Swedish doom metal band, that started out under the name Nemesis in 1982. They are one of the originators of their style, although nobody denies that they are themselves influenced by Black Sabbath. Many bands include past and present Candlemass members. Mercy, Momento Mori, Messiah, Abstrakt Algebra to name a few. Plenty of bands have tried to copy their style, but in my opinion, Candlemass are the one and only really great doom metal band.

NIGHTFALL (1987, 2001) POWERLINE (Remastered 2CD)

This is Candlemass' first album with vocalist Messiah Marcolin. As far as I'm concerned, this is one of their best releases. To me Candlemass are the definition of doom metal. The slow rhythm, the veiling vocals, it's just perfect. No other band has ever come close to it, and I guess we'll have to give Mr. Marcolin's voice much credit for that. Although in all fairness, it was Leif Edling who wrote the songs. Only six of the tracks are actual songs, the rest being intros and outros. 'Marche Funebre' is an awesome cover of Chopin's 'Funeral March'. This remastered edition contains a bonus disc, filled with demos, outtakes, live versions and an interview. A fun listen for a long time fan. Add to that an extensive booklet with lots of liner notes, and you'll pretty much stuck with one of the best re-releases in the history of metal! A MUST!!

Killer songs: Samarithan, Dark Are The Veils Of Death, Bewitched, Mourners Lament

ANCIENT DREAMS (1988, 2001) POWELINE (Remastered 2CD)

What can I say about 'Ancient Dreams' that I haven't already said about 'Tales Of Creation' or 'Nightfall'? Well, not much. This is the same band, doin' the same music. And as usual, they do it well. I might prefer the other 2 albums mentioned though. They are stronger musically than this one, simply because they contain even more great songs. I could have lived without the Black Sabbath medley, but then again, the band are just paying homage to the most influential band in metal history, and certainly the band Candlemass owes most of their musical legacy to. "Epistle No. 81" is a rendition of a Swedish national classic funeral song, penned by a poet/songwriter named Carl Michael Bellman. Candlemass are my favorite doom metal band, 'nuff said. This remastered 2 CD set contains a bunch of live songs, an interview, a music video and extensive liner notes.

Killer tracks: Mirror Mirror, A Cry From The Crypt, The Bells Of Acheron

TALES OF CREATION (1989, 2001) POWERLINE (Remastered 2CD)

1989's 'Tales Of Creation' is by far the bands most ambitious work to date. It's a concept album of the origin of life (I really love the lyrical angle this band had). Again they deliver a doom metal masterpiece, and again I'm pretty much lost for words on how good this really is. You just got to hear it! Doom metal supreme! I bought the remastered version, with the extra bonus CD including demos, an interview and a video. The booklet is also very well done, with extensive liner-notes, including all the lyrics and comments to each track, even the demos! A MUST!

Killer tracks: Dark Reflections, Under The Oak, The Edge Of Heaven

DACTYLIS GLOMERATA (1998) MUSIC FOR NATIONS

6 years after their last album, 'Chapter VI' Candlemass once again returned, with a brand new line-up. Only Leif Edling is back from the original line-up. But then again, he is Candlemass, as far as I am concerned. Still, there is something a bit different about this album. You see, many of the songs on 'Dactlyis Glomerata' were initially recorded for the second Abstrakt Algebra album, but due to poor production, Leif scrapped that album, and reunited Candlemass instead. He brought with him drummer Jejo Perkovic, and at least 4 of the Abstrakt Algebra songs to this album. I've not heard the original recordings (they can be found on the bonus disc for the 2006 reissue of this album), but they way they appear here leaves an impression of a confused Candlemass. Songs like "Dustfow" and "Abstrakt Sun" doesn't exactly sound like something you'd expect from Leif and the boys. On the other hand you have "I Still See Black" and "Karthago", which have the classic Candlemass doom metal sound written all over them. 'Dactylis Glomerata is not at all a bad album, but it is a bit too experimental to really become a classic. I also don't feel that Björn Flodkvist was the right choice as singer for this band. He has a very rough voice that can't really carry that epic feel songs like these demand.

