Candlemass - Candlemass
Nuclear Blast - NB 1448-2 - 2005
By Philip Whitehouse
No introductory track, no drawn-out wash of keyboard instrumental feedback, only the briefest volume swell - then wallop! - Candlemass are back. That's how the self-titled comeback record from perhaps the most consistently impressive metal band of the last 20 years opens - 'Black Dwarf' just smashes into place, it's upper/mid-tempo stomp putting aside any fears of the quality of Candlemass's new material. Not that Leif Edling has ever really let us down - the delicate balance between crushing, lead-heavy riffage and captivating melody has always been his particular stomping ground, and throughout the nine tracks on this album (ten if you get the digipak), his songwriting skills are proven time and again.
However, it's the return of 'classic' (but not original) Candlemass vocalist Messiah Marcolin which really makes this album such a powerful return to farm - his wildly ranging vibrato and seemingly limitless lung capacity giving Leif's compositions their fulcrum, the final piece to an impressively epic musical puzzle. 'Seven Silver Keys', a doomy monolith of a track, is made particularly memorable by Marcolin's performance in the chorus - I swear, since I first put the album in my CD player, the lines 'to open up your dreams, you need seven silver keys' have been soaring around my head for days. Lars Johansson and Jan Lindh provide stellar performances also, cranking out superb riff after memorable hook after blistering solo.
Candlemass may not exactly be superior to benchmark release Nightfall - there's more straightforward heavy metal at work here, with Sabbath-esque doomy trawls only showing their heads infrequently. However, the songs still have the epic sweep and melodic interplay that makes repeat listening a necessity, and Leif's production makes the riffs and drums hammer and crush like falling slabs of lead whilst retaining a clarity that lets the atmosphere shine through. In short, it is a much welcome return by a sorely missed band.
9/10
Official Candlemass Website
Official Nuclear Blast Website
Nuclear Blast - NB 1448-2 - 2005
By Philip Whitehouse
No introductory track, no drawn-out wash of keyboard instrumental feedback, only the briefest volume swell - then wallop! - Candlemass are back. That's how the self-titled comeback record from perhaps the most consistently impressive metal band of the last 20 years opens - 'Black Dwarf' just smashes into place, it's upper/mid-tempo stomp putting aside any fears of the quality of Candlemass's new material. Not that Leif Edling has ever really let us down - the delicate balance between crushing, lead-heavy riffage and captivating melody has always been his particular stomping ground, and throughout the nine tracks on this album (ten if you get the digipak), his songwriting skills are proven time and again.
However, it's the return of 'classic' (but not original) Candlemass vocalist Messiah Marcolin which really makes this album such a powerful return to farm - his wildly ranging vibrato and seemingly limitless lung capacity giving Leif's compositions their fulcrum, the final piece to an impressively epic musical puzzle. 'Seven Silver Keys', a doomy monolith of a track, is made particularly memorable by Marcolin's performance in the chorus - I swear, since I first put the album in my CD player, the lines 'to open up your dreams, you need seven silver keys' have been soaring around my head for days. Lars Johansson and Jan Lindh provide stellar performances also, cranking out superb riff after memorable hook after blistering solo.
Candlemass may not exactly be superior to benchmark release Nightfall - there's more straightforward heavy metal at work here, with Sabbath-esque doomy trawls only showing their heads infrequently. However, the songs still have the epic sweep and melodic interplay that makes repeat listening a necessity, and Leif's production makes the riffs and drums hammer and crush like falling slabs of lead whilst retaining a clarity that lets the atmosphere shine through. In short, it is a much welcome return by a sorely missed band.
9/10
Official Candlemass Website
Official Nuclear Blast Website
