Someone posted on the Bloodstock Metal Forum recently; ‘I’ve heard of this band called Candlemass. Are they any good?’ Well, when the steam had finally stopped, I reflected with a wry smile that there are many good reasons why being close to half a century in age has its merits. And one of the biggest is that in 1986 I was able to purchase Epicus Doomicus Metallicus. Arguably the most important doom metal album ever recorded, the history of this album is fascinating, but I shall restrain myself to the fact that vocalist Johan Längquist was never a full-time member of Candlemass at the time that he added his vocals to the album, but a mere guest musician. His ‘return’ therefore to the band in 2018 is something of a misnomer but let’s not split hairs. The voice of Solitude, Demon’s Gate and Bewitched has returned after 32 years. Praise the horned demon!
Now, whilst this is brilliant news to the old school Candlemass soaks like me, you must have some empathy for Mats Leven, who has held the microphone for the past six years and who really delivered for the band. However, it is another fact that Levin never recorded a full-length release in the studio with the band, restricted to two EPs, the fine Death Thy Lover and The House Of Doom (Previous album Psalms For The Dead being released in 2012 with Robert Lowe’s fine set of pipes gracing that release). Whatever you feel, Längquist is back and it’s time to open The Door To Doom and enter the world of witches, demons and faintly shimmering candles.
The first thing to report is that this album fucking rules. Slab breaking heaviness cascades throughout the whole album, glacial sized riffs crash like avalanches, Längquist is on inspired form and Leif Edling’s massive bass lines are back. Ah yes, Leif Edling, the main man behind the band, and a total legend. The return of the Swedes has made me incredibly happy this year and Edling’s music and lyrics, for it is he who writes all, once more swells my heart with joy, despite the darkness and blackness that enveloped me on first listen. Opener Splendour Demon Majesty is colossal. Shrill pitched guitars give way to gargantuan riffs and thumping drums, before at 1:10 the band explode with one of the riffs of the year. This song bludgeons its way forward, heavier than a blue whale driving a steam roller, crushing all in its wake, but with hooks galore to ensnare you and trap you. It’s a trap that I’m happy to be held in. Längquist is imperious, his soaring vocals haven’t aged since EDM in 1986 whilst the sheer power of this track is simply breathtaking. I was reaching for my asthma inhaler half way through, it is such a blistering start.
We move onto Under The Ocean, and a short acoustic intro which sees Längquist flexing the pipes before the calm is buried deep as the rest of the band detonate in devastating manner, guitarists Lars Johansson and Matts ‘Mappe’ Björkman, both massively long serving band members destroying all with their colossal playing. Astorolus – The Great Octopus is next, Jan Lindh’s drum intro paving the way for the third leviathan on this album, and one which metal fans should all get to their knees for, because yes, it is the godfather of metal and doom, Tony Iommi, who delivers two smoking hot solos amidst a wave of devastating, crushing doom metal. It’s suffocating in its intensity and heaviness. The pace may slow for the shortest track on the album, the beautifully melancholic Bridge Of The Blind, with its echoing sting sections and simple acoustic guitar work, but it remains a dark and sinister piece.
Onto the second half of the album and more slab breaking riffs. Candlemass may have not released an album for six years but their 12th release more than makes up for that absence. Death’s Wheel demands attention with its marching beat and thick down tuned guitar work, the abstract time changes so reminiscent of the band in the 1980s, something that made them such innovative leaders in the doom field. Whilst The Door To Doom doesn’t have the same sledgehammer impact that Epicus and it’s follow up Nightfall had all those years ago, it sits comfortably alongside those legendary releases and that is no mean feat. I’m not oversold on Black Trinity, with its mid-song break down but that pause does allow for even more bone splintering riffs; this is a huge stomping tune which moves at the lumbering pace of a mammoth.