Killer tracks: Wiz, I Still See Black, Karthago

CANDLEMASS (2005) NUCLEAR BLAST (Digipack)

After over 15 years in waiting, the Candlemass fans now see their dream come true; A new album with Messiah on vocals! The classic line-up have once again reunited (after another 6 month split-up, succeeding the initial reunion), and this time they went into the studio. The result is as good as anyone could have hoped for. Already in the the album opener "Black Dwarf" we can hear that the Swedes have speared nothing on this one. It is by every mean the sound of classic Candlemass! And man, are these guys heavy! This self titled album will knock a brick wall down! I suspect the lot went home and listened to their old Black Sabbath albums like crazy during the 6 month hiatus. Leif Edling is a doom metal mastermind, but it is obvious who his influences are. Listening to the man's creations on this album shows once again that the man has not run out of ideas. The bridge in "Assassin Of The Light" gives me the chills, "Copernicus" might just be the vocal delivery of Messiah's life, "Witches" could have been a song on any of the first 4 Candlemass albums, and I could go on like this forever. But even though this sounds like the band the fans once knew, I would not say that they are stuck in their glory days. Far from it. Because the album shows a vital and fresh sounding band. They are not reinventing the steel, but they are certainly not recycling either. I do have one minor complaint though. While every song on this album have elements of greatness, unfortunately some of them doesn't do that much for me as a whole. I'm not sure what the problem is, but the "magic feeling" I get from their first releases is not as ever present as I'm used to. But this is, as said, a minor complaint. This digi-pack version comes with a bonus track, which incidentally is one of the best tracks on this disc. So be sure to look for this one in the top 20 of 2005 releases.

Killer tracks: Black Dwarf, Seven Silver Keys, Copernicus, Witches, The Day And The Night, Mars And Volcanos

KING OF THE GREY ISLANDS (2007) NUCLEAR BLAST (Limited Digipack Edition)

It became a regular soap opera the events preceding the release of this album. Messiah quit, but Leif said he was just taking a time out. Then it became clear that Messiah was not coming back, so the band sought high and low for a replacement. The job was given to someone so unlikely, yet at the same time almost obvious. Robert Lowe, mostly know for his work in Solitude Aeturnus, was the new singer, and everyone was excited. I have to confess that I am not all that familiar with Roberts other bands, although I do own a Last Chapter album he sings on. But I was still very eager to hear how he would fit in Candlemass. 2 things come to mind now that the album is finally here: 1. Robert Lowe is a great singer, and even a very good match for Candlemass. He is probably the only one who can even try to fill Messiah's large shoes. 2. I still miss Mr. Marcolin. You see, the new material is even closer to the classic Candlemass sound I once fell in love with. And I keep imagining what the album would sound like if Messiah was still in the band. I think that would have made for one of the best albums from these doomsters, ever! After some spins though, I came to terms with Robert as their vocalist. By all means, he is doing a fantastic job on these songs. The album starts with a short but moody acoustic opening, and jumps right into the majestic "Emperor Of The Void". This is sort of like the title track, as the lyrics, as well as the title, reflect what is sort of a theme throughout the CD. This is not a concept album, but most of the lyrics evolves around the same subjects. Then we get another choice cut in the Black Sabbath-ish "Devil Seed", before the amazing "Of Stars And Smoke". This track, along with "Emperor Of The Void' might just be two of the best tracks Leif and the boys have ever recorded! Yes, it is dawning on me that 'King Of The Grey Islands' is a monster of an album. It is heavier than it's predecessor, and I get a feeling which I have not gotten from this band since 'Tales Of Creation'. Leif has once again given me that "magic feeling", and created another doom metal masterpiece. So after endless spins I'm ready to join the choir: "Messiah who?" Definitely one of the better albums of 2007, and I will list it above the last album as one of the finest doom metal albums ever created.

