|
|
|
|
| Buy this album |
Despite being Swedish, Candlemass should have been much bigger. For a few moments there they had everything in alignment, great singer, great songs, an already classic record... but then they disappeared -- a mere blip on the screen. I blame the band's founder, Leif Eidling. After Messiah's first departure, he was caught up with other projects, thus Candlemass never completed what they began.
Still, forgiveness is due. I forgive you Leif. With Death Magic Doom Candlemass reclaim their position of greatest band ever to tweak a Black Sabbath riff, so hard, so long, and so brazenly. The idea of Doom Metal was born with this band, and though most bands we put that moniker on possess a super drudged sound, Candlemass are still just Candlemass. An original sound they defined twenty plus years ago remains as identifiable as ever. And I guess I gotta blame/credit Leif for that, too: both the good and the bad.
Death Magic Doom surpasses the Messiah reunion record and harkens to the era of the first three albums. An impressive release, all the more so with new vocalist Robert Lowe (Solitude Aeturnus). I love how he fits right in the riffs instead of on top of them, whether the tune's mid-paced or slow. And there's riffs galore, the kind that stick in your head, even with all the theatrical keyboards and Lowe's vocal dramatics, that always seem to happen at the right spot. This is the top Nuclear Blast release this year.
| Tracklist |
| 1. If I Ever Die |
| 2. Hammer of Doom |
| 3. The Bleeding Baroness |
| 4. Demon of the Deep |
| 5. House of Thousand Voices |
| 6. Dead Angel |
| 7. Clouds of Dementia |
| 8. My Funeral Dreams |
: 47:30
| Buy other Candlemass albums |