A true doom ridden song. House Of Doom is familiar territory, of course, but there is still no substitute to the funeral dirge that is added by the organ and the cut throat riff which relentlessly drives the song forward. It’s a crashing, smoking beast of a track and tolling bell leads neatly to the closing piece, The Omega Circle, which wraps up one of the albums of 2019. There was, for several years, a fear that Edling and Candlemass would never record a full-length album again. To hear the legends back doing what they do best is simply joyous. 9/10
Earth Messiah: Ouroboros (Argonauta Records) [Paul H]
I’ve had this on heavy rotation for the past couple of weeks. Heavy stoner rock is a pleasure to me, the likes of Clutch and Orange Goblin in particular rarely disappoint, either on record or in the live arena. Hailing from Gothenburg, Sweden, and formed in 2017 by Mathias Helgesson (Unhealth, Ex Lawgiver) and Patrik Orrmén (ex Fuzztrated, ex Rhubarb Blues Band), Earth Messiah are a no -nonsense trio who play hard, fast stoner rock just as you should like it. Fuzzy, filthy guitar work, dirty low growling bass, cymbals smashing all over the place and vocals that can only ever belong to a leather cut bearded biker – yes, this is good shit. After the title track segues into the feisty Escape From Reality, things get slow and heavy with Attention, a beast of a track that is a real thumper. Orrmmén’s pounding drums feature throughout, the soundtrack to the album firmly cemented in place. Bass is delivered with thunderous style by Marcus Hedkvist and this album just gels from start to finish. Even the final track, Father Of Fire rages with an intensity that pushes the band to the limits and dare I suggest it, has shades of the punk fused style of latter-day Venom, Cronos style! Earthy, gritty and absolutely fuzzed to the eyeballs, this how stoner rock should be. Listen and enjoy. 8/10
Delain: Hunter's Moon (Napalm Records) [Matt]
Delain have been doing these 'preludes' for their last couple of albums and they have always been a canny way of figuring out where the band are going on the next chapter of their journey as a band. Having just released a live album these new studio tracks have a much broader scope than before, Masters Of Destiny is brilliant, hugely orchestral, with a massive chorus and Charlotte using her entire range, it harks back to their first symphonically charged album but also adds that gravitas that bands such as Epica and Nightwish have to their music.With much of their previous albums written by Wessels and Martijn Westerholt here the guitarists have a chance to add their own styles to the Delain musical adventure. This Silence Is Mine was written by Wessels and Timo Somers, who also provides screams on the crunching title track and Art Kills was written by Wessels and Merel Bechtold. Both these songs are interesting as they don't follow the Delain proviso so much This Silence Is Mine has thick djent riff to it, while Bechtold's track is a pumping EDM banger with yet more death vocals, probably due to her involvement with Purest Of Pain and MaYan. the rest of the EP is a mini live album featuring lots of guests and some of their more recent tracks played live (there's even a DVD). With yet more strings to their bow Delain look to once again to metamorphosize into a band with a familiar but different sound. Consider my appetite whet. 7/10
Latitudes: Part Island (Dembur Morti Productions) [Matt]
A resonant single acoustic guitar opens this 5 track album., the production, from Chris Fielding, makes it feel as if it's in your room (tip listen on headphones), then the beautiful vocals come in before the track starts to layer pianos and atmospherics. It's a resolutely sad way to sad the album but Underlie then really opens up into the some discordant tremolo picking and a thunderingly heavy groove as those clean lilting vocals are lost in the heaviness but sit almost like a previous layer now obscured by this wall of noise. A particularly interesting way to start a record but then when you're a band that say you influences are as wide as Neurosis, King Crimson and Rush then this album from Hertfordshire 5 piece was never going to take a straight line.