My digipack version comes with 2 bonus tracks. Both are from session recordings with Robert Lowe singing classic Candlemass tunes. They are listed in the wrong order on the back of the cover.

Killer tracks: Emperor Of The Void, Devil Seed, Of Stars And Smoke, Clearsight, Embracing The Styx

LUCIFER RISING (2008) NUCLEAR BLAST (EP, digipak)

I guess Candlemass felt they needed to show the fans what newcomer, vocalist Robert Lowe, was capable of. Thus they release a long playing EP (??), including two new tracks ("Lucifer Rising" and "White God"), a re-recorded version of "Demons Gate", and 9 live tracks, recorded in Athens, 2007. That means lots of exclusive stuff on this CD. The new tracks are awesome, and quite frankly better than many of the songs on 'King Of The Grey Island'. Still, my main interest in this EP are the live tracks. Since I've yet to catch Candlemass in concert with their new frontman, this is a great substitute. The question at hand is of course how Robert sounds singing those older classics. My verdict is that he does them ok enough. He doesn't even try to mimic Messiah Marcolin, and that is a good thing. He can still make the songs work on his own terms. However, I catch myself comparing these versions to the ones I am so familiar with. And when all s said and done, I prefer the originals. Still, I like the rawness of this live recording. It doesn't seem as though any tweaking has been done to them in the studio afterwards, so what you get here is the real deal, with crowd interactions and all. That makes 'Lucifer Rising' is a fine contribution to the Candlemass collection.

DEATH MAGIC DOOM (2009) NUCLEAR BLAST (Limited Edition CD/DVD)

Sweden's premier doom metal masters are back again. And this time vocalist Robert Lowe has been apart of the band long enough to really melt into the groove, so to speak. Leif is still the one who writes all the music and the lyrics. But 'Death Magic Doom' still comes across as more of a band effort than any Candlemass album since 'Tales Of Creation'! It's a natural step forth from 'King Of The Grey Island'. But it is also so much more than it's predecessor. Whereas 'King Of The Grey Island' presented the "new" band's baby steps, 'Death Magic Doom' is already the full grown version of the band.

Leif is once again wearing his influences on his sleeves, belting out some amazing Sabbath-ish riffs. Robert's soaring vocals delivers the mystical lyrical contents in an oh so fitting style. The reason I fell in love with Candlemass in the first place was their powerful doom metal, with emphasis on metal. And this is what they have brought forth so successfully on 'Death Magic Doom' also. Sure, both the last 2 albums were very solid efforts too. But this one just floors me! Most of the time they plodder along in a slow to mid-tempo speed, typical for the doom genre. But many of the songs can go from slow to mid-paced to fast all in one! It's the epic-ness and length of some of the tunes that opens up for much variety. And Leif makes sure that there is plenty of dynamics within each composition, and also in the flow of the album as a whole. 'Death Magic Doom' also holds the rare capacity of sounding like new and familiar at once. The production is very warm, and lets all of the instrument shine in their respective places. It's great to hear new metal albums that doesn't have to be all modern, crispy-clear and sterile. Metal is about letting the bottom end hit you in the pelvis, and that is just what this record does. Mission accomplished!

This album might just be the pinnacle of the doom metal scene in the new century. And I think it will be cemented in history as a classic in the genre. It will definitely rank high on my Top 20 from 2009 list.

I own the Limited Edition digi-pack version of 'Death Magic Doom'. It comes with the track "Lucifer Rising", taken from last years EP, as a bonus, as well as a DVD that I have yet to watch as of writing this.

Killer tracks: If I Ever Die, Hammer Of Doom, The Bleeding Baroness, Clouds Of Dementia, My Funeral Dreams

Thomas Vikström guest appearances:

Audiovision - 'The Calling'

Divinefire - 'Glory Thy Name'

Divinefire - 'Hero'

Divinefire - 'Into A New Dimension'

Related Artists:

Abstrakt Algebra, Nemesis, Carcass, Arch Enemy , Last Chapter