sabbath pioneered and made it better in the 80's, and with this release, they prove they are the kings of doom. Their crunchy riffs, wailing vocals, and sinister lyrics are all back. The key to Candlemass is that they don't NEED TO CHANGE. They are doom. They don't branch and "find new directions" (the post-Messiah Candlemass did that to mixed results). They are at their best with melancholy, heavy doom.
Stay depressed!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
As good as their classics. A crushing doom metal album!, May 21, 2006
Well, I must admit, this album has taken me by surprise in a big way. Yes I am a fan of the band's earlier works such as "Epicus Doomicus Metallicus" and "Nightfall", but I kind of assumed for some reason that these guys were over the hill, rejoining solely to put out some half baked album in an attempt to make a buck or two. Never did I think that "Candlemass" would be such an epic slab of powerfully effective doom metal. How wrong I was!
For those of you that don't know what Candlemass is all about, think of what a heavier, much more metal Black Sabbath would sound like with a soprano singer that still manages to sound like Ozzy. But that comparison might make you think that Candlemass are no longer relevant and stuck in the past. One listen to the reformed band and you won't think that. These guys have managed the near impossible. They've released an album that not only sounds like classic Candlemass, but also manages to sound modern and crushing at the same time.
The production is sensational and I'm certain the band have never had a more appropriate sound. There's much more of a lower end to things than on previous releases which suits their form of doom perfectly. Turn this baby up and feel the power of each and every riff, while Messiah adds his recognizable soaring vocals to proceedings.
Highlights for me are the slower tracks such as "Seven Silver Keys" and closer "The Day and the Night", along with "Copernicus", but there are no bad tracks or fillers to be found here.
I know I jumped on the Candlemass bandwagon a long time after they were in their prime. After all, I purchased their major albums only about 2 years ago. But I truly think this is on par with anything they've ever done, which far surpasses my expectations, and will most likely hold a place in my top 10 albums of the year. If you're a fan, be excited. If your not, you soon will be.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The long awaited return of DOOM METAL by its originator, May 17, 2005
First and foremost, it must be said that this album has the finest production values of any Candlemass album so far. It is supremely loud and, of course, HEAVY, but it's got that extra-thick modern "chunk" to it that I wish they had from the beginning. Not they they weren't the heaviest band ever, but the tone was always a little...lacking in personality, so to speak.
Anyway, to the record:
It's Leif Edling. It's real DOOM Metal. It's Candlemass. What more needs to be said?
Well, quite a bit actually. Before hearing this, I was crossing my fingers that there would be no experimental-type songs as on the last two Candlemass albums, and thankfully there are none present. There is HAPPILY no new ground broken here, because Leif already tried that on "From the 13th Sun" and "Dactylis Glomerata", to rather dubious results. No, this is the same sort of riff-centric DOOM that Leif invented and perfected on the first four Candlemass albums, albeit faster paced and lacking the fantasy lyrics. Come to think of it, that sounds more like the description of the better songs on "Dactylis" or "13th Sun"...go figure.
There is no "Solitude" to be found here, nor is there a "Bewitched", "Samarithan", or "Well of Souls". Rather, it's an album full of Abstrakt Algebra's "Stigmata"-style tunes, or perhaps even along the lines of "I Still See the Black" from "Dactylis". In fact, certain riffs here and there bring to mind at least one song from each of Leif's albums.
And here's where it gets a little sticky: Some of the riffs are a little TOO familiar. How Leif didn't run out of ideas years ago is beyond me, but it's a credit to his genius that he keeps churning out the godly DOOM. Yet here and there, on occasion, there is a riff or two that makes you think "hey, I've heard that before!"
But come on, Leif's songs are so awesome who wouldn't want to hear his classic music over and over again?
Personally I would have liked to hear some harkening back to the fantasy days of yore, and maybe a little more variation in song structure (and maybe even the original vocalist Johan Lanquist back), but I'll take whatever I can get from Candlemass anymore. This is a slick, kinetic, non-stop Doomride that sounds absolutely fantastic. As only Leif and Candlemass can deliver.
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