With such a jarring opening the jazz infected shoegazing of Moorland Is The Sea is a little more welcoming with the steady off-time beat and hypnotic guitars giving way to yet more black metal riffage and some Muse-like synths, as the haunting vocals yet again sift in and out of the blender of styles like a snake in the long grass. Apparently this is the first time the band have put the vocals in the foreground of every track and it works as you can appreciate the complexity of using the vocals as yet another instrument rather than a focal point. As Moorland Is The Sea collapses into what can only be described as euphoric doom you really start to get bewitched by this album which is 44 minutes, so fairly weighty, each track clocking in at a minimum of 5 minutes the longest though is the imposing 10 minute title track that ends the record. Part Island is a hefty piece to indulge in without full commitment, musically it's as dense as darkmatter, bringing together multiple 'outsider' genres into one swirling maelstrom of musical accomplishment. Stick with it, it's a rewarding listen, though I still can't hear the Rush influence at all. 8/10
Earth Messiah: Ouroboros (Argonauta Records) [Paul H]
I’ve had this on heavy rotation for the past couple of weeks. Heavy stoner rock is a pleasure to me, the likes of Clutch and Orange Goblin in particular rarely disappoint, either on record or in the live arena. Hailing from Gothenburg, Sweden, and formed in 2017 by Mathias Helgesson (Unhealth, Ex Lawgiver) and Patrik Orrmén (ex Fuzztrated, ex Rhubarb Blues Band), Earth Messiah are a no -nonsense trio who play hard, fast stoner rock just as you should like it. Fuzzy, filthy guitar work, dirty low growling bass, cymbals smashing all over the place and vocals that can only ever belong to a leather cut bearded biker – yes, this is good shit. After the title track segues into the feisty Escape From Reality, things get slow and heavy with Attention, a beast of a track that is a real thumper. Orrmmén’s pounding drums feature throughout, the soundtrack to the album firmly cemented in place. Bass is delivered with thunderous style by Marcus Hedkvist and this album just gels from start to finish. Even the final track, Father Of Fire rages with an intensity that pushes the band to the limits and dare I suggest it, has shades of the punk fused style of latter-day Venom, Cronos style! Earthy, gritty and absolutely fuzzed to the eyeballs, this how stoner rock should be. Listen and enjoy. 8/10
Delain: Hunter's Moon (Napalm Records) [Matt]
Delain have been doing these 'preludes' for their last couple of albums and they have always been a canny way of figuring out where the band are going on the next chapter of their journey as a band. Having just released a live album these new studio tracks have a much broader scope than before, Masters Of Destiny is brilliant, hugely orchestral, with a massive chorus and Charlotte using her entire range, it harks back to their first symphonically charged album but also adds that gravitas that bands such as Epica and Nightwish have to their music.With much of their previous albums written by Wessels and Martijn Westerholt here the guitarists have a chance to add their own styles to the Delain musical adventure. This Silence Is Mine was written by Wessels and Timo Somers, who also provides screams on the crunching title track and Art Kills was written by Wessels and Merel Bechtold. Both these songs are interesting as they don't follow the Delain proviso so much This Silence Is Mine has thick djent riff to it, while Bechtold's track is a pumping EDM banger with yet more death vocals, probably due to her involvement with Purest Of Pain and MaYan. the rest of the EP is a mini live album featuring lots of guests and some of their more recent tracks played live (there's even a DVD). With yet more strings to their bow Delain look to once again to metamorphosize into a band with a familiar but different sound. Consider my appetite whet. 7/10
Latitudes: Part Island (Dembur Morti Productions) [Matt]
A resonant single acoustic guitar opens this 5 track album., the production, from Chris Fielding, makes it feel as if it's in your room (tip listen on headphones), then the beautiful vocals come in before the track starts to layer pianos and atmospherics. It's a resolutely sad way to sad the album but Underlie then really opens up into the some discordant tremolo picking and a thunderingly heavy groove as those clean lilting vocals are lost in the heaviness but sit almost like a previous layer now obscured by this wall of noise. A particularly interesting way to start a record but then when you're a band that say you influences are as wide as Neurosis, King Crimson and Rush then this album from Hertfordshire 5 piece was never going to take a straight line.
With such a jarring opening the jazz infected shoegazing of Moorland Is The Sea is a little more welcoming with the steady off-time beat and hypnotic guitars giving way to yet more black metal riffage and some Muse-like synths, as the haunting vocals yet again sift in and out of the blender of styles like a snake in the long grass. Apparently this is the first time the band have put the vocals in the foreground of every track and it works as you can appreciate the complexity of using the vocals as yet another instrument rather than a focal point. As Moorland Is The Sea collapses into what can only be described as euphoric doom you really start to get bewitched by this album which is 44 minutes, so fairly weighty, each track clocking in at a minimum of 5 minutes the longest though is the imposing 10 minute title track that ends the record. Part Island is a hefty piece to indulge in without full commitment, musically it's as dense as darkmatter, bringing together multiple 'outsider' genres into one swirling maelstrom of musical accomplishment. Stick with it, it's a rewarding listen, though I still can't hear the Rush influence at all. 8/10
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