Customer Reviews

Candlemass

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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!

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.

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.

If you've ever listened to Candlemass, this will seem like a different band in the terms of lyrics. Musically, it's heavier than ever, like Black Sabbath on monsterous steroids.

Unlike the cover, the music inside here is very complex, especially in the lyrical department. The lyrics are highly intelligent, and sometimes hard to understand the meaning of.Messiah Marcolin still sounds like a cross between a tenor and a giant, his vocal powers are unlike anything ever heard before, with extensive vibratto melodies.
Musically speaking, it's purely heavy Black Sabbath-esque riffs with relentless drum beats and bellowing bass drives. The production qualities here are some of the best I've ever heard, it's clear, clean, and heavy as hell. This is my only Candlemass album, but I've heard many songs from their catalog, and this is not like anything they've ever done, which could be good for some people and bad for some. Instead of focusing on the evil and dark death inspired themes of their previous works, this album deals with the dark and strange side of the human's pyschological mechanics. All in all, this is a solid album, and a shining example of how great European metal still is.

I'm not a rabid Candlemass fan by any means, but even I was excited about the return of signature vocalist Messiah Marcolin to the fold. The doom metal titans did their best work with Messiah on board, so big things were expected of their self-titled 2005 album.

This is the kind of album that Candlemass fans will probably still be arguing about in 20 years. A lot of old school Candlemass fans hated it, while others loved it. For my part, I think it's the second best Nevermore album released that year. Seriously, load this in your CD changer with This Godless Endeavor and hit random. You'll still be able to distinguish between the two bands, but the similarities are inescapable. Either Messiah is doing his best Warrel Dane impression, or Dane was more influenced by Candlemass than I realized. I think the new sound works. It's still unmistakably a doom metal album, but it has a more modern and aggressive feel that hopefully will win the band some new fans. The slow, plodding Sabbathy doom songs are still here (Seven Silver Keys, Spellbreaker), but they alternate with faster, harder (as opposed to heavier) songs that are almost thrash-like in nature, like the leadoff track Black Dwarf.

I absolutely understand why hardcore Candlemass fans would have a problem with this album, but I loved the new direction, and this has become one of my favorite Candlemass albums. Unfortunately it is also the last (so far) Candlemass album with Marcolin on vocals. He left the band (again) and was replaced by Solitude Aeternus frontman Robert Lowe for the band's follow-up album King of the Grey Islands.

Everything is good up until its production. It's very hard to hear Messiah Marcolin's voice through loud guitars. It really opaques his voice. Other than that, it was a great effort. However, he needs to come back to rejoin the group and save them.

This is the first Candlemass CD I purchased and was surprised by how much I liked it. It's refreshing to hear metal without blastbeats (not that I don't like that also) and great vocals. When most metal bands are only concerned with how "extreme" they sound it's a great change of pace to listen to something more "Sabbathy" and traditional sounding. This is a must own CD and since buying this one I've purchased their other ones as well.

The Kings of Swedish doom metal are back with a reunion album, and yes, it does sound great. Booming, Sabbathy riffs, with epic opera-esque vocals by the "legendary" singer Messiah Marcolin. However, my first feelings are that no new ground has been tread here. It seems like I've heard these riffs before, and if not for the unique vocals of Marcolin, this would be yet another attempt by a band to simply replicate the Black Sabbath Thing. And, unfortunately, this is not even a return to the gothic sounds of the 'Nightfall' album (their most popular outing) but is rather a riffy metal album, with an emphasis on mid-tempo arrangements. Hey, I admit, few bands can do better, but I thought Candlemass might.

(Sorry for the brief review, but the computer ate the nice, longer one)

Yes, this is the classic lineup w/ Marcolin on vocals once more, but if you get this expecting 'Nightfall Pt 2', you're gonna be disappointed. The main difference is the guitar tone, which has a rather raw, buzzy tone to it. It's not stoner-ish and it's not nu-metal crap, but it gives the album an edgy feeling that is very different from the polished guitar sound on the classic 'Mass albums. It's not bad, but it takes some getting used to. Only other complaint would be with the packaging- the band logo is on a decal on the jewel case, not on the booklet, so if the case gets busted you'll hafta peel it off and tape it onto a new case

This is one of those bands you didn't get to hear about! I was in
a Record store,back in the 70's, and was asking of more Black Sabbath
style music. They recommended Candlemas. So I purchased Epicus Doomicus
Metallicus, and after that I was hooked. Then later purchased Dactylis
Glomerata album, Then will checking out Last FM. I looked up Candlemass,
and saw there disc's and then went to Amazon to purchase this disc.
this is a great addition to my collection! "Thank You"